September 25, 2019 Container Interchange Changes Liability to You

“Container Interchange” is a transportation industry term for when a container, trailer or piece of equipment is passed between two parties. That’s an “interchange.”

An “interchange” also passes the legal liability for the container, equipment, and contents. All parties involved in passing containers and equipment down the supply chain need to understand their legal liability while it is in their possession. If damage occurs to the container such as a dent, scrape or puncture while in your possession, you must pay the container owner for it. If cargo is damaged, you must pay the cargo owner for it.

For example, if a container of big screen TVs gets damaged, the party in possession of the container at the time of the damage ends up paying for it. Sometimes the costs can be higher than the job paid. The owner of the damaged cargo, container or equipment, will submit a damage claim invoice for the damage.  In some cases, the damage fees may be withheld from the payment for the shipment.

To protect themselves, all parties in the supply chain should use Photector to take photos with time, date and location stamps to document condition.

Here’s a video that shows how it works.

Simply use Photector to take photos of the container, equipment, cargo and especially the seal number at the time of the pick-up interchange and the drop-off interchange. When you drop-off a load, snap another photo of the unbroken seal with Photector.  That proves that the container wasn’t opened and nothing was stolen on your watch.

If damage does happen while the container or equipment is with you, use Photector to thoroughly document the size and scope of the damage. You don’t want to end up paying for a whole container of TVs just because one of them was cracked. You don’t want to pay for a giant slash down the side of a container, when it was just a small scratch when you dropped it off.

The old-fashioned EIR forms leave too much room for interpretation which leads to unfair costs being charged to you. Regular cell phone photos are easy to fake, so those aren’t good enough to prove where and when the damage happened. Photector photos leave no room for interpretation because you can zoom in on the high-quality photos to see exactly the extent of the damage and condition.

The article “6 Taps to Avoid Damage Claim Fees” has step-by-step instructions on taking photos to protect yourself with PHOTECTOR.

Test drive Photector with a 14-day FREE Trial and schedule a 1-on-1 demonstration today!

 

September 18, 2019 Faking Damage Photos is Easy. Watch Out!

When thousands of dollars are at stake for equipment damage or container damage, don’t trust just any photos.  A 5th grader can fake photos these days.

Anyone can fake photos in a few seconds with free software. Don’t be victimized by faked photos of equipment damage.  With the Photector, you’ll be protected with tamper-proof photos that are locked instantly in the Blockchain for secure storage.

Photector provides only the unaltered facts to all parties along the supply chain including up to 20 photos of condition at each interchange, with date, time and GPS location; all the proof you need to determine where and when the damage happened.

Test drive Photector with a 14-day FREE Trial and schedule a 1-on-1 demonstration today!

 

September 9, 2019 Photector Innovates Freight Industry 7 Ways

Photector innovates the freight industry in 7 ways…

  1. Photos are more powerful and informative than handwritten diagrams and notes. Photector uses cell phone digital photos snapped during freight packing, loading and delivery as an accurate way to show the condition of the merchandise and equipment being moved.
  2. Everyone needs tamper-proof photos. Photector store photos securely in the Blockchain where they are protected from alterations and manipulation. (Unlike photos stored on a local drive that are easy to change.)
  3. Prove where, when and in what condition loads get delivered. Photector eliminates disagreements about delivery times, parties responsible for damage, and the extent of damage by automatically tagging GPS location and timestamps.
  4. Streamline inspection documentation. Photector saves time at pick-up and drop-off points with a quick way to document container and equipment condition.
  5. Efficiency is key. By automating photo uploads, storage, and retrieval, Photector shaves hours of time each day. And the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature makes text and numbers in photos searchable anytime, anywhere.
  6. Eliminate paying for unfair damage claims. Cut weeks off damage claims investigations by finding the responsible party immediately by seamlessly sharing photos with all parties involved.
  7. Improve partner relationships. Photector gives you a way to assign damage to the right party immediately. That lowers the friction caused by the wrong parties being asked to pay damage claims that they didn’t cause.

By innovating the freight industry, Photector deserves a nomination in the FreightWave’s 2020 – FreightTech Award.

“On behalf the Freight.Tech 100, I encourage companies to nominate companies they feel are deserving of consideration,” said FreightWaves Executive Vice President of Freight Futures and Events Arlen Stark.

Photector (then PEIR) was recognized in the Freight.Tech 100 last year, and we need your help to win again. Please nominate Photector today!

Deadline is Oct 5, so please do it today! Here are the details for the nomination:

  • Nominee Company Name:  Photector
  • Nominee Company URL: https://photector.com
  • Nominee Contact First Name:  Tom
  • Nominee Contact Last Name:  Burke
  • Nominee Contact Email:  tburke@photector.com
  • Nominee Contact Phone:  702-425-3111
  • Nominee Company Industry:  Technology
September 4, 2019 Deadlines Matter… Get Paid For Damage Claims!

How long do you have to file container damage claims?

Missing filing deadlines and lack of evidence are reasons shippers and equipment owners don’t get paid for damages.  Promptness and complete evidence improve your odds of getting paid.

Damage claim deadlines may differ by mode and carrier and is noted in the contract between the shippers and carriers so check your contracts to get it right.  Late damage claims may be forfeited.

Notification of damage should take place immediately, generally the carrier should be notified within 15 days. The claim form, with all the documentation, should be filed within 9 months. If a lawsuit is needed, it should be filed within two years.

Damage investigations need to be done by back-tracking through the chain of interchanges and can take 3-6 months. Often there isn’t enough evidence to determine where and when the damage happened, so many investigations are inconclusive and non-productive.

Fortunately, the Photector app solves these problems. In fact, when shippers and their carriers use Photector, investigations can be kept to a minimum.

Here’s a 52-second video showing how it works.

Photector instantly and securely captures the date, time, location, seal number and up to 50 photos showing the condition of the load at each interchange.

On the Photector dashboard, using the seal number to instantly search the photos from every interchange, you can pinpoint exactly where and when the damage occurred. You can then file a claim with the responsible party with factual photo evidence, avoiding months of investigating and denials.

That’s how you get paid for damages.

Test drive Photector with a 14-day FREE Trial and schedule a 1-on-1 demonstration today!

 

August 27, 2019 Who’s Responsible for Damage Claims?

It’s a common challenge that plays out every day in TLS—but there didn’t used to be an elegant solution for solving it. It goes something like this…

“Marco” from “Midwest Importers” receives a 40’ container, shipped from overseas, at his warehouse. During unloading, his dock foreman notices damage to 2 pallets, so Marco calls “Jill” at his forwarding company to report it.

Until recently, Marco had only 2 options:

  1. Live with damages, absorbing them as a “cost of doing business,” or
  2. Send a damage claim invoice to Jill, and hope the forwarder reimburses him.

Jill, too, used to have only 2 options:

  1. Pay Marco’s damage claim invoice, eating part of her shipping profits, or
  2. Ghost Marco and lose a potentially lucrative future customer.

For both shipper and customer, none of those options solves what has become a $1.8 billion industry quandary: Who’s responsible for damages inherent in complex transactions of shipping, interchanges and intermodal activity when the recipient typically doesn’t know how they were caused?

This used to be like asking, “How high is up?” But now there’s a definitive third solution.

Imagine if the scenario continued like this…

After learning about the damage, Jill opens the Photector web dashboard and types in Marco’s information. She:

  • Adds a description of the damages Marco relayed to her over the phone, and
  • Tags the event to identify it from other events she’s tracking

Then she sends an Event Request to Marco.

Even though he’s not a Photector account holder, Marco receives a text message on his phone to document the damages he sees. He…

  • Taps the link to load Photector
  • Takes about 12 photos with his cell phone camera of the damaged pallets and a dented box
  • Adds notes about the damages
  • Captures a copy of the bill of lading, and
  • Submits the event back to Jill

Within minutes, Jill receives the documentation back in her Photector dashboard. It contains a unique ID number, date, start and the end time, and total time that it took Marco to capture this even, Marco’s latitude and longitude when he took the pictures, which helps confirm that it was Marco submitting the event.

Besides the 12 images of the damage, Jill also has instant access to Marco’s bill of lading. She can zoom in and out to see more detail. (In the future if she wants to share the bill of lading, she can look it up easily via Photector’s OCR functionality, then share it to any email address.)

Behind the scenes, Photector has stored this Event Request in the Blockchain. In the now unlikely chance that this claim escalates, both parties have photographic evidence that holds up in a court of law. No more emotion. No more “he said, she said” games.  Just a professional way to conduct your shipping business.

Find out how Photector can protect you by scheduling a demo today and then try Photector with a Free Test Drive!

 

August 21, 2019 Lost Interchange Photos Cost Big Bucks

In order to reduce costs associated with damage claims they didn’t cause, a recent survey of TLS owner/operators and fleet managers with less than 100 trucks reported that 62% take photos during interchanges.

However, it isn’t helping much when it comes to reducing unfair damage claims according to the December 2018 survey by the Silicon Valley Research Group.

The same survey revealed that 24% of the time the companies can’t find the right photos and documentation during a claim investigation.  They can’t prove the damage didn’t happen in their possession, so end up paying the damage claims anyway.

And that’s expensive. An average damage claim costs $1452 according to the survey and respondents said they pay 2 to 4 claims per truck per month.

In addition, it is a very time-consuming and tedious process to gather hundreds of photos from the drivers, label them, organize them, store them, and retrieve them when a claim comes in.

Drivers often forget to send the photos to the office.  The office doesn’t always have the time to do the rest.  Photo files get lost, mis-labeled or skipped.  When a claim comes in, they can’t put their hands on the photos.

Rather than dispute a claim they know they didn’t cause, 42% of those surveyed said they pay because it is easier and less time consuming than protesting it.  Without photo proof, they often end up paying anyway so, they’d rather save the time and hassle.

If these companies were using Photector, they wouldn’t be paying for damage they didn’t cause. Photector is specifically designed to solve all of these problems.

Here’s a short video that shows how Photector works.

Not only does Photector capture time, condition and location in half the time, it is securely stored in the cloud using Blockchain technology that can’t be changed or faked.  And it’s very easy to retrieve the right photos in seconds.  You’ll never be stuck paying due to lost photos again.

Protect your bottom line … test drive Photector with a 14-day FREE Trial and schedule a 1-on-1 demonstration today!

August 14, 2019 Stopping Damage Claims is as Easy as 1-2-3

Protecting your business and reputation against unfair damage claims is as easy as 1-2-3 with the new game-changing tool, Photector.

1. Capture photos. Use Photector to capture up to 20 photos of the container’s condition at each interchange. Photector automatically adds date, time and GPS location tags and stores them securely in the Blockchain so no one can alter them. Watch how here.

2. Prove Your Claim. When customers send you damage claims, you’ll have photo evidence that the damage didn’t happen on your watch. You can search on seal number to find all the photos for that load in seconds. You can share them with your customer to prove you didn’t do it.

3. Protect Your Business. Damage claims can average $1452.  With Photector’s photo proof, you can deny the damage claims, keep your customer’s trust, and save your bottom line.

See Photector in action by scheduling a 1-on-1 demonstration today and take a free Photector TEST DRIVE today!

August 7, 2019 3 Ways to Avoid the Liability of Damages

 

There are three key ways to avoid the liability of cargo and container damage.

First, make sure that you aren’t blamed for damage that occurred before you picked up the load.  The quickest and easiest way to do that is to use Photector to take photos of the condition during the pick-up interchange.

Here’s a quick demo.

If a claim comes along, you’ll have the photo evidence to prove that dent or scratch was on the container before the interchange and you won’t have to pay.

Second, make sure you aren’t blamed for damage that happened after your drop. Photector’s photo capture the date, time and GPS location automatically, so you have proof of your damage-free delivery.

Third, of course, take all the safety precautions to ensure that preventable damage doesn’t happen in the first place. For more info, here’s a link to one article on that: “Reducing the Risk of Damage, Loss and Claims.”

Unfortunately, some damage is unavoidable…that’s when you need Photector the most.

With Photector you can take up to 20 high-resolution photos, especially close-ups, to thoroughly show the extent of the damage. You can easily share the Photector photos with the customer during the damage claim process.  In this way, you are only charged for the specific damage and not additional damages that occur later down the line.

With Photector, avoiding unfair damage claims is just one tap away…So TAP HERE to take the Photector Test Drive and schedule a 1-on-1 demonstration today!

July 31, 2019 Transportation Pop Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of the Latest Trends

 

How well do you know the latest trends in the transportation industry?

Question 1:  What is the #1 concern of owner/operators and fleet managers right now?

A. Staffing of techs, logistics and sales people

B. Trade wars

C. Truck and driver shortage

D. Rates

Question 2: Of all the damage claims paid by a trucking company, how often did that company actually cause the damage?

A. 98% of the time

B. 53% of the time

C. 47% of the time

D. 28% of the time

Question 3: Last month, how many damage claims did your company pay per truck that wasn’t your fault?

A. zero

B. 1-2

C. 3-4

D. 4-5

Question 4: How much does an average container/trailer damage claim cost?

A. $895

B. $1452

C. $2383

D. $2764

Question 5:  How often do trucking companies end up paying for damage claims because they can’t find the photos and documentation to dispute them?

A. 4% of the time

B. 9% of the time

C. 17% of the time

D. 24% of the time

ANSWERS:

A recent survey by the Silicon Valley Research Group of owner/operators and fleet managers, found the following answers:

Answer 1: The #1 concern continues to be “C” Truck and Driver Shortage followed by “A” Staffing of other positions, trade war and rates.

Answer 2: “D” only 28% of the time did the company actually cause the damages they paid.  That means that most of the claims they are paying are someone else’s fault.

Answer 3: “C” 3-4 times per truck last month.  That’s a lot of unfair claims that weren’t their fault.

Answer 4: The average cost of a damage claim is “B” $1452 (with some claims being twice as much)

Answer 5: “D” 24% of the time companies end up paying for damage claims because they can’t find the photos and documentation.

The numbers reported from this survey depict a silent epidemic of damage claims being charged to the wrong parties.  It is unfair and hurts profits. Don’t let that happen to you!

Your company can protect itself from unfair damage claims and all those costs simply by using Photector. By snapping a few photos on your phone of the container or trailer when picking up and dropping off, you’ll have photo proof that you didn’t cause the damage.

Photector stores your phones instantly in the cloud using Blockchain technology so the photos, date, location and condition cannot be altered or faked. When you get a damage claim, the photos are right at your fingertips with a simple container ID search.  The photos prove it wasn’t you, so you can deny the claim and still keep a good relationship with your customer.

You can test drive Photector with a 14-day FREE Trial, visit www.PHOTECTOR.com to chat with us, or schedule a one-on-one demo today!

July 24, 2019 Don’t be a Victim of Faked Tire Damage Photos

Don’t be a victim of faked photos. Protect your assets with Photector!!

Free photo editing software can make tire damage “disappear” in seconds so you can’t trust just any photos. Only accept photos that were taken with Photector and instantly locked and securely stored in the Blockchain so no one can change them.

Photector automatically tags each photo with the time, date and GPS location so you can be sure of the condition at each stop. It provides only the unaltered facts to all parties along the supply chain about tire damage and other forms of damage too.

That way you won’t be scammed.

See for yourself how Photector can protect your assets…take a free, no-strings-attached TEST DRIVE and schedule a 1-on-1 demonstration today!

Photector Is Changing The Way Companies Protect Themselves

  • Find out how to prevent damage claims you didn't cause
  • Squeeze more profit out of every trip
  • Save time, hassle & relationships
  • Securely Document the State of Equipment

What's a Photector Event?

A Photector Event is the combination of Date, Time, GPS Location, OCR, Blockchain, and up to 20 high resolution photographs.

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