Entrusting Your Cargo to Carriers and Forwarders

Carriers and forwarders are expected to follow protocols and protect your freight in transit. But how can you be sure? If you don’t have round the clock real-time visibility, once your freight leaves your sight, you have to trust someone else will keep an eye out. Will they handle your goods responsibly? Will they stick to the safest and most expedient route? Will they make effective use of their time? Will they report threats or damage to your cargo responsibly?

Recent statistics show just how vulnerable cargo is in transit, and how costly it can be for your business if your carriers and forwarders are inattentive or irresponsible:

• Poor and unsafe handling of cargo is responsible for 65% of all damages
• Traveling rough terrain can increase the stress put on in-transit cargo by up to 10x
• 11% of product arriving at distribution centers is reported as damaged
• 71% - 87% of global cargo theft happens when cargo is in transit
• $30 billion of cargo is stolen every year

Why Finding Trustworthy Carriers and Forwarders Is a Challenge

Traditionally, companies have attempted to maintain satisfactory performance of carriers and prevent violations to company policy by evaluating and screening their carriers through scorecards. However, obtaining and reviewing scorecards takes a lot of time, energy, and research, and it’s not always clear whether the information is objective or self-reported. 

Best-case scenario, you’ll have to trust that a carrier’s history will reflect consistent future behavior. Even the most responsible person might look away at the wrong moment, make an unfortunate or uninformed judgment call when rerouting or stopping, or be oblivious to how road or weather conditions are affecting the contents of your freight. 

The Cargo Signal Solution

The IoT-powered sensors that Cargo Signal attaches to global freight track real-time data about shipments as they are moved by your carriers and forwarders, providing end-to-end visibility, security, and quality control. Our technology is supported by a Command Center staffed by logistics professionals who monitor your shipments around the clock, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

With Cargo Signal, you can forget the scorecards, skip the arduous process of searching for reliable carriers and forwarders, keep an eye on your freight 24/7 as it moves from the point of origin to its destination, and hold those handling your freight accountable in real time. You can rest easy knowing that our sensors and Command Center are working hand in hand to look after your freight at all times, eliminating the possibility of human error.

Sensor-based logistics Can Hold Your Carriers and Forwarders Accountable

Cargo Signal offers 24/7 transparency of your carriers and forwarders and replaces the need for scorecards altogether. With this new level of oversight, you will know immediately if your freight has been mishandled or damaged and if any unauthorized rerouting or dwell times have occurred that may potentially delay your shipment. 

Customizable alerts provide you and your chosen stakeholders with updates about your carriers’ performance. Our Location & Delay alerts will let you know exactly where your cargo is, whether it’s on the correct and timeliest route, if any unexpected or unplanned stops have occurred, and how far it is from its final destination. And our Security and Shock & Tilt alerts will sound the alarm if your cargo is compromised or has become vulnerable to theft.

Cargo Signal’s real-time alerts can be configured according to the policies that you’ve set to hold your carriers and forwarders accountable and ensure that your freight arrives safe, sound, and on time. Instead of placing your cargo and company reputation in hands you think you can trust, place it in the hands you know you can trust: a technology and support team that delivers real-time oversight directly to you.

Cargo Signal Can Help You:

• Increase the transparency of your carrier and forwarders by introducing real-time visibility 
• Set customizable real-time alerts according to company policy to automate scorecarding
• Rest assured that your carrier and forwarders are safely and responsibly handling your freight at all times

If you want to improve your supply chain performance using sensor-based logistics, Cargo Signal is a great option. Contact a representative today and request a demo to get started. 

Download Cargo Signal's free Guide to IoT E-book here.