TRANSCOM: The Future Is Now

All across the nation there is growing interest in the transport of materials. The issues of interest vary from finding more efficient ways to use transportation fleets to improving emergency plans for responding to situations involving potentially harmful materials. Shippers are looking for more efficient ways to keep track of their vehicles and cargo. CB radios, cellular or mobile phones, and roadside pay phones are quickly becoming outdated as the primary means of communicating with the home base. Recent trade journals, major newspapers, and transportation magazines report major trucking firms are purchasing tracking and satellite communications systems for this purpose. As reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer, \"High-tech, space age gear is being installed in 18 wheelers to keep truckers in constant contact with their terminals and dispatchers while traveling the long, lonesome highway. \"