Expectant Owners and Dealers Alike Will Be Able To Track Their New Cars From Factory to Dealership
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| CPR will be able to track new vehicles wherever they are on the line when their new AutoTrack system is operational sometime mid-year. (Photo: Canadian Pacific Railway) |
The end is near when it comes the completion of the new $4.5 million, multi-year program the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) has organized with railway shipments of motor vehicles. Along with manufacturers and dealers, the new technology involved is based on the computerized inventory through the use of Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN). These numbers are situated at the base of the windshield of every new light truck and car.
The software application used is called "AutoTrack," supplied by Optimization Alternatives Limited, Inc. (OA) from Austin, TEX. AutoTrack's purpose is to aid in the tracking and management of each aspect of automotive compound operations from the locating of individual vehicles to the unloading of railcars.
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| DaimlerChrysler vehicles emerge from railcars at the L. Hansen's Forwarding facility in Toronto, the CPR's major southern Ontario distribution point for new vehicles. (Photo: Canadian Pacific Railway) |
Each vehicle is linked with wireless radio frequency (RF) technology to the CPR databases and the computerized inventory-control systems at each of the compounds. The hand-held scanners permit prompt recognition of each vehicle as they leave or enter the multi-level, high-security freight cars or when on the rails between major destinations.
When fully operational by mid year, CPR will make it possible for consumers to track the whereabouts of their purchase at any time. The line is not drawn when the vehicle is on the railway freight car, but it extends all the way from assembly plants to showrooms via the railways distribution compounds in Toronto, Calgary, Regina, Montreal, and Minneapolis.