Learning Resources
Lesson
Transportation of goods and products is a major component of the transportation industry. It is important to have a system that enables fast, accurate identification of items and identification of their whereabouts at any time.
One of the keys to this is a means of encoding information on packages in machine readable form. Machine readable form is one that a computer scanner can read quickly and accurately. The Universal Product Code (UPC) was created to serve this purpose. It contains information about the company, about the item, and a check number that tells the scanner if it scanned correctly. How Stuff Works has a short explanation of UPC, complete with examples. A more technical explanation can be found here.
While the UPC may be the tool that enables item identification and tracking, a significant amount of information and systems operate behind the scenes.
All forms of communications related to freight from rate quotes to delivery are fully integrated into computerized database systems. Customers have access to various parts of that information on the web. One company, Yellow Freight has full services online. The customer enters the data, and can track the entire history of the transaction on their web site. Yellow has an online tour that demonstrates the full scope of this process. Registering is not necessary to step through the tour. As you move through the tour, you will notice question mark symbols throughout the material. If you place your cursor on it, an explanation will pop up for that item.
Activity
Several of the local carrier or transport companies use technologies discussed in class. These include UPC symbols for the registration of packages, GPS systems on the trucks or vehicles to track freight movement. Pagers, cell phones and laptop computers so that the drivers can maintain contact with the office at all times. There is also use of mobile communication systems such as two way radios.
Contact two local cargo carriers and investigate in detail how they track their trucks and their freight on a day to day basis. Sample companies are:
- Canada Post Corporation
- Day and Ross Ltd.
- FedEx (Federal Express
- Purolator
- Same Day Courier
- Loomis Courier
In addition many carriers have online tracking systems you may be able to investigate.
You should include concrete examples of how this process works as well as diagrams where applicable. This could be accomplished by having the carrier track a package for you from pick up to delivery point. You should include the estimated time that it would take for a package to go from one coast to another.
Develop a presentation of your materials and publish to the web.
Test Yourself
There is no self-test for this lesson