Freight tracking and control system

Abstract

An electronic system for managing items in a supply chain. The system generally includes item information capturing means, such as a handheld device, adapted for capturing identification information associated with an item identified for supply chain management; mode specifying means adapted for receiving user input representative of a selection of at least one of a plurality of capturing modes, wherein each capturing mode is adapted for creating associated information by associating the captured item information with supply chain information; and transferring means adapted for transferring the associated information to an electronic storage device.

1 . An electronic system for managing items in an associated pool distribution supply chain for pooled distribution of the items to one or more associated destinations via an associated pooled transport distribution system, the electronic system comprising:
 an input scanner operable in plural modes including a capture mode and an outbound scan integrity check mode;   a delivery scanner;   a network configured to communicate information between the input and delivery scanners;   a computer in operative communication with the input and delivery scanners via the network;   wherein the input scanner is configured to selectively scan, in the capture mode, a plurality of received items to capture item identification information associated with each of the plurality of received items, the plurality of received items being associated with one or more shipper sources and a delivery destinations, and each of the plurality of items being identified for supply chain management in the associated pooled transport distribution system wherein association information data is generated by associating the first captured item identification information with pool distribution supply chain information;   wherein the input scanner is configured to selectively scan, in the outbound scan integrity check mode a user-selected sorted consolidation of groups of the plurality of items associated with the plurality of unique shipper sources prior to delivery of the plurality of items to associated selected destinations of the one or more associated destinations, the user-selected sorted consolidation of groups of the plurality of items grouping a first set of items of the plurality of items according to a selected first destination of the one or more associated destinations together with a second set of items of the plurality of items according to a selected second destination of the one or more associated destinations as a pooled group of items to be delivered in accordance with the pool distribution supply chain information to the associated selected destinations of the one or more associated destinations, the outbound scan integrity check scan being adapted for determining a mis-sorted item amongst the pooled group of items comprising the first and second sets of items by comparing the second captured item identification information with data associated with the selected destinations;   wherein the delivery scanner is configured to, upon arrival for delivery of the first or second sets of items to their corresponding selected destinations, receive data associated with the corresponding selected destination and record a delivery arrival time, and to receive the specified consolidation and routing data as preload delivery data and receive third user input corresponding to the first or second sets of items of the pooled group of items being delivered to the first or second destination corresponding thereto, the delivery scanner being configured to receive, by selectively scanning each delivered item of the pooled group of items, third captured item identification information for each delivered item of the pooled group of items, and determining a correspondence between the preload delivery data, the third user input, and the third captured item identification information, and classifying in accordance with the determined correspondence each delivered item of the pooled group of items as a one of a delivered item, a mis-delivered item, an un-delivered item, or an over-delivered item.