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Delta Cargo to extend Bluetooth tracking to off-airport customer facilities
Following the announcement earlier in the year that Delta will be providing real-time tracking for unit load devices (ULDs), the offering has now been extended to cargo businesses based off airport. This will enable customers to have end-to-end tracking of the ULDs starting in their own warehouses throughout the journey to the final destination.
This new service provides a number of customer benefits by eliminating all paperwork at the dock door when units are loaned out and producing a digital Uniform Control Receipt (UCR) that is emailed directly to the shipper. In addition, customers will receive customized push notifications with full tracking available on deltacargo.com in 2019.
“The extension of the tracking technology directly to our customers’ facilities will ensure visibility for the whole freight journey, creating a best-in-class shipping experience,” said Shawn Cole, Delta’s V.P. — Cargo. “This is a genuine innovation, and we are on track to launch in January 2019, with full visibility on deltacargo.com later that year, once the customer installations are complete.”
Delta is one of the first major airlines to test Bluetooth tracking technology and since March 2018 has deployed readers at 80 Delta and partner airline warehouse locations across six continents, including all U.S. hubs and major trucking stations with 70 locations remaining. Nearly 40 percent of the ULD fleet has been tagged with Bluetooth asset trackers. By January 2019 the tracking system will be available on nearly all of Delta’s ULDs with customer reader installations anticipated to be completed soon after that. Real-time ULD tracking information will allow Delta’s Cargo Control Center to more accurately monitor and reroute shipments that are delayed due to irregular operations, like inclement weather.