Electronic Freight Management

Electronic Freight Management (EFM)

What It Is

EFM is the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems research initiative that promotes and evaluates innovative e-business concepts, enabling process coordination and information sharing for supply chain freight partners through public-private collaboration. The goal of this initiative is to create a common electronic freight interchange that would improve the speed, accuracy and visibility of information transfer in a freight movement and thus help facilitate freight movement in a more timely and productive manner. This could reap large rewards for the U.S. economy through decreased costs associated with freight shipments.

Current Status

The Columbus Electronic Freight Management (CEFM) project is the current deployment test within the EFM program. CEFM implements all the components of the “freight information highway” necessary to support a select Limited Brands international truck-air-truck supply chain, providing status information on goods shipped from a China-based manufacturer to a distribution warehouse located in Ohio. The actual test began in May 2007 and ended in November 2007.

Concurrent with the operational test, USDOT has been working on an adoption strategy to implement this concept. The first phase of the strategy is around building awareness. Finding industry members who are seeking productivity gains with new information transfer and sharing techniques was accomplished through joint presentations with project partner champions at key conferences throughout 2007. This will also include key elements necessary to get other shippers and supply chain parties prepared for adoption through critical guidance documentation and technical guidance measures.

FHWA-JPO-08-018 ITS EDL 14088

Updated August 20, 2008 10:23 AM