It takes a lot of paper to manage a trucking, brokerage or logistics operation.

There are order intake forms:

• Bills of lading
• Proof of delivery
• Invoices and other financial documents
• Scale tickets and lumper receipts
• Driver settlement
• License
• Motor vehicle records
• Medical and training details
• Equipment specification and maintenance records
• Customer information, and much more.

Managing all that paper takes time, money and even storage space.

There is a solution.

Carriers, freight brokers and third-party logistics providers can use digital imaging and document storage solutions that are integrated with their [transportation management software]. By doing so, they can realize lower costs, increased employee productivity, faster, simpler and more accurate document retention for financial and compliance process needs, and quicker revenue generation from improved billing and payment cycles.

Avoiding Bottlenecks with Document Imaging

For management personnel, document imaging is a sure path around the all too frequent business process bottlenecks caused by missing or hard-to-find paperwork. With these advanced solutions, there is no more hunting through file cabinets, on desks, or even in paper document storage facilities. Whatever you need is on your screen as fast as you can think you need it.

With a document imaging system, record retention for adherence to corporate policies

and practices, and to meet customer requirements, is no longer a challenge. In whatever time frame is required, these solutions provide instant access and fulfill any information request, without the need for any human intervention.

For example, if your safety, human resources, accounting or legal departments establish recordkeeping and access requirements, they can be automatically met with a document management solution. If a customer wants documentation uploaded every day at 4 a.m., the business process automation capabilities of imaging systems can do that automatically as well.

Once documents and data are entered into an imaging solution— at either a headquarters facility or by scanning them in at terminals and other locations-- workflow management capabilities enable automated indexing and a simple search interface provides access to documents on demand. Just enter any parameter such as an order number, driver name or date range, for example, and you’ll have instant access to what you need, when you need it.

Adding Up the Benefits

With document imaging and management tools, whatever you are doing on paper today you don’t have to do anymore.

The return on investment calculation for these technologies is straightforward. It adds up quickly in less management time, lower costs and faster cash cycles, not to mention the ability to make faster and more informed business decisions and to improve customer relationships.

Few technologies have the potential that document imaging and transportation management systems have to improve workflow and process automation across so many critical aspects of your business. The flow of thousands of documents across an entire enterprise--whether you are a motor carrier, freight broker or third-party logistics company--is what makes document imaging increasingly indispensable.

Ready to explore the possibilities of going paperless?