Delta launches GPS tracking product for same-day shipments in US

March 1, 2017

Delta Cargo has launched DASH Critical & Medical to the US domestic market – the first fully GPS-enabled same-day product offered by a US freight carrier.

The new service provides real-time tracking and monitoring of any eligible shipment, and customers can ship items up until 45 minutes prior to scheduled flight departure.

DASH Critical & Medical is available from 10 US locations – Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, LaGuardia (New York), Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis, Rochester and Seattle with service to 89 mainland US destinations and Hawaii. It will be rolled out to the international market later this year.

Delta Cargo’s senior vice president, Gareth Joyce says: “We’ve tailored and developed this product around our customer needs with the highest boarding priority of any Delta Cargo product, and the fastest transit times in the logistics industry. No one else offers a comparable service.

“Through our soft launch at the end of 2016 customers made it clear that our eyes on approach to these shipments gave them great confidence and the fact that the products such as legal documents or organ transplants got to their destination quicker than if taking the product themselves.

“We are working to expand the program across our domestic and international network as well as make enhancements.”

DASH Critical & Medical shipments have clearly visible pink packaging (above) and include GPS tracking proactively monitored by a team throughout the journey. This helps to ensure important shipments are in the right place at the right time throughout the shipping process.

The service offers premium domestic service for time-sensitive, small packages such as medical commodities, legal documents, essential machinery parts and aircraft on the ground (AOG) components. FAA lifeguard/medevac-designated shipments must also ride as DASH Critical & Medical.

It is available for anyone shipping items less than 16 oz. Shipments up to 100 pounds per piece from companies with TSA Known Shipper status can also be accepted as DASH Critical & Medical.

James Graham

James Graham is an award-winning transport media journalist with a long background in the commercial freight sector, including commercial aviation and the aviation supply chain. He was the initial Air Cargo Week journalist and retuned later for a stint as editor. He continues his association as editor of the monthly supplements. He has reported for the newspaper from global locations as well as the UK.