Image Credit: Adobe Stock Images/LeoWolfert.com
FourKites, a real-time supply chain visibility provider, will become a collaborator in the Scheduling Standards Consortium (SSC); the company is considered the first participating real-time visibility platform.1 The SSC is intended to “simplify the integration of systems across the fragmented ecosystem between shippers, carriers, and intermediaries, and create a more efficient appointment scheduling process.”2
In other words, the goal is to promote efficiency within the supply chain tech realm. Other companies within the SSC include: Arrive Logistics. BlueYonder, Coyote Logistics DHL, e2open, Echo, J.B. Hunt Transport, Lineage, Mastery, One Network Enterprises, Oracle, Ryder, TI NTG, Uber Freight, Werner, and Worldwide Express.
The supply chain has experienced various difficulties over the years, with freight scheduling being one of them; it’s become more noticeable due to the growth and expansion of scheduling solutions on the market. Day-to-day, carriers and shippers and carriers find themselves sifting through multiple types of technology for scheduling freight, complicated by its respective interface and API. This can cause additional supply chain inefficiencies.
The main goals of the SSC include:
- Defining the API standard for sharing scheduling information
- Removing manual processes by automating interactions where possible
- Executing standardized interfaces and integrations across core platforms
- Promoting the industry standard
In 2022, J.B. Hunt and Uber Freight decided to collaborate to create the SSC, which establishes a universal appointment scheduling standard in the form of an API. In fact, the SSC has endorsed a universal standard for the API,3 that launched Oct. 2, 2023. It reportedly allows carriers to communicated via a single interface, thereby removing the need for multiple interfaces.
“Embracing a universal scheduling API unlocks seamless coordination across supply chains,” commented Viral Parekh, head of logistics operations at The Kraft Heinz Company. “As more companies endorse this unified approach, we pave the way for unparalleled system efficiency, streamlining operations and driving transformative growth throughout the industry.”
These reasons that Parekh referenced also played a key role in FourKites deciding to partner with the SSC.
“We’re thrilled to participate in this consortium of industry heavy-hitters,” said Mathew Elenjickal, founder and CEO of FourKites. “A single API between our Appointment Manager solution and our shippers’ carrier networks will create a frictionless operating environment for everyone involved, and will make FourKites customers shippers of choice, with lower cost to serve and a reliable, reputable integration.”
References
1. FourKites Signs on as Collaborator to Consortium of Supply Chain Leaders Working to Streamline Scheduling Technology Across the Logistics Industry. FourKites. May 28, 2024. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://www.fourkites.com/press/fourkites-signs-on-as-collaborator-to-consortium-of-supply-chain-leaders-working-to-streamline-scheduling-technology-across-the-logistics-industry/
2. Scheduling Standards Consortium homepage. Scheduling Standards Consortium. https://www.freightapis.org/
3. Scheduling Standards Consortium Achieves Landmark Milestone:
API Standard Published. Scheduling Standards Consortium. October 2, 2023. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://www.freightapis.org/ssc-publishes-api-standards