SkyBitz SkyCamera Powered by Compology Gives Line Haulers Eyes into The Trailer

Pinpoint the exact location of trailers or intermodal containers, retrieve the total usable cubic space, as well as entire floor space availability

As our economy continues to change rapidly, trucking companies are facing a growing number of issues related to driver shortages, rising shipping costs, and plummeting margins. Technology is quickly adapting to customer needs, driving better business decisions with an influx of more relevant data.  Companies need more visibility into the way shipments are packed, when to engage available drivers, and how to maximize cargo capacity to maintain as much of their bottom line as possible.

SkyBitz is changing the game by adding volumetric cargo sensors and high-resolution cameras to the SmartTrailer™ solution. Now offering advanced remote asset management solutions, SkyCamera powered by Compology gives you an accurate view of available fullness and floor space, for true ‘eyes’ into your remote trailers or intermodal containers.

Smarter asset management delivers more control over inventory, increases margins associated with trailers, and creates a better driver and customer experience.

Volumetric Technology Pinpoints Cargo Capacity

SkyCamera powered by Compology is an ultra-durable, high-resolution in-trailer camera and volumetric sensor that provides accurate and actionable data in real-time using artificial intelligence-powered software. Customers can pinpoint the exact location of trailers or intermodal containers, retrieve the total usable cubic space, as well as entire floor space availability. Combine that with crystal-clear images of what the freight looks like inside the trailer and dispatchers can now determine if it was loaded incorrectly or reporting false empty. Dispatchers can now correctly assign drivers to the right trailer at the right time, reducing wasted driver hours and much frustration.

SkyCamera can be mounted and installed in under 10 minutes on any loaded or unloaded trailer or intermodal container. Location and capacity data enable you to quickly match decoupled trailers with LTL or LT truckloads based on those that will generate the most profit. Volumetric capabilities equip you with precise data from the trailer floor, which translates to higher utilization of the trailers’ cubic space for maximizing the load and reducing line haul and city or local shipping costs.

Images can be scheduled or triggered and viewed right within the SkyBitz InSight web application. The photos provided by SkyCamera prompt a more transparent customer experience due to having correct data right at your fingertips, with photographic evidence to support any customer claim or invoicing discrepancy. Volumetric data provides a wealth of accurate and trackable information so you can focus on improving the productivity of your assets, drivers, and customer billing processes.

Trailer Visibility Increases Utilization & Margins

With the increased visibility provided by SkyCamera powered by Compology, line haulers can not only maximize trailer use but also increase margins – while reducing the headaches around shipper discrepancies. Line haulers gain the ability to see inside trailers and determine how much space is available, optimizing turn time and generating higher payloads with fewer assets.

While the profitability of freight companies right now is driving most business decisions, this technology will automate several administrative processes and improve communication between haulers and shippers. Think about how much time your team spends on tracking inventory shortages or substantiating detention billing. The ability to send definitive pictures from inside the trailer with invoices allows you to thwart any disputes before they happen, saving your operation time and money.

 “Volumetric trailer data is critical to line haul customers that experience freight discrepancies such as load capacity issues, damage claims, or theft. Integrating the camera into our SmartTrailer ecosystem allows customers to target margin-depleting discrepancies that result from unused trailer floor space. The crystal-clear images show what is actually inside the trailer and create a more transparent process for everyone across the supply chain.” 
Debbie Sackman, SkyBitz Senior Product Manager 

Reducing capital expense is also on the mind of business owners, and SkyCamera provides insight into the proper utilization of trailers for this reason. Gone are the days of idle trailers that have been sitting for a month or longer. These trailers can be used immediately, giving you an accurate view of how many assets you need to operate at the highest possible revenue-generating threshold.

Theft and inventory shortages can also be addressed quickly by seeing inside the trailer before leaving the yard. Manufacturer load plans can be compared to actual shipper capacity data to mitigate shortages, spot potential theft, and avoid erroneous expedite fees.

Keeping Drivers Happy is Good Business

Recently, a survey in JOC.com of more than 2,000 trucking operators was conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), a non-profit research organization engaged in critical transportation studies and operational tests since 1954. For the third year in a row, finding and keeping truck drivers topped the list of trucking’s ten most critical issues. The driver shortage is expected to increase substantially in the next few years, and that means making adjustments now that will positively impact your entire business. And drivers play an important role in keeping your business and the economy moving.

“While drivers are benefiting from increased pay, there is concern that driver compensation has not kept pace with inflation and that drivers are not compensated adequately for non-driving duties such as detention wait times. Excessive detention of drivers by shippers or receivers has been an issue for years, drawing attention from the Obama administration, but it exploded last year as freight demand rose and truck capacity tightened. Although reducing detention is a goal of ‘shipper of choice’ programs, detention has increased.” 
American Transportation Research Institute

With SkyCamera powered by Compology, companies can substantiate detention billing with accurate data of trailer arrival, load & unload times, detention activity, and departure date. By dispatching near and available drivers to trailers that are empty and ready to go, line haulers can reduce detention time and keep drivers happy.

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