Cloud-based TMS provider BeyondTrucks recently formed a Product Advisory Council that features representatives from tank truck carriers Trimac Transportation, Modern Transportation, and D.G. Coleman.
At their inaugural meeting, the group of fleet and company leaders discussed the state of the industry, opportunities for maintaining a competitive advantage, and future technology possibilities, BeyondTrucks reported.
“In the transportation management space, there is a solid appetite for automation and increased use of AI,” Patrick Cozzens, Modern Transportation president and BeyondTrucks Product Advisory Council member, said in a news release. “With the BeyondTrucks Product Advisory Council, we have an opportunity to better understand areas where its application will have better use.”
The complete BeyondTrucks Product Advisory Council includes:
- Devon Ades, Apex Logistics vice president and California Trucking Association chairman of the board
- Marc Boyle, former co-president of Boyle Transportation, an Andlauer Healthcare Group company
- Jimmy Coleman, D.G. Coleman owner and head of special projects
- Patrick Cozzens, Modern Transportation president
- Robbert McCaig, Trimac Transportation director and owner
- Arnold Ramonas, AGM Transport director of operations
“The new BeyondTrucks Product Advisory Council brings together leading fleets whose insights into the risks and opportunities our industry is facing will be key to guide product development,” BeyondTrucks CEO Hans Galland said. “The industry has largely been operating on systems designed in the 1980s and 1990s, which is jarringly disconnected from the possibilities that AI-powered trucks, telematics, safety cameras, analytics, and optimization tools offer fleets today.
“Though the process of adopting or changing a TMS may seem daunting, these organizational leaders understand they must support ripping off the band-aid by moving to better technology.”
Future-focused discussion
During the council’s first meeting, industry leaders were asked to take a visionary approach to identify key elements that would be critical for customer success and competitive superiority. A session focusing on industry risks and opportunities that will affect fleets in the future highlighted the meeting. The group also discussed technological possibilities and priorities for using software and data as part of transportation management platforms that serve as human-machine interfaces.
The following were key conclusions reached during interactive sessions:
- Legacy systems are creating more work for their teams to manage.
- All members understood that the selection and deployment of technology is a daunting process but a necessary investment.
- Council members agreed that executive support is crucial for any new technology evaluation, procurement, and deployment process to be effective.
“The roadmap we are collaboratively creating with the Product Advisory Council puts all of our customers at an advantage,” Galland added. “The technical leadership of BeyondTrucks’ AI-powered platform coupled with the industry input of the council will drive innovation to deliver enhanced visibility, improved equipment utilization, and reduced operating costs.”