Fewer than 10 percent of hazardous materials shippers and transporters have access to real-time tracking data that can identify, locate, and monitor the transportation of the products, according to a recent, cross-industry survey conducted for DP&C Enterprises, LLC, Basking Ridge NJ.
Among the respondents were tank truck carriers, although the survey is not broken down by type of carrier, according to DP&C information.
The survey, conducted by the independent research firm markITelligence for DP&C, polled pharmaceutical, chemical, oil and gas, and other industry companies on the procedures and technologies currently in place for monitoring hazardous materials during shipment in non-powered containers (rail cars, truck trailers, freight boxes).
In conducting the study, markITelligence sent email questionnaires to 1,876 top producers of hazardous materials in the pharmaceutical, chemical, oil/gas, defense and other industries. Respondents included decision-makers with responsibility for fleet and other asset management, logistics, shipping and receiving, security and compliance, transportation, distribution, supply chain, and plant management.
The study’s key findings determined that:
•More than one-half the companies rely on third-party services for asset tracking. The rest track internally, using a combination of GPS-based devices and fleet management software. However, fewer than 10 percent of companies responding have access to real-time data on the shipments.
•More than two-thirds of respondents agreed that access to real-time data is very important or extremely important. Among this group, 92 percent were interested in the positive impact such data could have on materials security, and 85 percent on the potentially positive impact on compliance.