: Summer is here, the weather is warming up, and challenges to our industry seem to be heating up as well. Now, more than ever, we need to leverage technology to maintain our competitive edge and achieve margin.
Of course, it's always challenging to be involved in the business of Trucking, Logistics and Supply Chain. And because of that, we remain committed to providing you with the technology you need to navigate the industry
. It is with great enthusiasm and pride that we publish this newsletter highlighting some of the exciting things happening at CLI and in transportation. We welcome your feedback, and
, as always, thank you.
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Short Hauls
Did You Know? Did you know that CLI customers can pay recurring monthly charges
 via ACH debit (aka automatic payments)? Just a few of the number of advantages include:
- Convenience. With automated payment, you don't have to worry about processing a check and getting it into the mail on time.
- Safety. Unlike a mailed payment, with an ACH payment, you can see immediately that your payment was received. Plus, there's no chance that your check is lost or stolen en route.
- Speed. Your payment arrives more quickly with an ACH payment than if you mail a check.
- Savings. Never get caught paying late fees. With automated payment it's always right on time. In addition, with automated payment, you save by not having to purchase paper checks, envelopes and postage.
- Reduced errors. With an automated payment, you don't run the risk of sending an incorrect amount. Once you set up your payment, the same amount is deducted each month.
If you're not paying your monthly subscription fee automatically, what are you waiting for? Contact
Kevin Juber to set up automatic payment today.
Did You Scream?
We all scream for ice cream! July is National Ice Cream Month in the US. Trucks that are part of the "cold chain" make sure that ice cream
arrives cold and ready to eat on these hot summer days.
 In many cases, ice cream is transported over long distances in refrigerated trucks. The cold transportation process can take days, so the cold chain and cold storage is essential. CLI's software, which utilizes temperature codes (table driven) which display on the shipment level and on the load level on the dispatch board, helps trucking companies that are part of the cold chain run more efficiently.
You might not know that ice cream actually needs to travel much colder than typical frozen freight in order to maintain its creamy consistency. So, the product you enjoy most when it is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside had to be transported at -20 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the best temperature to keep it cold while avoiding freezer burn and ice crystals
Remember, many brands of ice cream travel hundreds of miles to reach your local supermarket or ice cream shop. So next time you are enjoying a scoop of Rocky Road (or our all-time favorite, Mint Chocolate Chip), thank the trucking company that got it there and the software that helped make sure it arrived at the right place at the right time.
Pretty cool!
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Mobile App Integration 
5 Reason Why it's More than Driver Efficiency
President,
Acordex Imaging + Mobile
Some companies have two or more apps in the truck, which leads to driver inefficiencies. A driver with two apps will login or logout of one system, but inevitably forget the other. Or a driver may change the ELD app to On Duty but forget to tell dispatch that he or she has arrived at a consignee.
A single app that integrates ELD with pickup and delivery management eliminates these problems and avoids many redundant driver tasks. Combining freight data with ELD engine data in one app is more efficient for the driver, and it also enables unique insight that would not be available otherwise.
Here are five benefits for your company:
1. Idle time on the road is OK
Rather than the traditional "idle time" report that downgrades driver scores anytime the truck is idling, you can distinguish idle at customer stops from idle on the road. Idle at stops is always a waste and is preventable. Idle on the road, however, is unavoidable and should not count against drivers. Guessing that "long idles" are probably at a stop and "short idles" might be on the road isn't dependable.
2. Drivers have different MPG driver goals
Rather than the traditional setting of a general MPG goal for all drivers, and then scoring as if it were a level playing field (it's not), you can distinguish MPG with a light load vs. those pulling a heavy load, for both city and highway MPG. This is because you know about the freight in the trailer at all times.
3. Yard moves are not driving time
The ELD specification requires setting an automatic Driving status whenever the vehicle is traveling over 5 mph, unless the driver is On Duty in a yard. If a driver tells the freight workflow module that he is making a delivery, the ELD system is notified that he is in a yard. When the driver moves around the yard, you can correctly prevent his status from changing from On Duty to Driving, thus preventing the 11-hour Driving limit from being used up in error.
4. Audit records must match
FMCSA auditors look for consistency among all of your records. For example, a single integrated app will record the correct start time, regardless of whether the day begins on the dock, in a meeting, or in the truck.
5. Know why a truck stopped moving
What do you do when the ELD system notices an excessive stop time? If waiting to pick up a shipment, you will want to investigate detention charges. But if the truck is at an unknown location, you need to find out what's wrong.
About Acodex Imaging + Mobile 
Mobile Dispatch, an app from Acordex, offers a unique level of integration because Acordex specializes in LTL and allied trucking services. This focus, to quote one Acordex customer, makes Mobile Dispatch "think the way our drivers think." Click here for more information.
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Employee Spotlight
Shawn Alleyne
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| Shawn Alleyne |
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Shawn A. Alleyne is a system architect and hands-on developer at CLI.
His focus is mainly on the Dock Management System but he also contributes to designing FACTS modules and helping fellow developers in any way possible.
Naturally inquisitive, Shawn sums up his work experience by saying, "I am a programmer at heart,
even after 20 years love my job coding!"
Shawn, his wife LaTanya and their three year old daughter Leilani currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia. Shawn loves to teach and mentor young adults thru STEAM, Technologists of Color and the Combermere School.
When not serving on the board of his high school alumni, he enjoys music, dominoes and a good science fiction novel.
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Tip of the Month
Customizing My Menu
The following steps show you how to easily customize My Menu on your FACTS homescreen. My Menu is tied to the login user only, allowing you to easily access the functions you use on a regular basis. As a result, you'll spend less time navigating around the system because you can find the most frequently utilized features all in one place.
TO ADD OPTIONS TO MY MENU:
Click on My Menu to open the folder.
Under the current menu structure, click on the menu (or the [+] sign) that contains the option that you wish to add to My Menu. Continue to drill down through the sub-menus until you locate your desired option. Clicking on the option will highlight it and position a green arrow next to it.
Right-click on the option and select Copy, then under My Menu, right-click and select Paste. This copies the option from the Current Menu Structure to My Menu, automatically locating it beneath My Menu.
Repeat as necessary, copying each desired option to My Menu.
When you are finished, you can change the order of the options in My Menu -- Simply right-click on the option and select Move Up or Move Down from the pop-up menu.
Alternatively, you can left-click on the option and use the Ctrl key + the up or down arrow keys
to manipulate it.
For information on how to create customized menus for departments, see FACTS Help documentation under Menu Maintenance [menu.maint].
Any questions? Contact the CLI support team.
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