MX2008004810A - System and method for weighing and tracking freight - Google Patents

Abstract

In a freight shipment system and method, the lift trucks used by the freight carrier for handling and loading freight shipments are equipped with a weighing device capable of weighing each piece of freight handled by the lift truck. The lift truck operator also has a scanner for scanning coded identification information associated with each piece of freight. As each piece of freight is handled by the lift truck, the coded identification information for that piece of freight is captured along with the weight of the load. This information is transmitted to a computer system where it can be used for real-time invoicing. The system can also obtain dimensional information about the volume of the piece of freight.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WEIGHING AND TRACKING LOAD The present invention relates to a system and method that is useful in the cargo shipping industry.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Normally, in the cargo shipping industry, cargo shipments are received from a shipper by the cargo carrier, stored at the cargo terminals where it is stored by cargo destination and subsequently loaded onto tractor-trailer trucks for transportation. Shipping. In a receiving terminal, cargo transports are unloaded, and classified for transport or delivery. Normally, cargo transport is arranged in one or more loading pallets, and loading and unloading are handled by forklift trucks. Each cargo transport is assigned with an identification number, and this number is used to track the cargo from its origin to its destination. Shipping charges are based on the weight and classification of cargo transport and its weight. Normally, the weight of the shipment is provided to the freight forwarder by the shipper on a bill of lading, and the transportation charges are calculated based on the established weight provided by the shipper. The freight carrier can perform point checks to review the selected shipments, although in most of the In cases, the established weight provided by the shipper is used as the basis for the shipping charge, because it has not been feasible to weigh each piece of cargo handled by the cargo carrier again.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is based on the recognition that in many cases, the weight of the shipment provided by the shipper is underestimated, which can result in a significant loss of profits for the cargo carrier. The present invention provides a system and method that makes it possible to achieve weighing in real time each shipment of cargo, and billing in real time based on the actual weight of the shipment. Real-time billing provides improved punctuality and labor savings, and the ability to capture the actual weight of each cargo shipment makes it possible to recover significant profits that might otherwise be lost due to the weights of the underestimated shipments provided by the shipper. According to the present invention, the forklift trucks used by the cargo carrier to handle and load the cargo transports are equipped with a weighing device that has the capacity to weigh each piece of cargo handled by the forklift truck. The forklift truck is also equipped with a digital scanner to digitally scan the coded identification information associated with each of the load pieces. As each One of the load parts is handled by the forklift truck, the coded identification information for that piece of cargo is captured along with the weight of the load. This information is transmitted to a computer system where it can be stored in a database and used for billing in real time. The system may also include an image module configured to digitally scan a load piece that is being driven by a forklift truck, in such a way as to obtain the image information for the load piece. The image information can be stored in a database with the other information. The image information may include a digital photograph of the loading part, or a three-dimensional image of the loading part, from which the cubic volume of the loading part, or both, may be determined. The system of the present invention may also use the captured information to perform additional automated functions, such as shipment tracking, load loss control, and assistance to prevent trucks from being overloaded. The system may include a manual device that may be used by a forklift truck operator to digitally scan identification information from the load. The handheld device may include a digital camera to capture a digital photograph for the load piece and this digital photographic data may be transmitted to the computer system with the other information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Some of the features and advantages of the present invention have already been described, others will become apparent from the detailed description that follows, and form part of the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the system and method for weighing and tracking charge according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a forklift truck equipped to weigh and track cargo in accordance with the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic representation showing the functions of the software modules present in the various computers used in the system and method of the present invention. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a portable terminal that can be used by a truck operator to implement the system and method of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic flow diagram representing how a cargo shipment is transferred from a dispatcher's facilities to a freight forwarder's facilities. Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a system for capturing information about the size of a cargo shipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention are shown. In fact, these inventions can be represented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the modalities set forth herein; instead, these modalities are provided in such a way that this description will satisfy the applicable legal requirements. Similar numbers refer to similar elements throughout the description. Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the system and method for weighing and tracking charge according to the present invention. In Figure 1, two load terminals are shown, a first load terminal 11, which may be located in a city, and a second load terminal 12, which may be located in a distant city. Although only two load terminals are shown, for simplicity, it should be understood that a typical load distribution system will include many load terminals in several different cities. The load distribution system also includes a central office, indicated with number 14, where various business operations of the cargo transporter are carried out.

In each loading terminal a number of trailers 15 are arranged in a loading deck to receive or unload the load F. The load is handled by the forklift trucks 16. In the embodiment shown, the forklift trucks are conventional forklifts, the which is equipped with a weighing device that has the capacity to obtain the weight of each piece of the load handled by the forklift. The weighing device may comprise a load cell mounted on one of the forks of the forklift. Load cells suitable for this purpose are commercially available from various sources. The load cell has the ability to determine the weight of a piece of cargo when the forklift truck lifts the load piece from the ground. The load cell is of such precision that it can function as a "legitimate trade weighing device". Each forklift truck is also equipped with a digital scanner that the forklift truck operator can use to digitally scan the coded identification information associated with a load piece. The digital scanner can be a conventional commercially available digital barcode scanner, whereby the digital scanner will read the identification information encoded in the form of a bar code when the digital scanner is pointing to the bar code and is activated, such as pressing a switch or pulling a trigger. In an alternative mode, the digital browser can be a device for reading coded identification information of an RFID tag associated with the loading part. In the embodiment shown, each forklift truck is also equipped with a remote computer 17 and with a wireless transmitter (not shown), which can be incorporated into the housing of the computer 17, and which is connected to an antenna 44. The remote computer 17 receives the load information for a load piece from the weighing device and the coded identification information for that load piece from the digital scanner. This information is then transmitted by the transmitter to a receiver 20 associated with a base computer 21 located in the charging terminal. Each base computer 21 is connected via a suitable communications network 22 to a central computer 30 located in the central office 14. Figure 2 illustrates a way in which the forklift truck can be equipped to implement the system and method of the present invention. In this embodiment, the remote computer 17 is mounted to the forklift truck adjacent to the operator's seat. The computer 17 is equipped with a deployment device 41, such as an LCD display, conveniently located to display the information to the truck operator. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the deployment device is mounted to the roof of the forklift truck cage directly in front of the driver of the forklift truck. The deployment device 41 can also function as a device for entry to receive commands from the forklift truck operator. For example, the display device 41 may be a touch screen device, or it may be equipped with the appropriate keys or buttons, such as "programmable keys" having identification tags that can be changed that are displayed on the display device . A portable digital barcode scanner 42 is connected to the computer 17 and is positioned in such a way that it is easily accessible to the operator of the forklift truck. A load cell 43 mounted on the fork of the forklift truck is also communicatively connected to the computer 17 via the cables (not shown). An antenna 44 is mounted to the roof of the forklift truck and is connected to the transmitter, which is housed with the computer 17. It should be understood that this illustrated embodiment represents only one of the many ways in which the system and method can be implemented. of the present invention. For example, in an alternative embodiment such as that illustrated in Figure 4, the computer, display device, input device, transmitter, antenna and digital scanner are integrated into a single portable unit or terminal 101, and the cell information Charge can be communicated to this portable unit, either by cable or by a wireless connection, such as a Bluetooth link. Alternatively, instead of transmitting information from the computer 17 or the portable device to the base computer 20 via a wireless connection, the information can simply be stored in a data storage device of the remote computer 17 or portable device 101 and periodically downloaded to base computer 21 by a physical connection, such as a cable or base platform. The coded identification information for a load piece can be fixed directly to the load piece, or it can be provided in a document that is associated with the load piece. If fixed to the loading part, the forklift truck operator will simply direct the digital scanner 42 or the portable unit 101 to a barcode on the loading part to read the coded information. It is conventional in the cargo transport industry to create a movement document that follows the transport of cargo from its origin to its destination. This movement document includes the identification of the shipper, the name and address of the recipient, the number of pieces in the shipment, and a description of the shipment. It also has a unique cargo invoice number (often referred to in the industry as a "guide number") for that shipment, and a corresponding bar code. If the movement document is used as the source for identifying information for the loading part, the forklift truck operator will simply use the digital scanner 42 or portable unit 101 to digitally scan the identification information of the bar code in the movement document. . The coded identification information for the cargo piece can be generated and applied to the cargo, either by the shipper or by the carrier when it receives the freight shipment from the shipper. In a embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 5, for example, a cargo shipment F is received by the truck driver of the cargo carrier on the shipper's cargo deck. As you receive the shipment, the driver of the transporter's truck uses a portable device 101 to enter information about the shipment. The handheld device is configured to receive information that includes, but is not limited to, the name and address of the shipper, the weight of the shipment that is being transported, the number of pallets of cargo or units, a description of the cargo that is being transported, destination and a classification of the product. The handheld device is configured to transmit this information to the central computer of the carrier 30 to prepare the internal documents and the scheduling of the shipment. The portable device can, for example, transmit the information wirelessly directly to the central computer of the carrier 30, as shown in Figure 5. The carrier's driver can also produce a tag 102 that contains the coded identification information and can Fix this tag to the load F. At the central office, the programmer of the transporter 103 uses it that was transmitted by the driver for scheduling the resources available to handle the shipment. The central computing system may suitably include a programming module which is used by the carrier's programming staff to assign the shipment of the load to a truck leaving having an appropriate destination for the shipment. The portable device 101 may include a printer, such that it is generates a bar code label that identifies the shipment of the cargo. Alternatively, a printer can be located in the driver's truck. When the freight shipment of the shipper is received, the driver of the truck of the carrier can apply the bar code label 102 to one or more cargo pallets or units of the cargo to identify the shipment of cargo through the transit procedure. Alternatively, the driver of the carrier truck can apply an RFID tag directly to the cargo shipment, and the handheld device can be used to enter the identification information on its RFID tag in the cargo tracking system. The portable device 101 used by the truck driver of the carrier may also suitably include a transmitter module of the global positioning satellite (GPS) to transmit information about the location of the load pickup truck back to the central office to be used by the programming module. This will allow the central office to determine when the collection truck is expected to return to the head office with cargo shipments. When the driver of the carrier truck arrives at the carrier terminal with the cargo shipments thus collected, the system and method of the present invention is used to capture the actual weight of each piece of cargo in the shipment. As shown in Figure 1, for example, as each piece of cargo is driven by a forklift truck 16 at the originating terminal of carrier 11, the truck operator Forklift scans the identification information for that part of the load and determines the weight of the load piece. The truck operator can, for example, use a portable device of the type shown in Figure 4, to digitally scan the bar code label from the loading part. This also gets the actual weight of the cargo shipment from the weighing device in the forklift truck. This information is transmitted to the base 21 computer and stored. The information may also be made available to the central computer 30 at the central office 14. In a specific embodiment of the present invention, this information is captured by the driver of the forklift truck in a sequence of "lifting-photography-photography". First, the driver lifts the load piece, so that the load cell can obtain the weight of the load piece. Then the driver "photographs" the coded identification information for that part of the charge by directing the digital barcode scanner in the bar code provided in the movement document for that piece of charge. Finally, the driver "pulls" another previously determined bar code in order to signify to the system that the weighing and reading sequence has been completed. This other previously determined bar code can be located in any suitable location in the forklift truck, such as, for example, in the deployment device located in front of the truck driver. Reading this bar code works as a signal to the system to close the file and transmit the information to the base computer 21. Each transmission to the base computer includes the following information: coded identification information read from the movement document, the total load weight read by the load cell, fork number, identification of the fork operator, date and time, and location of the cargo terminal from which the information was obtained. When the shipment of cargo is unloaded at the destination terminal 12, a "survey-photograph-photograph" procedure is followed to capture the identification information and the actual weight of each piece of cargo handled in the terminal. By comparing the actual weight of a shipment in the originating terminal with the weight of the shipment in the destination terminal, a loss control module can quickly determine if the shipment arrived intact, or if there was a loss or theft. This information can also be used by a tracking module to provide information on the status and location of the shipment. The system may also include a discharge module to instruct the forklift truck operator about the place to take the load. After the identification information has been digitally scanned from the shipment of cargo, the information of the programming module can be transmitted to the forklift operator's device, giving instructions to the operator where the cargo must be delivered, for example, in another trailer on the cargo deck or for a support and scaffolding area within the terminal facilities.

The system can also include a loading module to facilitate the loading of a loaded trailer. The loading module includes means for receiving information identifying the trailer in which the lorry truck loads the load piece, and means for associating this trailer identification information with a maximum load limit for that trailer. Each time a forklift truck delivers a piece of cargo to that trailer, the accumulated cargo weight for that trailer is determined by adding the weight of that piece of cargo to the weight of all previously loaded parts of cargo. When the weight of accumulated load reaches a predetermined level, in relation to the maximum load limit, a signal is generated that can be used to display information to the operator of the forklift that corresponds to the progress of the load, or warns the operator that The maximum load limit has already been reached. The information identifying the trailer in which the piece of cargo is loaded can be received in any of several ways. For example, the forklift truck operator can use the digital barcode scanner that identifies the trailer located at the trailer entrance where the piece of cargo will be loaded. Alternatively, the identification of the trailer can be pre-assigned to a load piece and indicated in the movement document to inform the forklift truck operator where to load the load piece. In this case, the digital scan of the movement document will serve not only to identify the piece of cargo, but also the trailer in which the piece of charge will be charged. Alternatively, the trailer identification can be entered manually by the forklift truck operator using the input device associated with the computer 17, such as a touch screen, keyboard or pen. The system may also include an optional imaging module to capture the image information on the load shipment. A digital camera mounted either to the forklift or built into the portable device can be used to capture a digital photograph of the cargo shipment. For example, when the system components are integrated into a single portable unit 101, this portable unit includes a digital camera. The data representing a digital photograph of the shipment of cargo to be transmitted to the base computer together with the weight and other information obtained about the shipment of cargo. This information can be used by the central office as proof of the received shipment, as well as allowing the review of the shipment for an adequate product classification. The system of the present invention may also include a load volume module to obtain the cubic dimensions of the load shipment. One or more digital image scanners may be located at strategic positions within the cargo terminal, such as, for example, on or near the cargo decks of the carrier's facilities. The digital image scanner forms a "tunnel" through which the forklift truck with its shipment load must pass. Made to measure that the load is removed from or loaded onto the trucks on the cargo deck, the forklift truck carrying a cargo shipment passes through the digital image scanner tunnel and a three-dimensional digital scan of the cargo is obtained. From this digital scan, it is possible to determine the cubic volume of the load shipment. The cubic volume data then passes to the central computing system along with the other information obtained about the shipment of cargo. In the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the load volume module includes a three-dimensional digital laser scanning head 120, mounted from above in such a manner that the forklift truck with this load of the load must pass under it. The digital laser scanning heads of this type are commercially available from various sources. The data from the digital scan head 120 is sent to a processor where the data is processed to determine the transport load volume. For example, this processing operation can distinguish between known or constant volumes, such as the loading pallet, such that only the transport load volume is obtained. This information is then correlated with the specific transport load that is handled by the forklift truck and is stored in a database along with other information about that transport load. The identity of the particular transport load can be determined in any of several ways. For example, the barcode label on the load piece could be used to identify the Private transportation charge. Alternatively, the identity of the forklift truck can be determined using a barcode or RFID tag associated with the forklift truck and read by an appropriately positioned reader 125 located in the vicinity of the digital scan head, and this information, coupled with the real-time information in the database, it could identify the particular transport load that is being handled by the forklift truck at that time. The system may also include a device 126, such as a photocell or a proximity switch, to identify when a forklift truck moves within the field of view of the digital scanning head 120 and signal the digital scanning head 120 for Start a digital exploration. In an alternative, the system can include algorithms to place flags to certain transport loads as exceptions that are based on a group of previously determined parameters. This will allow the cargo carrier's personnel to manage and inspect the cargo by generating exception items that require additional review. In a configuration, for example, the standard industrial classification code of the shipper (SIC) and other data of the shipper will be used by a database to determine if the shipment is within a possible group of possible product classifications depending on the Product lines of the shipper.

With the addition of the photo and cubic volume data, as well as the actual weight of the load determined by the balance mounted on the forklift, all components of the load billing are then known, particularly: distance, determined by the point of origin and destination; weight and cubic volume, which can be used when checking the classification of the product; and a photograph of the cargo, which can be used to determine other characteristics of the cargo that may affect the classification of the product. The distance will be calculated by a central database of known distances between a determined point of origin and a determined destination point, the real weight will be determined by the weighing system, the cubic volume will be determined by the system to size the load, and a photograph will be reviewed to ensure that the description of the load and other characteristics are correct before the file is sent to a central billing system for the production of the invoice to the sender. The system may additionally include a maintenance module to help monitor the maintenance of forklift trucks. The remote computer 17 in each forklift truck can receive the status information of the forklift truck, such as, for example, the number of hours of operation, or any status messages generated by the sensors in the forklift truck or by a computer module. of machine control for the forklift truck. This information can be used by the central computer 30 for schedule the routine preventive maintenance of forklift trucks or to dispatch a service call. The system can also include a human resources module to collect and monitor the information to be used by the human resources department of the cargo transporter. The human resources module can, for example, request that the forklift truck operator start the session every time the forklift truck starts operating. In this way, the system can track the information about which driver handled each piece of cargo in a shipment, the time of operation of the forklift truck driver, number of cargo pieces handled, or other information. The information collected can be transmitted to the central computer to be used when generating payroll information, work assignments or for historical purposes. The system can also include a customer service module, which will allow customer service representatives to view the data in real time about cargo shipments and thus provide customers with status and location information about shipments. . The customer service representatives can be located in a call center 48 and can access the information through the communications network 22. The system and method of the present invention is designed to be integrated into the billing infrastructure and Existing cargo tracking of a freight carrier, and supplement billing software existing computerized carrier. The following description of the carrier load and billing tracking functions should provide a contextual understanding of how the present invention is implemented and utilized. A freight shipment cycle begins when the freight carrier receives a request from a shipper, by phone or the Internet, for a cargo pickup. The freight forwarder will assign a shipping number (guide number) to this shipment, and will issue instructions for a truck driver to collect the shipment. Normally, the following minimum information is obtained: name and address of the beneficiary, established weight of the shipment and payment information. This information may be provided by telephone, or more usually on a freight bill prepared by the shipper and delivered to the truck driver for the cargo carrier. Upon receiving this information, the cargo carrier assigns a shipping number (guide number) for this particular shipment. The shipping number can, for example, be attached to a sticker on the freight bill provided by the shipper, in which case this freight bill will function as the movement document. The shipping number can also be represented by a computer-readable barcode. Normally, the driver of the truck will add information to the movement document, such as the number of pieces (shipping units) and a description of the shipment, if it has not been provided in advance.

When returning to the cargo terminal with the shipments, the employee who enters the data updates the computer system of the cargo carrier with the information about the collected shipments, which include the information, if any, manually added by the driver, such As the number of pieces in the shipment. An additional movement document can be generated with this updated information, to be used either in addition to (for example, stapling to the original cargo invoice) or in place of the freight invoice issued by the shipper. The movement document will follow the shipment to its destination. At this point, the freight forwarder's accounting system has all the necessary information to generate an invoice for the shipment. The conventional system will generate an invoice at an appropriate time using, as a basis for the shipping charges, the established weight provided by the shipper. The present invention is integrated with the existing billing accounting system and provides the ability to update the data record for each shipment or guide number with a real-time weight for the shipment. The billing module in the central computer uses the identification information captured in this way and the actual weight data in real time to generate customer invoices. Invoices are based on the actual weight of each piece of cargo shipped, which can be estimated from the shipping weight instead. The standard accounting software of the freight carrier can use the information to generate the invoices of the clients using the client information stored in a database. The information maintained by the system of the present invention may be available to authorized users through conventional wired networks, wireless networks, virtual private networks, through network accesses or other suitable network connection methods. Figure 3 illustrates a possible configuration for the software modules that facilitate the implementation of the system and the method of the present invention. Those familiar with the computer software will understand that various other implementations are possible and are within the scope of the present invention. In this embodiment, the software modules are resident in the remote computer 17 which is located in the forklift truck, in the base computer 21 in the loading terminal, and in the central computer 30 in the cargo carrier's parent office. These procedural modules receive and share the information as necessary to perform their assigned tasks or functions. On the remote computer 17, a session 51 module captures the identification of the forklift truck operator at the start of a survey, as well as the date and time of the session start and end of session. Additionally, it can capture the number of surveys performed by the operator. The data capture and transmission module 52 captures the identification information for a shipment from the digital scanner and the weight of the shipment from the load cell, and controls the transmission of this information to the base computer 21. The maintenance module 53 maintains the relevant maintenance information such as the total travel time, the number of surveys, etc., and passes this information to the base computer 21. The human resources module 54 coordinates the sending of pertinent information about the operator of the forklift truck to the base computer 21, such as the hours and dates of start and end of session. The loading module 55 facilitates receiving the information on which shipping trailer is loaded in, and displaying the information for the forklift operator on the state of loading of that trailer, such as a cumulative weight loaded on the trailer or if the limit Maximum weight for that trailer is being approximated or exceeded. In the base computer 21, a configuration module 61 controls the basic configuration and the "maintenance" functions of the system. A data capture module 62 receives and stores the data transmitted from the forklift trucks 16 in the terminal. A data entry and update module 63 to enter and update the information through an employee data entry. A maintenance module 64 receives and manages the maintenance information of the maintenance modules 53 of the respective forklift trucks. Similarly, the human resources module 65 receives and manages the human resources information from the resource modules 54 of the respective forklift trucks. A loading module 66 interfaces with the load modules 55 in the respective forklift trucks. In the central computer 30, a configuration module 71 controls the basic configuration and the "maintenance" functions of the system. A tracking module 72 uses the date and time stamp data and the location data that is generated by a forklift truck each time a shipment is handled to track the progress of the shipment and its current location. A billing module 73 makes available to the standard carrier billing software of the cargo, the actual weight of each shipment. A loss control module 74 compares the actual weight of a shipment in one location (e.g., its origin) with the current weight of the same shipment in another location (e.g., your destination) to identify if there is any variation. A customer support module 75 provides a customer support representative with access to relevant information, such as tracking information, billing information, etc. A human resources module 76 coordinates the information obtained by the human resource modules 54 and 65, and a maintenance module 77 coordinates the information of the maintenance modules 53, 64. An administration reports module 78 has access to all the Accumulated data obtained by the system and has the ability to display or print various types of management information. A network access module 79, provides the loading of selected subgroups of data stored in the central computer to a guest network to allow remote network access of authorized users. The various functions such as customer support, human resources and maintenance, can, if desired, be accessed remotely through access to the world network instead of through a direct network connection. Table 1 below shows the information fields that are maintained in the system, and the fields that are used by the various modules.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the present invention set forth herein will occur to one skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and associated drawings. Therefore, it should be understood that inventions do not they are limited to the specific embodiments described and that the modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are used herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (19)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. A system for weighing and tracking cargo comprising: identification information associated with each of the plurality of cargo pieces, the identification information having the purpose of tracking the cargo piece as it is transported by the cargo carrier from an origin to a destination; a forklift truck equipped to lift and move a piece of cargo; a weighing device associated with the forklift truck to obtain the weight of the load; a digital scanner that can be accessible to a forklift truck operator for the digital exploration of the identification information associated with the load piece; an image forming module for capturing the image information on the loading part; a base computer that cooperates with the digital scanner to receive the identification information for the load piece, which cooperates with the weighing device to receive the weight of the load piece, and which cooperates with the image forming module to receive the image information for the loading part; and a database associated with said base computer for receiving and storing the weight data, the identification information and the image information for the load.

2. - The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the imaging module includes an accessible digital camera for the operator of the forklift truck to capture a digital photograph of the load piece.

3. The system according to claim 2, further characterized in that it includes a portable device accessible to the operator of the forklift truck, and wherein said digital camera is mounted on said portable device, the portable device communicates with said charging device to receive the weight data obtained for a load piece and in communication with said digital camera to receive said digital picture of the load piece, and said manual device includes a wireless transmitter that can be operated to transmit said weight data, said identification information and said digital photograph, to a receiver associated with said base computer.

4. The system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the image forming module includes a digital image scanner configured to perform a three-dimensional digital scan of a load piece held by said forklift truck and to obtain the dimensional data , from which the cubic volume of the load piece can be determined.

5. The system according to claim 4, further characterized in that said digital image scanner includes a three-dimensional digital laser scanning head positioned in such a manner that

The forklift truck with its load of the load must pass within its field of vision, the digital image explorer thus obtains a three-dimensional digital exploration of the load from which the cubic volume of the cargo was determined.

6. The system according to claim 5, further characterized in that the database stores the cubic volume of the cargo shipment together with the actual weight of the cargo and the identification information.

7. The system according to any of claims 1, 4, 5 or 6, further characterized in that it includes a portable device that can be accessed by the operator of the forklift truck, the portable device communicates with said weighing device to receive the weight data obtained for a loading part and communicating with said image forming module for receiving said image information on the loading part, and said portable device includes a wireless transmitter communicatively connected to the weighing device and to the digital browser, and which can be operated to transmit said weight data, said identification information and said image information to a receiver associated with said base computer.

8. The system according to claim 3 or 7, further characterized in that said wireless transmitter can be operated to transmit said weight data and identification information to said receiver, as soon as said weight data and identification information are obtained by the portable device.

9. The system according to claim 3 or 7, further characterized in that it includes a memory device in the portable device for receiving and storing weight data and identification information for cargo pieces handled by the forklift truck, and means to transfer stored weight data and identification information from the memory device in the portable device to said database.

10. The system according to any of claims 3, 7, 8 or 9, further characterized by including a barcode printer associated with the portable device and which can be operated to produce a label containing the identification information . 1 1.- A method for weighing and tracking cargo, which comprises: equipping a forklift truck with a weighing device with the capacity to obtain the weight of each piece of cargo handled by the forklift truck; providing for each of the plurality of loading parts the coded identification information, the identification information that it intends to follow each of the respective loading pieces as they are transported by a cargo carrier from a source to a destination; digitally scan the coded identification information associated with the loading part in connection with the handling of the

piece of cargo by forklift truck; use the weighing device to obtain the weight data for the load piece handled by the forklift truck; obtain the image information for the cargo piece handled by the forklift truck; and storing the weight data, the image information and the identification information obtained in this way for the loading part.

12. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that the step to obtain the image information for the load part comprises capturing a digital photograph of the load piece with a digital camera accessible to the forklift operator .

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, further characterized in that the step of scanning the encoded identification information digitally comprises the digital scanning of the identification information encoded using a portable digital scanning device.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, further characterized in that it includes wirelessly transmitting the weight data, image information and identification information for the piece facing a receiving site as soon as said data of Weight, image information and identification information are obtained by means of the portable device, and store said weight data, image information and identification information in a database.

15. - The method according to claim 12 or 13, further characterized in that it includes storing the weight data, dimension data and identification information for the loading part in a memory device and transferring the weight data, dimensional data and information IDs stored from the memory device to a database.

16. The method according to claim 11, further characterized in that the step of obtaining the image information for the load piece handled by the forklift truck comprises passing the load through the field of view of a digital image scanner and obtain a digital three-dimensional scan of the loading part, from which the cubic volume of the load can be determined.

17. The method according to claim 16, further characterized in that it additionally includes the step of using the weight and cubic volume data of the load piece to verify the product classification for the load.

18. The method according to claim 11, further characterized in that the step of providing the encoded identification information for each of the plurality of load pieces comprises printing a bar code label containing the identification information as that each piece of cargo is obtained by the cargo carrier.

19. - The method according to claim 11, further characterized in that the step of obtaining the image information for the load part comprises capturing a digital photograph of the load piece with a digital camera that can be accessible to the operator of the forklift truck and also passing the load through the field of view of a digital image scanner and obtaining a digital three-dimensional scan of the load part from which the cubic volume of the load can be determined.