CARRIER AND SHIPPER INTERFACING AND SHIPMENT TRACKING FRAMEWORK FOR EFFICIENT SCHEDULING AND TRANSPORTATION OF CARGO, WITH SECURITY MONITORING AND EFFICIENT PAYMENT TO CARRIERS

摘要

A method, system, and computer program product provides efficient matching of shipments with carriers and real time online tracking of shipments. The method includes receiving a carrier input that includes a desired end destination of an equipment of the carrier, and a processor locating at least one available shipment having one of (i) a shipment pick-up point within a pre-established, shipment pick-up zone and (ii) a shipment delivery point within an acceptable shipment drop-off zone of the desired end destination. The processor dynamically determines and maps an optimal route and generates and displays an available shipment (AV) user interface (UI), with a complete route for the equipment from a desired starting point to the desired end destination. The processor then calculates and provides, via the AV UI, an opportunity cost of the shipment, based in part on a total number of empty miles associated with the route.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a first input from a carrier that includes at least one of a desired staring point and a desired end destination of an equipment of the carrier, the equipment capable of transporting a shipment from a shipment pick-up point to a shipment delivery point; a processor locating at least one available shipment having at least one of (i) a shipment pick-up point within a pre-established, shipment pick-up zone corresponding to an acceptable radius around the desired starting point location and (ii) a shipment delivery point within an acceptable shipment drop-off zone of the desired end destination, wherein the shipment pick-up point can be a different location from the desired starting point and a current location of the equipment and the shipment delivery point can be a different location from the desired end destination; the processor dynamically determining and mapping an optimal route for delivery of each of the at least one available shipment from a respective, corresponding shipment pick-up point to a respective, corresponding shipment delivery point; generating and displaying an available shipments (AV) user interface (UI), and plotting, on the AV UI, a complete route for the equipment from the desired starting point to the desired end destination, the route including a first path from the desired starting point to the shipment pick-up point, at least one middle path including the optimal route for the corresponding shipment, and a third path from the shipment delivery point to the desired end destination; and calculating and providing, to the carrier, via the AV UI, an opportunity cost of the shipment along that complete route, based in part on a total number of empty miles associated with at least one of the first path and the second path.