RFID – Next Technology for Brokers?

by Annette Petrick

Transportation industry and IT publications are full of RFID articles. That's the acronym for Radio Frequency Identification that uses radio waves for identification. It is considered the next step, beyond bar coding.

There have been countless articles, features, trade shows and seminars on the technology and its use by the transportation industry. Yet those in the know suggest that RFID has a long way to go before it can be used by rolling assets. Truckers are still looking for a way to link information to RFID systems at the beginning and end of the shipping cycle. And of course the hope is that this will be done without the kinds of huge investments that other technologies have required. One solution may be a combination of existing bar-code technology with new, advanced RFID technology.

Like EDI when it was first introduced, RFID is certainly on the leading edge. But it's not yet a perfect solution. So as customers clamor for this new innovation, take time to find out exactly what they want and what is available to give the results they seek.

Remember the introduction of EDI. Customers demanded that broker adopt Electronic Data Interchange, with nearly every account requiring a different kind of technology. We suggest to broker clients whose customers ask for EDI – Ask if they will be paying you electronically. If not, then what they want is probably fast, easy communication, rather than full scope EDI.

We all know how quickly technology can sneak up on you and become really hot. So RFID is a good technology to watch. But not one you will probably be adopting real soon.