EDI Initiatives and What We Might Expect

摘要

A shift to paperless shipping docu-mentation is clearly on the horizon. This concept will most likely manifest itself first in the air mode which is aggressively pursuing e-freight. A major challenge may be to integrate air carrier computer systems with those used by shippers who electronically prepare transport documents. The benefits of this transition are likely to be minimal for shippers who will still have to prepare a paper copy of the shipping documentation for the highway mode. Paperless shipping documentation will be harder to sell in highway transport. PHMSA has some serious convincing to do with the emergency response community. If it happens, it will most likely to start with small package express delivery service operations. Implementing a system where hazmat information is beamed directly to emergency responders is highly dependent on the equipment emer-gency responders have available. Such equipment is usually expensive and the cost is not likely justifiable on the basis of hazmat emergency response alone. If the equipment is made widely available for other purposes, e.g., security, than some use of this approach may begin to emerge. Efforts are already underway to track electronically rail tank car shipments of high security threat items such as TIH materials.