Issue link: http://hub.jocdigital.com/i/860137
4 THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE www.joc.com Editor's Letter Mark Szakonyi IN THE DEBATE over just how much truckload capacity will be pushed from the US market because of the electronic logg ing device man- date, the safety and productivity improvements often get lost. Those improvements will benefit shippers, motor carriers, third-party logistics providers and drivers. The ELDs — which when con- nected to engines, brakes, and other onboard systems, will generate massive data from millions of trac- tor-trailers — can allow tech-savvy motor carriers to better match driv- ers with loads, lane by lane, and make better use of the time drivers spend on the road. This will reduce empty miles for drivers, creating more capacity, and, ultimtately, mitigating rate increases caused by the imbal- ance of demand to space on rigs. In technolog y speak, the col- lecting of data from ELDs is part of the so-called Internet or Network of Things, in which devices can send and receive data; the crunching of that data to make informed decisions is an example of Big Data. While both trends have been overhyped (See: Do we really need refrigerators to tell us we are out of milk?), there are clearly true business applications, as my colleagues' interview with C.H. Rob- inson CEO Chairman and CEO John Wiehoff in our Cover Story shows. "There will be lots of advantages in terms of capturing that data and working with our customers to plan better, to eliminate dwell times, and to make sure shippers know if there's a traffic problem, so they can man- age around it," he said. Shippers will have "better visibility into inbound freight and their supply chain." The collection of data via the devices and the crunching of the inputs could pave the way of a new level of driver/carrier-shipper col - laboration. Yes, smart shippers know that they can secure capac- ity better if they can offer drivers a quick unload, a bathroom, and com- mon decency. But as Wiehoff notes, shippers want to know how their freight is seen by motor carriers, and C.H. Robinson will be able to share with them metrics on the average loading wait time at their various facilities. What's refreshing about the approach to using ELD-collected data to make smart decisions, aiding drivers, shippers, motor carriers and brokers, is that there are clear deliv - erables. This isn't some fuzzy notion of crunching Big Data and hoping for insights to be seen; it's simply better collecting and analyzing data that the industry has been seeking and using for years, albeit on a much more lim- ited scale. "So, in some ways, we're doing exactly what we were doing 35 years ago, but the sophistication and the data have really moved up. In truck- ing, location services are already here, but come Dec. 18 they're going to be universal, and that's a big deal," Wie- hoff said. In terms of competition for ship- per business, the potential downside is that well-capitalized third-party logistics companies such as C.H. Robinson have the edge, as they are already hiring data engineers and analytic specialists. Technology's development, both in terms of usabil- ity and lower cost, however, allows the smaller players to still stay in the game as long as they embrace the potential for their own networks and that of their shipper customers. JOC Crunching ELDs' Benefits The Journal of Commerce (USPS 279 – 060), ISSN 1530-7557, August 21, 2017, Volume 18, Issue No. 17. The Journal of Commerce is published bi-weekly except the last week in December (printed 25 times per year) by JOC Group Inc., 450 West 33rd St., 5th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10001. Subscription price: $595 a year. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. © All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be copied or reprinted without written permission from the publisher. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to The Journal of Commerce, Subscription Services Department, 450 West 33rd St., 5th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10001. AUGUST 21.2017 EXECUTIVE EDITOR, THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE AND JOC EVENTS Chris Brooks 609 649 2181 chris.brooks@ihsmarkit.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR, THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE AND JOC.COM Mark Szakonyi 202 872 1234 mark.szakonyi@ihsmarkit.com MANAGING EDITOR Barbara Wyker 908 777 3217 barbara.wyker@ihsmarkit.com SENIOR EDITORS Joseph Bonney, Breakbulk/Project Cargo, Gulf Coast 973 508 2417 joseph.bonney@ihsmarkit.com William B. 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"The collection of data via the devices and the crunching of the inputs could pave the way to a new level of driver/carrier- shipper collaboration."