Third-party logistics provider DSC Logistics is gaining efficiency and lowering costs at its site in Mira Loma, Calif., using ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification technology. The system, which was taken live a year ago, not only eliminates the need for staff members to search for trailers, but also enables carriers and shippers to access data regarding shipments' locations via the internet.

The supply chain management company's Mira Loma Logistics Center comprises three shipping and storage facilities, all sharing a single yard in which loaded and empty trailers are stored prior to being unloaded or shipped elsewhere. Not only are the trailers managed across three facilities, but their contents belong to one of about 20 customers, with the trailers themselves managed by one of multiple freight companies. Most of the approximately 200 trailers located on site at any given time contain perishable food products, and have a short turnaround time - between one and three days. Trailers are commonly unloaded upon arriving from the Port of Long Beach, and their contents are stored and then shipped at the DSC Logistics facility.

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