Is North America short on truck drivers, or are truck drivers short on time? In November 2021, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association released the survey results from over 900 drivers that found that “those complying with the 60-hour rule spend approximately 20% to 33% of their possible compensated drive time in detention, while those complying with the 70-hour rule spend 17% to 29% of their drive time in detention.” With loading and unloading delays stealing such drastic time from drivers and their companies, it’s important for truck trailer rental agencies and solutions providers to leverage freight technology to minimize other areas of lost time, such as the locating and repositioning of idle trailers.
What Is Middleware Trailer Repositioning Software?
Middleware bridges the communication gap between two or more technologies which creates opportunity for efficient data management. A middleware trailer repositioning software program provides owners with the data from smart trucks and other IOT furnished trailers in order to connect idle trailers with drivers who are able to reposition them. Rental agencies and fleet managers understand the pain of sending a deadhead truck from one corner of the US to the other. With trailer repositioning software, the trailers owner can alert available drivers and shippers with the local available capacity which turns a deadhead drive into a revenue generating rental that gets the trailer exactly where it needs to. This modern freight technology helps shippers understand and gain access to more available capacity, without losing time driving to a rental counter.
How Technology is Changing the Face of Local and Global Supply Chains
While trailer repositioning software may be one of the latest supply chain trends gaining traction, it is certainly not the last. Just as many pushed back against the introduction of smart phones into personal lives and business professions, still some push back against newer freight technology. Some might ask, “What if automation takes away the jobs of people I know and care for?” Or, “It’s just a phase, it’ll blow over soon. Why fix what isn’t broke?”
Yet today, a fast paced globalized supply chain is only possible with technology that translates languages, extracts data and much more thanks to robotic process automation, AI, ML, and all further technology currently being developed. Tenured business partners benefited from technology during the pandemic, and even today as some businesses continue to take advantage of the lesser corporate costs accrued by working at home. Companies who are not willing to adapt to technological advancements can only hold their ground for so long before the distance between efficiencies and performance is too wide to be considered competitive anymore.
Benefits of Utilizing Trailer Software and Telematics for Modern Transportation
While the benefits of trailer repositioning software could be summarized as convenient and efficient, there is much more to consider. Some of those benefits are:
- Maximized Trailer Visibility and Usage – Fleet managers, rental agencies and solutions providers can utilize two-way communication to see entire fleet at any time with telematics and repositioning software. IOT hardware can send notifications to decision makers with data that drives decisions to decrease idle assets, dwell time, and turn time.
- Easier TMS and Third-Party Application Integetration – With a seamless integration, trailer repositioning software and end-to-end telematics provides a user-friendly experience receiving up-to-date trailer fleet data. White-label solutions providers can even centralize their asset sensor data (location, temperature, alarms, etcetera) through a dispatch system.
- Increased Preemptive Action – Trailer owners can minimize maintenance costs by relying on sturdy, solar-powered devices to track miles driven and engine hours without the disruption of frequent battery changes. Combining this data with proactive scheduling also maximizes truck and trailer efficiency and life-expectancy.
- Better Trailer Safety Measures – Since trailer repositioning software is used to notify owners of trailer moves, or the lack thereof, owners can utilize this technology to provide alerts of unauthorized trailer moves. Other safety benefits include programable alerts or alarms for fuel theft, unplanned open trailer doors, as well as current location data in case of entire trailer theft.
- Decreased Fuel and Time Waste – Sensor data can track fuel changes such as rapid fuel loss or uncharacteristic fuel usage compared to the invoice. Repositioning also benefits a company’s overall sustainability labels by preventing deadhead fuel waste and maximizing efficiency.
Partner With vHub to Minimize Wasted Time and Miles with Trailer Repositioning Software
While efficiency measures cannot remedy every wasted mile and weary human resource, today’s supply chain is marked by a tight competition to do more with less. vHub gives companies the tools they need to hire drivers to move idle trailers to where they need to go at a profit instead of a deficit. To see trailer repositioning done simply, quickly, and economically, get your trailer on the road with a vHub account today.
