Operational implications of mobile communications in the motor carrier industry

This paper reports on a study of how practices in the motor carrier industry, especially the use if mobile communications, can contribute to the evolving concept of a "glass" supply chain, where every participant has access to locational information and the chain's performance in real-time, 24-hour access. Trucking companies were early investors in CB radios and later cell phones and pagers, but wireless Internet connections which would enable a more fully integrated communications loop don't seem as widely embraced, or only among certain members of the industry. Even when they are used, they are typically associated with the tractor, not the trailer, which is the shipper's main concern. The authors surveyed 565 motor carriers about their use of mobile communications. The results show that there are numerous benefits to shippers and carriers, but more work needs to be done to see how these technologies can best be implemented.