April 2000

A freight management and tracking system for international markets has been launched in the United States and Europe under the branding FreightDesk.com.

Its aim, according to founder and chief executive officer Rob Quartel, is to "reintermediate" medium-sized and small freight forwarders who, he argues, could otherwise find themselves increasingly sidelined as shippers and carriers forge direct mutual trading links over the Web.

The main product is a Web-based service called FreightDeskPro, which allows shippers to input consignment requests and forwarders to make cargo bookings, track consignments and manage movements from source to destination. Web screens can be customised to bear the branding of individual forwarders, and views can be varied according to whether supplier, agent, consignee or forwarder are seeing them. The basic service is paid for by tracking instances, which cost $2.50 each and are available down to individual stock component level. Other fees apply for added-value services such as cargo insurance and information (some of which are still under development). Options include online airline and ocean freight schedule modules.

A limited free version of the service is offered under the name Tracking.com, and an online exchange for forwarders called FreightStore.com is also planned. For the future, there is talk of a "portal" which would raise the profile of the service further.

Rob Quartel, a colourful character who was one of the United States" youngest-ever Federal Maritime Commissioners when appointed in 1990, has built the service round the core of an acquired Massachusetts software company, Accurate Computers. With it came a tracking system that is already embodied transparently in the software of a dozen businesses including MSAS. It is said to be clocking up 50,000 tracking instances a month. Private venture capital amounting to "several millions" is backing the service.

Quartel admits that the new service will rely on the company"s ability to attract forwarders and agents willing to participate in the tracking activity, but believes it will quickly gain critical mass. The company is aiming to set up a local presence in the Europe and Asia Pacific regions, and has forged links with UK software house DCS Transport & Logistics Solutions.