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5/8/2023
The U.S. Department of Transportation last week launched a data exchange designed to improve the flow of goods and strengthen the national supply chain.
Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) group developed the program. FLOW formed last year to provide data to stakeholders — railroads, shippers, third-party logistics companies, ports, intermodal equipment providers and beneficial cargo owners — and establish transparency in the goods movement process. Sharing this data has not been done before and has the potential to boost collaboration among members of the U.S. supply chain, USDOT officials said in a press release.
USDOT will help program participants exchange supply-and-demand information to be aggregated, anonymized and returned for a holistic view of freight movement, USDOT officials said.
"We are proud to launch FLOW, the first-ever nationwide multimodal freight data exchange, to increase the speed and reduce the costs of shipping goods in a partnership between the Biden-Harris administration and dozens of supply-chain companies," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
FLOW has 53 member companies, including BNSF Railway Co., Union Pacific Railroad, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., Hapag-Lloyd and the Georgia Ports Authority.