A new service from the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions (VICS) Association, GS1 Canada and GS1 US matches a company’s trailers that are returning empty with potential loads that can be collected and delivered along the return route.
The Empty Miles Service reduces the number of trailers traveling without loads-- saving money, increasing revenues, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting fuel consumption, the organizations said.
“The goal of the Empty Miles Service is to make it as easy as possible for VICS members and others to use, so we designed the interface with that in mind,” said Art Smith, president & CEO of GS1 Canada. “With a minimal amount of training and configuration, transportation managers will quickly be reaping the benefits of the technology and saving their companies money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
According to VICS, pricing for the service is by year instead of by shipment or mile, encouraging companies to register as many routes as possible to increase savings.
Other features include web-based access, a secure collaborative environment between shippers and carriers, user authentication and real-time searching for available lanes, VICS said.
