Ideally, the standards process should not add significant cost to the shipper. The second opportunity requires a phased automation of the manual data entry process. The benefits from automation depend heavily on the design of the shipping documentation and its acceptance by a wide base of shippers. Current Processing Techniques Manual data input is expensive for carriers. Most trucking companies use manual keyboard data entry techniques to process incoming shipping documentation.
Human operators provide the only viable solution because the documents vary widely.
A skilled keyboardist quickly scans a document and finds the information required by the carrier. Outsourcing keyboard operation does not solve the fundamental inefficiencies in the keyboard process. It only shifts the employment responsibility. One skilled keyboardist can process approximately 1,000 incoming bills of lading during one shift. Medium sized and larger motor carriers employ 100 or more key entry personnel for the sole purpose of inputting these documents.