AUTOMATED TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ATMS)

This paper describes the Department of Energy (DOE) EM 63 Automated Transportation Management System (ATMS). The ATMS is a web based transportation management software product utilized by 31 DOE sites complex wide. The ATMS software application assists DOE and DOE contractors in automating day-to-day shipping activities for general, hazardous, radioactive and waste material in support of DOE site closures nation-wide. The system is available to DOE and DOE Contractor personnel at no cost and includes upgrades, on-call help desk support and system maintenance and licensing. Through the day-to-day usage of the system software, the ATMS users generate regulatory compliant Bills of Lading, International air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Shipping Declarations and Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifests for general, hazardous and radioactive waste shipments. Quality assured shipping documentation is prepared using ATMS resulting in improved efficiency and accuracy in compliance with the applicable Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. This not only reduces document preparation costs and possible fines due to non compliance with the DOT regulations but also produces accurate shipping documentation that is critical in the safe transport of waste, hazardous and radioactive material. Additionally, for the transportation of DOE owned materials, freight invoices are processed utilizing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and an automated pre-payment audit process using DOE EM 63 nationally negotiated rates. ATMS data is also used to prepare statistical and performance metric reports that include hazardous and radioactive shipment information. Significant costs savings have resulted in utilizing the system for determining freight rates, automated freight bill audit and payment processes and various reporting capabilities. The General Services Administrator (GSA) has approved ATMS reporting as an approved prepayment audit program and alternative to submitting copies of freight bills over $100 for post payment audit. 2 The ATMS was built by DOE as the result of a 1989 feasibility study and recommendation by congress and the DOE Inspector General that significant costs savings could be realized through an automated transportation management system. System development is managed by the Headquarters DOE Office of Transportation and utilizes the concept of Joint Application Design (JAD) and annual User Group Meetings with development staff and system users to keep the system updated and relevant to day-to-day operations. This collaborative process helps ensure system design meets the needs of a broad base of users. It also supports the DOE initiative to move materials in the most cost effective and safe manner. A brief history of software development, current utilization and efficiencies, and future direction to meet the changing needs of the DOE sites will be included in the paper.