1. [This
article
was
concepted
and
written
by
Chuck
Dando.
It
was
ghostwritten
for
Mr.
Bob
Rogers
of
*********
Software,
Inc.
after
an
interview
to
determine
the
topics
and
salient
points
needed
for
the
piece.
It
appeared
in
the
March
2003
issue
of
The
Logistics
Journal,
a
publication
of
the
Transportation
Intermediaries
Association]
Are
you
a
Flintstone
or
a
Jetson?
The
Stone-­‐Age
Fred
Flintstone
and
Space-­‐Age
George
Jetson
would
seem
to
have
little
in
common,
since
they
“lived”
thousands
of
years
apart.
But
look
closer
and
you’ll
see
that
they
do
indeed
have
something
in
common
–
both
live
and
breathe
as
truckers
and
transportation
brokers.
What
we’re
talking
about
here
is
information
management
–
the
backbone
of
ANY
business.
Sure,
you
say
–
I’m
all
about
moving
freight.
Information
management
is
something
I
have
to
do
as
a
result
of
all
the
work
I’ve
done.
My
office
staff
has
been
managing
information
just
fine
for
the
past
10
years
–
I
know
everything
I
need
to
know,
pay
my
bills
on
time
and
make
a
decent
profit.
Really?
Well,
Fred,
George
will
be
glad
to
hear
you
say
that
because
your
fossilized
remains
will
wind
up
as
roadbed
for
his
trucks
before
too
much
longer.
What
is
changing
in
the
transportation
industry
is
not
the
physical
business
of
moving
freight
–
trucks
pick
up
a
load
at
one
spot
and
take
it
to
another
and
they’ve
been
doing
it
that
way
for
a
long
time.
Real
change
is
occurring
in
the
economic
efficiency
of
finding
and
moving
those
loads
from
one
spot
to
another
and
how
a
firm
deals
with
all
of
the
information
that
goes
along
with
that
move.
TRUTH:
Whether
you
are
a
trucker
or
a
broker,
speed
and
accuracy
in
moving
information
is
now
the
critical
component
that
determines
your
competitiveness,
your
speed
and
accuracy
in
moving
freight
and
your
profitability.
The
keyword
you
should
know
in
order
to
change
yourself
from
a
Fred
Flintstone
into
a
George
Jetson
is
INTEGRATION.
Integration
is
the
flow
of
information
throughout
all
of
the
systems
you
need
in
order
to
fully
process
a
transaction
from
beginning
to
end.
Remember
how
George
Jetson
walked
into
his
kitchen,
pushed
a
button
and
POOF!
–
out
came
a
complete
meal
ready
to
eat?
George
had
a
fully
integrated
kitchen.
Today’s
software
programs
can
afford
you
the
same
luxury
in
terms
of
putting
together
and
distributing
the
information
necessary
to
fully
process
a
transaction.
With
the
proper
software
programs(s),
a
one-­‐time
data
entry
is
all
that
is
necessary
to
take
you
from
load
dispatch
to
delivery
to
payroll
to
billing
–
and
more!
Software
programs
that
lack
integration
(the
ability
of
information
to
flow
from
one
program
to
another)
are
the
dinosaurs
of
business
today.
In
order
to
make
non-­‐integrated
systems
work,
you
need
staff
that
knows
how
to
operate
each
system
and
you
need
people
to
repeatedly
input
data
into
each
system
(remember,
they
are
not
integrated).
Repeated
data
input
requires
more
time
and
increases
the
chance
of
errors.
In
addition,
information
contained
in
one
system
may
never
make
it
to
another
system
–
say
between
dispatch
and
billing.
What
can
happen:
Dispatch
sends
a
truck
to
pick
up
a
load
for
a
customer
that
is
way
past
due
on
paying
his

2. bills
to
you.
With
software
integration
and
the
information
flow
that
it
provides,
dispatch
would
get
an
immediate
heads-­‐up
on
this
past-­‐due
customer
before
sending
a
truck
that
would,
in
effect,
incur
another
debt
for
you
company.
Dozens
of
examples
of
this
nature
abound
within
your
organization.
Non-­‐integration
means
more
people
accomplishing
less,
using
more
time,
costing
you
more
money
while
committing
more
errors.
All
this
equals
lost
opportunities
and
less
profit.
If
you
had
a
truck
that
was
balky
or
a
driver
that
consistently
took
too
much
time
to
make
his
deliveries,
you’d
replace,
or
“upgrade”
them,
wouldn’t
you?
After
all,
they
are
affecting
the
bottom
line
with
unnecessary
repairs
and
delays.
Sure,
the
truck
is
expensive
and
a
new
driver
needs
training,
but
over
the
long
run,
you’ll
be
much
better
off
and
your
profits
will
reflect
the
increased
efficiency.
Non-­‐integrated
information
systems
are
doing
the
same
thing
to
your
profits
as
your
balky
truck
and
your
errant
driver.
If
you
are
thinking
of
an
upgraded
software
program
as
a
luxury
for
your
business,
perhaps
you’d
better
re-­‐assess,
Fred.
How
much
time
have
you
lost
to
correcting
data
entry
errors?
What
is
your
turn-­‐around
time
for
billing
customers?
How
many
extra
people
do
you
employ
to
do
payroll,
fuel
taxes,
dispatching,
accounting
and
maintenance?
Do
you
really
need
all
these
people?
How
many
orders
have
you
lost
due
to
these
inefficiencies?
Just
as
that
new
truck
and
that
new
driver
will
increase
you
efficiencies
out
in
the
field,
so
too
will
a
fully
integrated
software
program
do
the
same
in
your
office.
The
return
on
your
investment
will
come
quickly
and
allow
you
to
grow
your
business
while
reducing
you
overhead.
So,
Mr.
Flintstone,
if
you
want
to
become
a
George
Jetson,
here
are
the
key
factors
you
need
to
look
for
in
a
good
software
program:
1. INTEGRATION
/
AUTOMATION:
Helps
streamline
your
total
operations.
When
the
same
data
can
be
used
for
all
functions
after
being
entered
into
the
system
only
once,
it
not
only
lowers
your
operating
costs
(fewer
people
are
needed
to
input
information),
it
also
decreases
the
potential
for
human
error,
reducing
misinformation
and
re-­‐work.
2. USER
FRIENDLY:
You
will
see
a
return
on
your
investment
sooner
when
the
system
you
choose
is
easy
to
learn
–
when
it
makes
sense
–
when
processes
flow
from
one
function
to
another.
3. INTERFACES
WITH
PRESENT
TECHNOLOGY:
Even
if
you
do
not
use
them
now,
buying
a
software
system
that
can
be
used
with
mileage
programs,
satellite
tracking,
in-­‐cab
communications,
EDI,
or
just
downloading
daily
fuel
card
transactions
will
allow
for
more
growth
in
your
company
in
the
future.
4. MULTI-­‐TASKING:
The
ability
to
view
other
areas
of
the
program
(or
other
programs)
while
still
in
an
existing
window
can
be
useful
and
time
efficient.
5. STRONG
CUSTOMER
SUPPORT
TEAM:
Knowledgeable
and
friendly
people
who
understand
the
software
as
well
as
the
trucking
industry
in
general
should
just
be
a
phone
call
away.
The
true
test
of
how
good
a
software
program
is
comes
when
you
need
assistance.
The
program
is
only
as
good
as
the
support
staff
that
backs
it
up.
6. DEVELOPED
BY
A
STABLE
AND
REPUTABLE
COMPANY:
You
want
to
know
that
the
company
you
buy
your
software
from
today
will
still
be
there
to
help
you
tomorrow.

3. 7. COST
vs.
FEATURES:
A
new
software
system
should
not
be
just
an
expense
to
your
company
–
it
should
actually
help
you
gain
efficiency
and
thereby
save
you
money
over
the
long
haul.
Again,
look
for
integration
to
achieve
maximum
efficiencies
and
return
on
your
investment.