MTMC ON FAST TRACK TO AUTOMATE DOMESTIC FREIGHT BILLS

MTMC ON FAST TRACK TO AUTOMATE DOMESTIC FREIGHT BILLS    The U.S. Military Traffic Management Command is on the fast track to automate its domestic freight bills with carriers.
   MTMC, which manages land and ocean transport logistics for the armed forces, says about 50 percent of its domestic freight bills are now paid automatically through an online software developed by U.S. Bank.
   The agency says PowerTrack allows it to pay most freight bills in three days, when it used to take from 44 to 77 days for MTMC to pay its carriers.
   MTMC plans to implement PowerTrack with most of its carriers by the end of the year. So far, 147 of 272 carriers that provide MTMC with land transport, such as Landstar and Overnite Trucking Co., use PowerTrack. MTMC says another 78 carriers are expected to use the system soon. U.S. Bank charges carriers 2 percent of the freight bill for its services.
   MTMC explained its roll-out plans at a meeting co-sponsored by the Defense Department, American Trucking Association and National Defense Transportation Association Surface Committee in Arlington, Va., last week.
   The Defense Department recently adopted PowerTrack (under Management Reform Memorandum No. 15) to help it use electronic systems to automate and standardize military processes more in line with the business world.