Supply chain visibility provider FourKites recently announced its role as a collaborator in the Scheduling Standards Consortium, marking the first real-time visibility platform to participate. The company joins organizations such as J.B. Hunt Transport, Uber Freight, Werner, and others involved with SSC, which is intended to foster efficiency within the supply chain technology landscape.
Freight scheduling has been a problem for the supply chain, compounded by the growth and diversification of scheduling solutions over the past decade. Today, carriers and shippers must juggle dozens of ways of scheduling freight with shippers, each with its own interface and API, which creates friction and inefficiencies throughout the supply chain.
In response to this challenge, J.B. Hunt and Uber Freight joined forces in 2022 to establish the SSC to create the first universal appointment scheduling standard in the form of an API. With many organizations now involved and driving the standard forward, SSC’s goal is to simplify the integration of systems across the fragmented ecosystem between shippers, carriers, and intermediaries to make appointment scheduling more efficient. SSC has endorsed a universal API standard, released October 2, 2023, which eliminates the need for multiple interfaces and enables carriers to interact through a single interface.
See also: The importance of visibility
“Embracing a universal scheduling API unlocks seamless coordination across supply chains,” said 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.”
FourKites is collaborating with SSC because of its commitment to optimizing ecosystem performance, carrier success, and building a more user-friendly operating environment.
“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.”
