Coordination of the clean-up effort in the Gulf region is one of the many challenges facing federal, state and local agencies as they grapple with the movement of people, machinery and waste flowing into and out of the region.
With many public and private entities involved in the effort, two transportation software executives have devised a plan to use a common communications platform to give officials a common reference point for the movement of resources, thus expediting processes, eliminating duplication of effort and minimizing gaps of service in areas of need.
“A common logistics platform accessible by all agencies using a multitude of devices would allow for the efficient management of work-flows” says Ben Evans, President of Masslogics, a Virginia-based dispatch and transportation management software company (www.masslogics.com). “Trucks, trailers, boats and any other equipment used in the effort could be quickly and efficiently logged and tracked, identifying the origin, destination and load for each unit.”
Evans also notes that a flurry of paperwork can also be managed with such a platform: “Invoices, payroll, IFTA, driver logs, BOLs, PODs, rate confirmations, equipment repairs – all this and a lot more can be managed within the system. Document imaging and management capabilities as part of a system for tracking the movement of people, machinery and paper would be a huge advantage for everyone working toward the common goal of cleaning up the Gulf.”
Evans has designed such a system and has offered to donate his web-based (cloud computing) Masslogics Transportation Software to speed the clean-up effort. As a web-based platform, it is immediately accessible using any internet connected device, whether desktop or portable – a big advantage, he says, in that it allows for the entry and tracking of assets and paperwork in real-time, on-site, using laptops, netbooks, iPads, etc.
Kevin Kaiser, VP of Marketing for Masslogics, is spearheading the company’s effort to donate the software. “We’ve now contacted BP officials as well as state agencies and officials in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida with our offer to make Masslogics available free of charge” says Kaiser. “The office of Governor Bobby Jindal has been contacted through Senator David Vitter’s office, both of Louisiana. They have responded and our efforts are now concentrated on working with officials at the parish and county levels in the various states.”
Kaiser says that help is coming from other sources as well. “Country music star, eco-activist and candidate for lieutenant governor Sammy Kershaw is offering guidance. Southwest Louisiana Education and Referral Center website www.232-help.org has contacted us several times as well.”
