BNSF adds four mobile apps for shipments

BNSF Railway on Wednesday said it has released four new mobile applications that enable customers to manage their BNSF shipments on their smart phones. The new applications— Unit Trace, Switch and Release, Coal Train Tracing and Driver Lot Location (DLL)— are now available on the new BNSF mobile website.

“At BNSF we are constantly looking for ways to enhance processes and tools that make doing business with BNSF easier,” said John Lanigan, BNSF executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “We are proud to offer our customers some ofthe most robust mobile functionality in the industry.”

“These tools offer a very fast and convenient way to access information when I’m away from my computer,” said Fernando Mendez, intermodal manager for China Shipping North America. “Truly one of the best on-the-go tools for tracking and tracing shipments.”

BNSF says the Unit Trace and Switch and Release applications make equipment management easier and more productive. Customers can manage their shipments remotely by alerting BNSF that they have unloaded a railcar and are ready for BNSF to pick up the empty car. They can also track their shipment while it is on the BNSF network.

For coal customers, BNSF offers a specially designed Coal Train Tracing application that tracks entire trains by a specific mine or utility locations.

Another online application, DLL, helps drivers efficiently plan their routes and obtain proactive shipment location information. It displays the location of a customer’s trailer or container and can be used to check billing information, last facility location, destination facility, chassis number, estimated date and time of arrival, and more.

“Technology plays a key role in how we run the railroad,” said Jo-ann Olsovsky, BNSF vice president technology services and CIO. “We recognize the importance of mobility supporting our customers’ ability to manage their logistics remotely.”

All of the applications can be accessed through the newly launched BNSF mobile friendly website on any Blackberry, iPhone, Droid, or Windows 7 phones. In addition, customers can now obtain information about BNSF, facility hours and directions, loading guidelines, and careers at BNSF, as well as login to the secure customer portal, from their smart phones.