For all the sophistication in the air cargo industry, its ground operation – trucking – remains one of the least optimised. From missed slot times to opaque cargo status updates, the trucking interface between freight forwarders, handlers, and airlines is often a black hole of miscommunication, inefficiency, and congestion. But that may be changing, thanks to new digital platforms built around collaborative decision-making (CDM).
“We learned and faced a lot of problems between ground handlers and truckers picking up and delivering cargo and all the congestion issues during our project at Schiphol Airport,” explained Raul Paul, Founder and CEO of CargoHub. “A lack of transparency, predictability and plannability of truck movements and available capacity at the handling side is a completely blind spot, and that’s what we resolved with Trucking CDM.”
At the core of the Trucking CDM system is real-time data sharing, automating and connecting the dots between handlers and truckers to reduce uncertainty and delay. Paul points out that handlers often know when cargo is ready, but that vital information rarely reaches truckers in time, if at all. Likewise, truckers are left to guess or rely on outdated service-level agreements, often arriving only to find cargo is still unavailable.
“We’re receiving relevant data from the handler and we’re receiving data from the trucking company,” Paul said. “Based on both the information, we are able to connect the dots and to give the trucker the same value proposition as the agent: when cargo is available, how many pieces have arrived, what’s missing and if documentation is prepared for pickup.”
While some airports have introduced slot booking systems to manage truck flow, Paul argues they often miss the bigger picture. “What we learned is that the slot needs to be aligned with cargo availability, document readiness, handling capacity and last but not least the vital flight connection information of the airline. This more dynamic, data-driven system promises not only better use of truckers’ time but also smoother flow through cargo terminals—a solution increasingly appealing to ground handlers and airlines alike. CDM offers a multi stakeholder environment which contributes to an increase in the delivered as-promised ration of the cargo product.
READ MORE: CargoHub Trucking CDM adopts IATA ONE Record technology
Planning beyond the pickups
What started with solving pickup congestion has grown into a broader tool for managing the entire Road Feeder Services (RFS) chain. The RFS Control Tower builds on the Trucking CDM concept by adding advanced planning, coordination, and real-time updates for all stakeholders.
“The RFS control tower solution is the planning of the shipments which need to be booked on a truck—ordering, scheduling, and sharing this information,” Paul explained. “So everybody is aware of what needs to be picked up, at what time, and whether cargo is available, yes or no.”
This shared visibility empowers ground handlers to prep for incoming deliveries, airlines to optimise transfer connections, and truckers to streamline routing. For carriers, especially those working with multiple trucking providers across networks, this is a game changer.
“In many cases, one trucker is not capable of supporting the full network, so an airline is dealing with multiple truckers,” Paul said. “But how are you able to manage the visibility of the truck movements for multiple truckers? You have to log in into many different portals, and there is a lack of data exchange.”
By consolidating all this data in a centralised dashboard—the Control Tower—CargoHub is enabling airlines to “monitor it and share information back to the legacy system of the airline.”
That visibility is crucial, especially when delays occur. Without real-time insights, a late arrival can miss its onward connection. “If you’re dropping off cargo and you’re missing the slots, then your cargo cannot be moved on the flight it’s connected to,” Paul emphasised. “And if there was no visibility, then you’re not able to make the operational recovery activities.”
READ MORE: ABC and CargoHub implement CargoClaims
From bottleneck to backbone
Trucking inefficiencies don’t just cause late arrivals—they disrupt the entire cargo ecosystem. Delays at pickup points lead to congestion, storage constraints, and operational headaches at terminals that often lack the space to accommodate lingering freight.
“A lot of trucking companies are showing up at the warehouses to pick up the cargo based on the SLA conditions,” Paul explained. “If the SLA is eight hours for breakdown of a flight, they show up at hour ten expecting cargo to be available—but in many cases, it’s not.”
The result? Missed slots, congested yards, and wasted resources. CargoHub’s system aims to eliminate this by only confirming pickups once all the conditions are met. “We’re making sure that the truck is only arriving at the warehouse if the confirmation is there: cargo is ready, documentation is ready,” Paul said. “Don’t show up before we send the confirmation. I think that’s a game changer.”
It’s not just a better workflow for airlines and handlers. Paul stresses that truckers also benefit. “Everything is being done by email, phone calls—it’s a huge administrative burden,” he said. “We want to take that away and build something that works for everyone.”
While the solution is recently introduced, interest is high. “We’re already speaking with leading airlines who are all struggling with lack of visibility and planning issues,” Paul shared. “
Adoption won’t be instant, multi-stakeholder systems rarely are. But Paul is optimistic. “It’s always difficult to adopt a solution which is not a part of your core business,” he admitted. “Everybody’s thinking about their own part. But we’re introducing a solution in the benefit of an improved quality of the air cargo product and efficiency for its stakeholders and finally, a better service for the customer.”
