Custom software in the transportation industry – people and products

Transportation management software plays a key role in supply chain management. This software generally provides visibility and control over the entire supply chain process.

Depending on the needs of the business, this software could consist of one or more components, such as supply chain planning, procurement, order management, manufacturing and inventory management. This type of software is primarily used by businesses that move products, including manufacturers, distributors and retailers.

The benefits of using custom transportation management software are numerous:

• Improvements to visibility and security of goods in transit
• Automation of various functions, such as emailing invoices, statements and waybills
• Better compliance when it comes to import and export

With growing pressure to move away from fossil fuels, and with more and more cars on the road, there has been a push to improve public transport and reduce traffic congestion around the world. Improvements that can be achieved through the use of software include:

• Tracking and scheduling of public transport – Telematics is a method of using GPS and onboard diagnostic tools to monitor the whereabouts of a vehicle. This information can be fed to other systems, allowing for real-time updates to bus schedules, for example.
• Monitoring and reporting – Sensors can track and report on traffic and weather conditions and update drivers with accurate and up-to-date travel time indications.
• Intelligent traffic lights – This is a relatively new technology that combines traffic lights with sensors and artificial intelligence to enable traffic lights to react to traffic conditions and communicate with the wider network. Traffic lights would be able to route traffic intelligently, reducing the time that cars idle at traffic lights, keeping traffic jams to a minimum, and bringing down carbon emissions.