PeopleNet, TMW execs talk on-demand economy

by Truck News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The on-demand economy is here, and transportation businesses must become increasingly interconnected to keep pace with an ever-changing market.

This was the message delivered to a large audience of fleet professionals, third-party logistics providers, freight brokers and other transportation industry professionals during today’s opening general session of the 2017 PeopleNet and TMW Systems in.sight User Conference + Expo in Nashville.

In their opening addresses, TMW president David Wangler and PeopleNet president Brian McLaughlin emphasized that mobile technology has come a long way since it was first broadly embraced in the 1980s. Today’s mobile devices and related technologies have been the driving force behind the rapid rise of B2B and B2C eCommerce and the omni-channel business model. As online sales continue to grow and consumer expectations increase, the transportation industry is becoming increasingly reliant on the capture, analysis and exchange of data to deliver products as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“Regardless of product category, the on-demand economy is revolutionizing the movement of goods from supplier to end user,” Wangler said. “The digital mobility first offered in early devices has today become the catalyst for millions of business-critical actions occurring every second. The winners in this revolution will be those who maximize their ability to leverage information in real-time for increased efficiency and agility.”

Transportation businesses are today faced with an increasingly complex global supply chain characterized by evolving distribution models, shrinking delivery windows and reduced margin for error, Wangler said. On a macro level, he added, these changes have spurred increased diversification among for-hire carriers, brokers, 3PLs and private fleets, and heightened the need for dramatically improved asset maintenance practices. In doing so, transportation businesses are turning to technologies that allow near real-time decision making through the use of predictive analytics and deep visibility into each step of the order and fulfillment process.

McLaughlin emphasized the importance of achieving a connected supply chain to address the competitive challenges associated with an on-demand economy.

Establishing a connected supply chain will serve to enable safer drivers and fleets, more environmentally friendly operations and vastly improved efficiency.

 


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*