We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Descartes rolls out air-cargo screening alert
newsworthy

Descartes rolls out air-cargo screening alert

August 2, 2010
Mark B. Solomon
No Comments

In an effort to minimize potential supply chain disruptions as an Aug. 1 deadline nears to screen all cargo moving in the bellies of passenger planes, a leading technology company has introduced an offering that allows airlines to be notified of the cargo's screening status before it reaches the airport.

The function is built into the electronic booking suites offered by Descartes Systems Group, a Canada-based supply chain software and solutions provider. Using a special handling code approved by the International Air Transport Association, the leading global airline group, freight forwarders handling goods on behalf of shippers can check a box informing the carrier that the goods headed its way have already been screened.

If the box goes unchecked, it will be assumed the cargo has not been screened. The forwarder will then receive a message from the carrier about any changes in flight cutoff times that might result because the airline has to take on the responsibility for inspecting the shipment.

Effective Sunday, Aug. 1, all goods scheduled for loading in passenger bellies at U.S. airports must be certified that they have been screened or inspected before boarding. Shippers, forwarders, airlines, and third-party screening facilities can handle the screening as long as they are enrolled in a federal government program authorizing them to perform the work.

However, cargo interests worry that many shipments consolidated on pallets or containers will arrive at airports unscreened, forcing the airlines to break down the consolidations, examine each shipment, rebuild the load, and place it aboard the plane. The time-consuming process could cause flight delays for high-value, time-sensitive cargoes and compromise the speed and reliability that the air-freight model is built on.

It is expected that airlines, which normally request that cargo be delivered to the airport four hours before scheduled departure, will tack on another two hours to allow time for the cargo to be screened.

Julie Calcunovitch, vice president, air product management for Descartes, said the tool will facilitate an orderly acceptance process by giving the carrier pre-arrival visibility of screened freight. The tool is available to Descartes' customers, which are freight forwarders and airlines. It is not available to shippers, she said.

In addition, while the tool informs carriers that cargo en route to them has already been screened, it does not yet have the ability to seamlessly transmit a supporting certificate that actually proves the goods have been screened in compliance with U.S. government requirements.

Descartes has developed technology called an "e-pouch" where such certificates can be transmitted from forwarder to carrier ahead of the scheduled flight. However, in the absence of a universal message format that could be transmitted directly into the carrier's system, supporting documentation would need to be scanned, e-mailed, or physically presented to the carrier at the time of tender at the airport, Calcunovitch said.

Calcunovitch said the tool now in place represents a first step, and Descartes plans to add functionality as the process becomes more established.

Transportation Air Regulation/Government Transportation 3PL Safety & Security
KEYWORDS Descartes Systems Group Inc.
  • Related Articles

    Going to the dogs: industry presses TSA to use K-9s for air-cargo screening

    Air cargo supply chain faces tough test as screening deadline nears

    Air-cargo screening program going well

Marksolomon
Mark Solomon joined DC VELOCITY as senior editor in August 2008, and was promoted to his current position on January 1, 2015. He has spent more than 30 years in the transportation, logistics and supply chain management fields as a journalist and public relations professional. From 1989 to 1994, he worked in Washington as a reporter for the Journal of Commerce, covering the aviation and trucking industries, the Department of Transportation, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to that, he worked for Traffic World for seven years in a similar role. From 1994 to 2008, Mr. Solomon ran Media-Based Solutions, a public relations firm based in Atlanta. He graduated in 1978 with a B.A. in journalism from The American University in Washington, D.C.

Recent Articles by Mark Solomon

Coming together for road safety: interview with Joshua Girard

Off the rails

Freight rate spikes shaking up the C-suite

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • Biden names dozens of senior leaders to DOT, including FMCSA and FRA

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 170 Acres plus Lease for 1MSF Build-to-Suit for Home Improvement Retailer in Commerce City, CO.

  • Thriving in the long haul: interview with Colin Yankee

Now Playing on DCV-TV

Sick agv demo thumbnail

Optimize Load Handling Tasks with Industrial Mobile Robots

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
Intelligent sensors detect the presence of goods, check for empty shelves, or the correct alignment on the mobile platform towards the freight. The solutions range from simple detection sensors, thorough measuring devices, and 2D LiDAR sensors.

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing