Insights - May/June 2017 - 27

the driver," said Sean Van Dyck, vice president at PCS Software,
Shenandoah, Texas.
Jon Sarley, a consultant to New York-based Softmodal, used
this comparison: "Intermodal shipping is like a sandwich that only
works when all of the ingredients
come together," he said. "The drayage, railroad and per diem payables
are the bread, meat and cheese,
but there are often chassis related
expenses, linehaul surcharges and
fuel surcharges sprinkled in as the
condiments."
Sarley noted, "You can manage
your intermodal shipments either
with good technology or based on the
Sarley
institutional memory of a few in-house
intermodal experts. Only one of those approaches is scalable."
Additional features also are important parts of TMS.
"Great intermodal software isn't just about features," Sarley
said. "It should also have an intuitive interface that makes
intermodal shipping an approachable option that anyone in your
company can market and execute."
Intermodal Insights asked all of the suppliers how much
progress has been made in closing up the information gaps or
"black holes" that once were an intermodal issue. There was
broad agreement that freight visibility is much improved.
Intermodal has "really caught up," Heine said, in the ability to
track freight, moving the freight visibility far beyond the era of
shipments that were delayed, sometimes
for days, as customers weren't sure where
their freight was.
Perdue said the prior perception "is
beginning to change due to an increased
focus on visibility from intermodal
providers, and technology is available
to assist brokers, freight forwarders,
beneficial cargo owners, trucking
companies or 3PLs that either use
intermodal or execute its use on behalf of
their customers."
West credited a combination of lowcost telematics and increased supply of
shipment data from railroads as reasons
for the improved freight visibility.
As much as coordinated freight
visibility, management and back-office
functions have advanced, suppliers see
multiple areas to further improve TMS.
Heine said dynamic pricing for ramp
agents is a particular focus because the
rates differ from location to location and
change quickly.
"It's just enough of a problem that
people don't do it," he said. "Maintaining
those rates is very time consuming. Agents
have tariffs that they work every which way
and can change anytime. Customers need
an easier way to maintain and use those
rating systems."

West identified two areas of opportunity for TMS improvement.
One is the evolution of more advanced electronic payment
standards and systems beyond EDI, such as bitcoin. The other is
further advancements in chassis billing through TMS.
Zimmerman believes wider use of smart device apps is
needed, as well as more data access and integration to support
steps such as automated load planning.
Widell concentrated on the ability to use TMS to better manage
drivers.
Dispatching intermodal is much different from truckload, he
noted, because even though one or two segments go smoothly, the
freight can be held up at another point
"There is a tremendous amount of driver time that is
essentially consumed with activities other than moving freight to
the customer," he said, such as pickup and return of chassis and
traffic delays. "That is a tremendous drain on the efficiency of the
industry. Technology providers have a significant role to play in
improving that."
He said that focusing on drivers is especially important
because of a constrained pool of drivers and the need to match
them with increasing numbers of appointment systems at ports
and the focus on reloading equipment.
Perdue said MercuryGate is focused on increasing customers'
ability to better manage free time for equipment as well as tracking
and tracing of rail equipment.
PCS' Van Dyck said "street turns" continue to be an area of
opportunity for TMS providers seeking to enhance productivity
and efficiency.

May/June 2017 | Intermodal Insights

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