How Container & Trailer Tracking Can Help Meet The Record Year at The Ports

In what is a great sign for the logistics industry, a year-over-year comparison for the port of Los Angeles illustrated a “growth rate of 184.7% for intermodal cargo and 35.8% for dry and refrigerated cargo”. Processing an astounding estimated 935,345 containers or TEUs in July alone, the ports Executive Director Gene Seroka, isn’t shying away from more demand: “Our terminals have the capacity”. A direct shot at some ports that are facing increased congestion following the impact of the pandemic. One of the ways the port of Los Angeles has been able to thrive in recent times is through a unique “Port Optimizer” solution and through other means such as advanced asset tracking. However, while the port of Los Angeles has seen success, many believe as we approach the peak season for ocean freight, congestion across the United States may continue to rise.

According to Goetz Ale brand, Ocean Freight Head for the Americas region of DHL Global Forwarding, “We are not yet really out of the woods when it comes to congestion”.  Alebrand went on to stress how the ocean-based supply chains around the globe, but particularly in the United States, are very Vulnerable. This is due to a variety of factors the CallPass team has highlighted before that include a lack of railcars, and the unavailability of chassis, and staffing hurdles that have amounted to supply chain bottlenecks.

These issues remaining prevalent are rough news for those in the logistics industry who have continually faced hurdles over the past few years. While efficiency is impacted, it’s not to be forgotten that these matters also increase prices for the movement of cargo and illustrate the heightened importance of optimizing every asset to get the most out of your bottom line.

The power of an advanced asset tracking solution begins with providing fleet managers with an overarching view of their asset ecosystem. Driving efficiencies by giving operational managers the ability to make agile decisions and ensure no gaps are exposed that would be a detriment to the organization’s goals. These initial benefits are just the start of how those moving freight can take their operations to the next level with leading asset tracking.

When hundreds or thousands of assets are under your organization’s umbrella, complications are sure to arise. With any business, avoiding unnecessary expenses is a must, with trailers and containers, keeping these assets from collecting demurrage fees is key to avoiding escalating hits to profits. Advanced cloud-based solutions, such as the LANA Asset platform, alert you to idle assets that may be on the verge of prolonged detention and dwell times.

LANA Asset produces intuitive and accurate dwell & demurrage reports on each asset in your supply chain. These reports allow you to be both proactive and reactive when it comes to managing dwell & demurrage. Moving assets before fees are collected and cross-checking charges to ensure you are not being overcharged.

While they have come down some, fuel is an expense that can always be controlled, and asset tracking can help you do just that. Never send drivers on unnecessary routes to look for a specific asset or when there is a closer one already in the proximity of the target destination. Reduce idle times at yards and ports along with avoiding heavy traffic all with asset tracking.

By establishing geozones around key points of interest such as various ports, yards, distribution centers, and more… you can stay in the know across every step of your operations logistics journey. With the powerful LANA Asset solution, you have the option to create various types of geozones to fit any landscape and present easily digestible reporting allowing you to gain greater control of your assets.

This knowledge will allow you to prep the warehouse department for unloading cargo, elevate transparency with customers, and more! Once you have your freight operations equipped with geozones you will ask yourself how you survived without them.

Another added benefit of implementing an asset tracking solution to your freight operations is by creating a creating an efficient, productive, rewarding workday for your employees. Eliminate the days of wasted time looking for specific assets as you ensure your staff has a clear and transparent schedule that allows them to thrive.

A proper asset tracking solution can also allow you to get proactive when it comes to scheduling maintenance by keeping track of miles traveled and engine hours. Allowing your team to preschedule maintenance in advance, is convenient to their workflow, but more importantly, saving your operations from any costly speed bumps to productivity.