ABF eCarrier® Information Resource Center
Welcome to ABF’s eCarrier® Information Resource Center. This resource is an online information service provided to ABF customers so that they may stay up to date on all the latest innovative solutions ABF offers its customers for managing their freight transportation needs.
ABF® has led the transportation industry in launching Internet-based applications for its customers, the primary goal of the ABF eCarrier project.
ABF eCarrier online applications have become the total supply-chain solution for ABF customers, offering such functionality as bill of lading generation and pickup planning, customer-intelligent quotations, proactive tracking and e-mail notification, logistics reports, a document database, dynamic rerouting of in-transit shipments, and XML connectivity.
As ABF customers continue to demand time- and money-saving applications via Internet-based technology, ABF will persist in meeting these needs by developing innovative, user-centric applications via its Internet initiative.
Examples of ABF’s innovative solutions include the following:
Shipment Planner
The Shipment Planner® displays shipments in a calendar format (month, week, day) by pickup date, due/delivery date or appointment date, as selected by the customer. Users can choose the types of shipments (inbound, outbound, third-party) and the shipment reference number (pro number, shipper bill of lading number, purchase order number, shipper name or consignee name) to be displayed. Calendar items are hyperlinked to additional shipment detail. Users can also manage business and personal items, such as meetings, appointments and anniversaries, with their customized Shipment Planner calendar.
The Shipment Planner is powered by ABF’s online reporting system. Users can create detailed reports, customized to their specific needs. Users can choose from a wide variety of shipment selection, data item and sort sequence options. Selecting from over 70 data fields, users can also create any number of custom report formats. A report “Wizard” is available to guide report creation. These reports can be saved and quickly retrieved for future use. Reports can be downloaded as a normal HTML-based Web page, ASCII comma-delimited file, Excel spreadsheet or in an XML format. For less experienced users, ABF provides 10 standard reports (e.g. undelivered shipments, unpaid bills, or recent outbound shipments) that can be created with a single click. In addition, report users may directly link from the report to trace or reroute a shipment or review an invoice, bill of lading, or proof of delivery.
Dynamic Rerouting
Dynamic Rerouting allows shippers to reroute in-transit shipments directly from the ABF Web site. Shipments can also be recalled and returned to the origin. ABF’s internal systems automatically issue the rerouting instructions to the proper ABF service center based upon the current location of the shipment within the ABF system. With Dynamic Rerouting, ABF also provides an e-mail confirmation of the reconsignment and a statement of the revised charges.
ABF API
ABF API allow shippers to incorporate data from ABF’s information systems directly into their own website.
