Keeping tabs

By Staff -- Logistics Management, 9/1/1998

The number of tracking and tracing products available today means shippers now have a wide variety of options to help them collect, manage, and transmit tracking data more effectively.

Ten years ago, tracking and tracing products were a rarity, but it's a very different story today. The development of operational strategies like Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing, Efficient Consumer Response (ECR), and Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI) means that shippers, carriers, and their mutual customers need to know where inventory is at all times. And they need to get that information quickly and

accurately. Fortunately, their needs are being met by a wide variety of tracking and tracing products that are on the market today. Here is just a sampling of some of the newest of these products.

Teletrac offers the Fleet Director software system, which allows companies to determine the precise location and status of any vehicle on a computer map screen. Fleet Director pinpoints a vehicle's location within 150 feet. In addition, this software can monitor vehicles 24 hours a day and can generate a detailed record of the vehicles' movements.

The Fleet Director includes optional equipment for two-way messaging. Drivers can receive free-text messages and transmit numeric data. All communication is verified with the time, date, and location.