The Effect of New Information Technology on the Practice of Traffic Management

The decade of the 1980s brought significant change to the traffic management function. Freed from the strictures of transportation regulation, traffic managers were able to form strategic alliances and effective partnering relationships with carriers. Advances in information technology permitted faster and more accurate transfer of critical information throughout the logistics system. According to a national survey of over 200 traffic managers, logistics executives, and carrier executives, transportation deregulation and new information technology have been the primary drivers of change in the traffic function over the past ten years. While deregulation was the primary driver of change during the 1980s, changes in the 1990s will be technology‐driven. New management skills and talents will be required. Organizational changes will occur as firms react and adapt to the opportunities presented to them. This paper explores the influence that new information technology will continue to have on the evolving practice of corporate traffic management in the years ahead.