Truck scanning reduces idle time

The test project between Tilburg, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Certus Port Automation will see all trucks that arrive or depart from the inland terminal pass through a ‘Mobile OCR’ portal that scans trucks for registration numbers and containers for container numbers to enable cargo owners and terminal operators to monitor more precisely the time at which a container can be transferred for further transportation.

Speaking at Mobile OCR’s TOC Europe launch, Leander De Nooijer, president of CERTUS Port Automation, said the three-month test project, which will run at Tilburg’s Vossenberg site was designed to “monitor the supply chain and optimise operations.”

Live images

The scanner provides images so that container status on arrival at and departure from the terminal can be examined in real time.

Mobile OCR will also allow terminal operators more flexibility to choose different modes of transport and potentially shorten a planned route to cut time and fuel.

The high accuracy of the scanned data means less manual work is needed at the terminal, increasing efficiency of the whole logistics chain, said the Port of Rotterdam Authority. The Authority will finance the purchase costs of the scanning portal and in exchange will charge a fee per scanned container at the inland terminal.