Ryder introduces new collaborative logistics platform

Miami-based freight transportation and logistics services provider Ryder System Inc. recently announced it has rolled out a new collaborative logistics platform, entitled RyderShare, which, it said, connects supply chain stakeholders in real time, in order to prevent costly delays and to increase efficiency.

Ryder officials said that this new offering integrates data from multiple transportation and warehouse management systems into a single, synergistic platform, to create a better, faster, and smarter process. And they added it allows all parties to more easily see potential problems and inefficiencies while enabling them to then take real-time action to course correct in advance of delays and problems arising.

Steve Sensing, global president of Supply Chain Solutions for Ryder, told LM there were multiple drivers for the introduction of Rydershare.

“For several years now, the supply chain and logistics industry has been going through seismic disruption, driven by escalating consumer demands—which have only been exacerbated by the global pandemic –coupled with emerging technologies,” he said. “Ryder saw this disruption as an opportunity to create meaningful change in the industry, and that’s where this journey with RyderShare began. That was more than three years ago now. The timing, as it turns out, was not a minute too soon. No one could have predicted this kind of extreme proving ground; fortunately, because of RyderShare, it’s proven to be solid ground as well.”

When the company started along the path with RyderShare, Sensing explained that Ryder’s customers wanted real-time, end-to-end visibility in their supply chains.

“More than that though, they needed all industry players involved in moving goods through their supply chains to collaborate in real-time to handle exceptions and prevent costly delays,” he noted. “The challenge was that the same tracking tools that had been designed to move the industry forward actually created silos of information and access, preventing industry players from working together for a more efficient, customer-centric supply chain. As a result, we invested in a first-of-its-kind, real-time visibility and collaborative logistics platform with the business intelligence and analytics tools to inform future decision-making and the logistics professionals with the experience to make meaningful change.”

When asked what the key customer benefits of RyderShare are, Sensing said that there are variations in benefits, depending on the customer.

As an example, he said that customers that rely heavily on service call centers have realized a substantial reduction in the e-mail chains and phone relays that can take hours just to track and trace one load.

“They’re reporting increased productivity of up to 50%,” he said. “Customers who need to more effectively plan for receiving dock labor report approximately 35% labor efficiency savings. Yet other customers have realized immediate revenue recognition with real-time proof of delivery, eliminating previous delays of up to five days.”

And in regards to what RyderShare provides, or offers, that may have been previously lacking in its service offerings, Sensing turned that around and explained that, instead, it is really about what was lacking in the industry. 

“RyderShare is the first to integrate data from multiple transportation systems across multiple carriers and dedicated fleets along with warehouse management systems into a single collaborative platform in real-time,” he said. “For Ryder customers, this means robust data analytics that provide a complete repository of insights and a historical look back. Ryder operators, engineers, and data scientists capture the operational data provided by the technology, analyze it, and create predictive analytics to diagnose and optimize our customers’ supply chains. This allows Ryder operators to proactively optimize entire networks and create new supply chain processes for continuous improvement.”