CCJ Innovators profiles carriers and fleets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking’s challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact CCJ Editor Jason Cannon at jasoncannon@randallreilly.com or 800-633-5953.
While on vacation this spring, Bonnie Ramsay was visualizing and connecting the dots of an electronic proof-of-delivery process in her mind.
Be the bill of lading. Be the truck driver. Be the receiver.
Ramsay, chief information officer of Halvor Lines, had left Superior, Wisconsin, March 5 to spend a week on a beach vacation with her husband. The coronavirus pandemic was in the early stages, and she became very concerned about the company’s 600-plus drivers.
“We had better come up with a way so that drivers don’t have to touch things — pens, paper, and maybe not even go into the building,” she was thinking.
She sketched out the plans for an electronic bill of lading (eBOL) and discussed them with Chris Bode, Halvor Lines’ in-house developer, as soon as she returned on March 18. The two promptly scheduled a conference call with three of Halvor’s technology vendors.
Ramsay had been discussing the potential disruptions of COVID-19 with colleagues since early February. “This is a scary thing,” she said. “What are we going to do if we have to send everybody home?”
