To say that 1999 was dominated by concerns over the rollover into a new millennium would ignore dramatic progress made in trucking-related technologies.
Because of the emphasis on Y2K, carriers held off buying some new products until their information technology departments or vendors could turn their attention away from fixing potential computer glitches from the “millennium bug.” Also, market factors, political issues and reliability concerns added a measure of caution to the influx of available technologies. So some of the products introduced in the past year will not start commanding market share until some time in the future.
Still, there’s no stopping progress. The dawn of a new century was heralded by dynamic advancements in electronic technologies, especially for improving safety. And information is still at the top of the heap. The new buzzword up and down the supply chain seems to be “connectivity” — integrating the flow of information and services across all users, from manufacturer to carrier and from supplier to customer.
Among innovations that made impacts in 1999 were a new radio band for short-range communications, in-cab Internet access and the proliferation of trucking company Web sites that gave customers tracking and account management capabilities. Also fast rising on the high-tech horizon were cellular and radio-based innovations, as opposed to satellites, for transmitting data between dispatchers and truckers.
For the full story, see the Jan. 10 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
