Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

Weather Company unveils software to help truckers work around the elements

DC managers, truck dispatchers, drivers to have access to real-time weather, traffic data.

The Weather Company, a unit of IBM Corp., has rolled out software designed to help motor carriers avoid weather-related delays that it says cost the industry nearly $9 billion a year.

Dubbed the "Operations Dashboard for Ground Transportation," the software, which can be tailored to each carrier's need, provides real-time information on weather and road conditions. The system also integrates real-time traffic-flow and incident data and flags safety hazards, according to The Weather Company, an Atlanta-based company that offers business-to-business IT and consulting services.


Distribution center executives and truck dispatchers will have access to the company's network of vehicles and locations, with a view of weather, traffic, and safety information on each route, according to the company. DC managers will also have views of weather and traffic status that may impact employee safety and facility conditions, the company said.

Drivers will receive real-time alerts for current and upcoming locations based on their current trajectory. In addition, dispatchers can create individualized alerts of approaching hazards, which can be transmitted via application programming interface (API) technology to drivers while they are in their cabs or on their mobile devices, the company said. Drivers will receive high-resolution alerts that can be updated as frequently as every five minutes, the company said.

Mark Gildersleeve, vice president and head of business solutions for the Andover, Mass.-based company, said the software provides users with a "single view of critical weather and traffic information," which helps reduce costly inefficiencies and keep drivers out of harm's way.

"We understand that weather can be disruptive, but with the right insight, companies can be prepared to make proactive decisions," Gildersleeve said.

This is The Weather Company's first foray into freight transportation and logistics. Its sister company, The Weather Channel, provides real-time weather updates targeted at consumers and businesses.

While other industries—including the airlines and airfreight companies—have relied for years on real-time weather data from private sources, the trucking industry, state departments of transportation, and other transportation agencies generally have used historical information from public forecasting sources, which might not be the best way to obtain precise or current data, The Weather Company said. As a result, many transport firms are more affected by weather conditions than they need to be, the company said.

The Weather Company provides daily forecasts for 2.2 billion locations around the world. Its sister company, The Weather Channel, provides real-time weather forecasts aimed mostly at consumers.

The Latest

More Stories

Trucking industry experiences record-high congestion costs

Trucking industry experiences record-high congestion costs

Congestion on U.S. highways is costing the trucking industry big, according to research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), released today.

The group found that traffic congestion on U.S. highways added $108.8 billion in costs to the trucking industry in 2022, a record high. The information comes from ATRI’s Cost of Congestion study, which is part of the organization’s ongoing highway performance measurement research.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

From pingpong diplomacy to supply chain diplomacy?

There’s a photo from 1971 that John Kent, professor of supply chain management at the University of Arkansas, likes to show. It’s of a shaggy-haired 18-year-old named Glenn Cowan grinning at three-time world table tennis champion Zhuang Zedong, while holding a silk tapestry Zhuang had just given him. Cowan was a member of the U.S. table tennis team who participated in the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan. Story has it that one morning, he overslept and missed his bus to the tournament and had to hitch a ride with the Chinese national team and met and connected with Zhuang.

Cowan and Zhuang’s interaction led to an invitation for the U.S. team to visit China. At the time, the two countries were just beginning to emerge from a 20-year period of decidedly frosty relations, strict travel bans, and trade restrictions. The highly publicized trip signaled a willingness on both sides to renew relations and launched the term “pingpong diplomacy.”

Keep ReadingShow less
forklift driving through warehouse

Hyster-Yale to expand domestic manufacturing

Hyster-Yale Materials Handling today announced its plans to fulfill the domestic manufacturing requirements of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act for certain portions of its lineup of forklift trucks and container handling equipment.

That means the Greenville, North Carolina-based company now plans to expand its existing American manufacturing with a targeted set of high-capacity models, including electric options, that align with the needs of infrastructure projects subject to BABA requirements. The company’s plans include determining the optimal production location in the United States, strategically expanding sourcing agreements to meet local material requirements, and further developing electric power options for high-capacity equipment.

Keep ReadingShow less
map of truck routes in US

California moves a step closer to requiring EV sales only by 2035

Federal regulators today gave California a green light to tackle the remaining steps to finalize its plan to gradually shift new car sales in the state by 2035 to only zero-emissions models — meaning battery-electric, hydrogen fuel cell, and plug-in hybrid cars — known as the Advanced Clean Cars II Rule.

In a separate move, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also gave its approval for the state to advance its Heavy-Duty Omnibus Rule, which is crafted to significantly reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from new heavy-duty, diesel-powered trucks.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshots for starboard trade software

Canadian startup gains $5.5 million for AI-based global trade platform

A Canadian startup that provides AI-powered logistics solutions has gained $5.5 million in seed funding to support its concept of creating a digital platform for global trade, according to Toronto-based Starboard.

The round was led by Eclipse, with participation from previous backers Garuda Ventures and Everywhere Ventures. The firm says it will use its new backing to expand its engineering team in Toronto and accelerate its AI-driven product development to simplify supply chain complexities.

Keep ReadingShow less