“I’ve got a GPS system and telematics. RTV seems like I’d just be duplicating my costs”
It is a common misconception that telematics and real-time visibility (RTV) are the same thing. Telematics is the method of gathering vehicle or fleet data, such as driver location and behaviour (using GPS), fuel levels or vehicle status. The data collected is analysed by computer systems to help refine routes, spot trends and fix vehicle faults before they happen, to optimise operations.
In short, telematics can analyse past behaviours to make predictions about the future. So what happens if you need real-time insights into things happening right now, like waiting times or route changes?
This is where RTV stands apart from telematics, enabling true proactive decision making in real-time. RTV uses a range of data to help create a holistic overview of the entire transportation process, providing ETA data and informing users of any delays or bottlenecks.
For example, Sixfold by Transporeon’s RTV platform gathers data from a variety of sources, such as maps, traffic/congestion, & weather forecasts.
It combines it with data from shipper’s ERP and TMS systems, as well as carrier telematics, TMS and mobile apps to provide high-quality insights and accurate arrival times.
At the same time, RTV data is enhanced using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to further improve its accuracy and reliability. Sixfold by Transporeon’s AI master data approach ensures the highest Geofence accuracy and, together with data cleansing, provides ETA predictions that are 96% accurate 1-hour prior to arrival.
Precise ETA predictions enable businesses to react proactively to avoid delays, allowing customers to improve their on-time delivery rate by 10-20%. Knowing a shipment's exact arrival time helps warehouses to be prepared for incoming transports, and if there is a delay or early arrival, resources and labour can be reprioritized. This significantly reduces truck wait times by 20%, (un)loading times, and thus overall turnaround times by 10%.
The benefits of RTV do not just end there – in addition to providing ETA, RTV provides a single platform and point of contact between shippers, carriers, sub-carriers, and customers. This is particularly useful for LSPs as they can have an overview of connected subcontractors in one system. To make things even easier, the whole process is automated.
Knauf UK implemented RTV from Sixfold by Transporeon to use alongside its TMS. In addition to reducing check-calls (80%) and truck turnaround times (10%), the solution offered Knauf UK predictive transport assignment via no-touch order. This means that carriers and LSPs using Sixfold get orders directly. The automated no-touch method also means confirmation times of under an hour, helping improve efficiency and allowing operations to run smoothly.
By assigning individual carrier orders on a day-by-day basis, Knauf UK was able to lower freight costs. To date, it has saved £1.5 million in delivery and warehouse yard handling.
Logistics professionals need telematics to gather actionable data. They also need Real-Time Visibility capabilities to make sure that data can be used to respond to situations as they occur to reduce friction in their daily operations.
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