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Low cost high-tech
Page 38
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• Increasing your technology needn't mean a massive investment. For example, you have to be very careless to buy a new PC that doesn't have a route finding system or an Internet connection as part of the pre-installed software package. CDbased route finders are inexpensive, and Internet alternatives are also available. Hook up to www.theaa.com, for example and there is an online international route finder. You can also use the travel and weather reports to help plan your journey. As well as an international route planner at www.euroshell.com there's atoll and tunnel guide, Europeanwide fuel price comparison and a load finder service.
For a more specialised load matching service, try a preview of the Roadrunner Transport Exchange at www.roadrunner.uk.com, provided by Road Tech Systems. It includes UK and international loads posted by some of the 1,500 users of Road Tech's best-selling traffic management system, says Road Tech marketing manager Kevin Cann. Freight forwarders and manufacturers from several industrial sectors may also post loads. You don't have to be a Roadrunner user to use it; you can pay as you go.
If your operations take you increasingly into Continental Europe, www.teleroute.co.uk will be worth a try. It is an independently run load matching service and, like the Freight Transport Exchange, takes no commission from any transaction. Teleroute features loads posted from more than 35,000 users in 16 countries around Europe. It has just introduced a new Web II system that is said to provide a very sophisticated filtering service. "You can search for very specific areas around Europe and not be distracted by loads that are 50 miles away," says Michael Bajohra, country manager. "You can also combine country searches. For example, you can look at available freight along the borderlines of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany and select the best available route for your return journey. CM(9-15 Aug) featured a round-up of electronic load matching services. For back copies call 01371 810433.
So, if your idea of route planning involves having a word with the most experienced driver, wise up. If you still calculate rates on the back of a cigarette packet, park up. You don't have to start improving utilisation levels by throwing money at a computer system, but at least give it some serious thought.