WO2022101863A1

WO2022101863A1 - System and method for freight management

Info

Publication number: WO2022101863A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/060537
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nitin PANCHAGNULA
Original assignee: Panchagnula Nitin
Priority date: 2020-11-16
Filing date: 2021-11-14
Publication date: 2022-05-19

Abstract

A system for freight management is disclosed. A freight vehicle information collection subsystem collects booking information associated with one or more freight vehicles transporting in one or more routes from a source location to a destination location. A freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem obtains return booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles, identifies one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles, obtains one or more customer requirements, matches the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements for initiation of the reservation. A freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem provides one or more cost quotations collected from each of the one or more vehicle owners for each of the one or more freight vehicles, suggests optimal cost quotation from the one or more cost quotations, reserves the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FREIGHT MANAGEMENT

BAKGROUND

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a transportation management system and more particularly to a system and a method for freight management.

[0002] Transportation of goods from one place to another is considered as one of a complicated process. The transportation of the goods enables trade between people, which is essential for the development of civilizations. Also, effective transportation plays an important part in economic growth and globalization. A freight management system which is one of a subset of a supply chain management is generally designed to streamline the transportation process. The freight management system allows shippers to handle one or more processes they have in place within an integrated platform and receive valuable insights to save time and reduce spend on future shipments. The freight management systems are used as a solution provider for various distribution companies, e-commerce organizations, production companies and the like. Various freight management systems are available which assists in planning and coordination of shipping of the goods in order to provide one or more satisfactory solutions.

[0003] One such conventional freight management system includes managing of booking requests, deliveries, and payments by providing four distinctive stages, including a booking request submission stage, a booking request acceptance stage, a service delivery/fulfilment stage, and a service payment stage. However, such a conventional freight management system involved in the shipping, logistics and freight forwarding industries operates based on old and fragmented manual and automated systems and are unable to consider each of the customer requirements before booking. Also, such conventional system requires a large amount of paperwork, phone calls, and back and forth communication among the customers and the freight agencies involved. Also, such a conventional system for streamlining the several intermediary' processes requires manual intervention which leads to increase in cost and delay in the importing and exporting of physical goods across the globe. Moreover, the records from various stakeholders are prone to integrity and accuracy constraints. Furthermore, such a conventional system is unable to provide an optimal plan to the customers for transporting the goods which sometimes leads to damage of the goods.

[0004] Hence, there is a need for an improved system and a method for freight management in order to address the aforementioned issues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

[0005] In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for freight management is disclosed. The system includes a freight vehicle information collection subsystem configured to collect booking information associated with one or more freight vehicles transporting in one or more routes from a source location to a destination location. The system also includes a freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem operatively coupled to the freight vehicle information subsystem. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem is configured to obtain retur booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles from the destination location to the source location based on the booking information collected. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem is also configured to identify one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles for retur load reservation within a predetermined geographical location in proximity- to the destination location based on the return booking requirement information obtained. The freight reservation initiation subsystem is also configured to obtain one or more customer requirements associated with the one or more freights for the return load reservation based on the one or more customers identified within the destination location of the one or more freight vehicles. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem is also configured to match the retur booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements for initiation of the reservation of the one or more freight vehicles. The system also includes a freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem operatively coupled to the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is configured to provide one or more freight vehicle reservation options to the one or more customers and one or more freight vehicle owners based on matching of the retur booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configured to provide one or more cost quotations collected from each of the one or more freight vehicle owners for each of the one or more freight vehicle reservation options provided to the one or more customers. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configured to suggest an optimal cost quotation from the one or more cost quotations based on a plurality of reservation criteria for enabling the one or more customers to negotiate and select reservation of the one or more fieight vehicles. The fieight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configured to reserve the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation upon obtaining a selection from the one or more customers based on the optimal cost quotation suggested.

[0006] In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for freight management is disclosed. The method includes collecting, by a freight vehicle information collection subsystem, booking information associated with one or more freight vehicles transporting in one or more routes from a source location to a destination location. The method also includes obtaining, by a freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, return booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles from the destination location to the source location based on the booking information collected. The method also includes identifying, by the fieight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles for return load reservation within a predetermined geographical location in proximity to the destination location based on the return booking requirement information obtained. The method also includes obtaining, by the fieight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, one or more customer requirements associated with the one or more fieight vehicles for the return load reservation based on the one or more customers identified within the destination location of the one or more freight vehicles. The method also includes matching, by the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements for initiation of the reservation of the one or more freight vehicles. The method also includes providing, by a freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, one or more freight vehicle reservation options to the one or more customers and one or more fieight vehicle owners based on matching of the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements. The method also includes providing, by the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, one or more cost quotations collected from each of the one or more freight vehicle owners for each of the one or more fieight vehicles reservation options provided to the one or more customers. The method also includes suggesting, by the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, an optimal cost quotation from the one or more cost quotations based on a plurality- of reservation criteria for enabling the one or more customers to negotiate and select reservation of the one or more freight vehicles. The method also includes reserving, by the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation upon obtaining a selection from the one or more customers based on the optimal cost quotation suggested.

[0007] To further clarify the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will follow by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended figures. It is to be appreciated that these figures depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting in scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the appended figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures in which:

[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for freight management in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system for freight management in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary- system for freight management in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a computer or a server of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0012] FIG. 5 is a flow chart representing the steps involved in amethod for freight management a system of FIG. 1 in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure. [0013] Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as would normally occur to those skilled in the art are to be construed as being within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0015] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices, sub-systems, elements, structures, components, additional devices, additional sub-systems, additional elements, additional structures or additional components. Appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment", "in another embodiment" and similar language throughout this specification may, but not necessarily do, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0016] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting. [0017] In the following specification and the claims, reference will be made to a number of terms, which shall be defined to have the following meanings. The singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0018] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system and a method for freight management. The system includes a freight vehicle information collection subsystem configured to collect booking information associated with one or more freight vehicles transporting in one or more routes from a source location to a destination location. The system also includes a freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem operatively coupled to the freight vehicle information subsystem. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem is configured to obtain return booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles from the destination location to the source location based on the booking information collected. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem is also configured to identify one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles for return load reservation within a predetermined geographical location in proximity to the destination location based on the return booking requirement information obtained. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem is also configured to obtain one or more customer requirements associated with the one or more freight vehicles for the retur load reservation based on the one or more customers identified within the destination location of the one or more freight vehicles. The fireight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem is also configured to match the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements for initiation of the reservation of the one or more freight vehicles. The system also includes a freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem operatively coupled to the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is configured to provide one or more freight vehicle reservation options to the one or more customers and one or more freight vehicle owners based on matching of the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configured to provide one or more cost quotations collected from each of the one or more vehicle owners for each of the one or more freight reservation options provided to the one or more customers. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configured to suggest an optimal cost quotation from the one or more cost quotations based on a plurality of reservation criteria for enabling the one or more customers to negotiate and select reservation of the one or more freight vehicles. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configmed to reserve the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation upon obtaining a selection from the one or more customers based on the optimal cost quotation suggested.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system (100) for freight management in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system (100) includes a freight vehicle information collection subsystem (110) configured to collect booking information associated with one or more freight vehicles transporting in one or more routes from a source location to a destination location. As used herein, the term ‘source location’ is defined as an originating point for departure of the one or more freight vehicles. Similarly, the term ‘destination location’ is defined as a final reaching point of the one or more freights fortransporting one or more products. In one embodiment, the booking information associated with the one or more freight vehicles may include at least one of a freight vehicle booking number, the source location address associated with the one or more freight vehicles, the destination location address associated with the one or more freight vehicles, forward journey date, a model details of the one or more freight vehicles, driver details of the one or more freight vehicles or a combination thereof. In such embodiment, the one or more freight vehicles may include at least one of a truck, a van, a cargo ship or a combination thereof. In some embodiment, the one or more routes may include at least one of a road route, a sea route or a combination thereof.

[0020] The system (100) also includes a freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) operatively coupled to the freight vehicle information collection subsystem (110). The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) is configured to obtain return booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles from the destination location to the source location based on the booking information collected. In one embodiment, the return booking requirement information may be obtained electronically over a network from an input uploaded by one or more freight vehicle owners on a web-based application hosted on a cloud server. In another embodiment, the return booking requirement information may be collected from an external web-based platform using an application programming interface (API). In a specific embodiment, the retur booking requirement information may include at least one of a departure date of the one or more freight vehicles, a departure time of the one or more freight vehicles, a departure point of the one or more freight vehicles, a load type information allowed by the one or more freight vehicles, a load size information permitted by the one or more freight vehicles, a load capacity information permissible by the one or more freight vehicles, or a combination thereof. In a specific embodiment, the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem also verifies one or more regulatory- documents associated with the one or more freight vehicles for allowing free movement of the one or more freight vehicles with the return load. In some embodiment, the one or more regulatory documents may be uploaded by the one or more freight vehicle owners or one or more freight vehicles drivers. In such embodiment, the one or more regulatory documents may include, but not limited to, a tax invoice of the return load, a royalty payment details and the like.

[0021] The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem is also configured to identify one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles for return load reservation within a predetermined geographical location in proximity to the destination location based on the return booking requirement information obtained. In a particular embodiment, the one or more customers in the road route may be identified within the predetermined geographical location by utilization of a global positioning system (GPS). In one embodiment, the retur load may include one or more products, wherein the one or more products includes at least one of hazardous products, a non- hazardous product, an edible product or a non-edible product. In such embodiment, the hazardous product may include, but not limited to, pharmaceutical materials, solvent based paints, pesticides, batteries, motor oils, fuels, cleaning and polishing chemicals, flammable oils and the like. In another embodiment, the non-hazardous product may include, but not limited to, ashes, sludges, iron, steel, gravel, sand, cement and the like. In yet another embodiment, the edible product may include, but not limited to, fruits, vegetables, pulses, dairy products and the like. In one embodiment, the non-edible product may include, but not limited to, an electronic product, a household product, a home decor product, an apparel, a stationary product and the like. [0022] The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem ( 120) is also configured to obtain one or more customer requirements associated with the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation based on the one or more customers identified within the destination location of the one or more freight vehicles. In one embodiment, the one or more customer requirements may include at least one of an availability date for transporting return load, an availability time for transporting the return load, a type of material of the return load, a size information of the return load, a weight information of the return load, a drop location address for the return load, a packaging details information of the retur load or a combination thereof. In some embodiment, the type of material of the return load may include, but not limited to, glass material, wooden material, fiber material, metal material and the like. In such embodiment, the packaging details information of the return load may include details of half packaging of the return load, details of complete packaging of the retur load, details of packaging material used by the one or more customer for packing the return load and the like. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem is also configured to match the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements for initiation of the reservation of the one or more freight vehicles.

[0023] The system (100) also includes a freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130) operatively coupled to the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120). The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130) is configured to provide one or more freight vehicle reservation options to the one or more customers and one or more freight vehicle owners based on matching of the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements. In one embodiment, the one or more freight vehicle reservation options may include a list of one or more freight vehicles available for plying from the destination location or a customer’s location to the drop location.

[0024] The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130) is also configured to provide one or more cost quotations collected from each of the one or more freight vehicle owners for each of the one or more freight vehicle reservation options provided to the one or more customers. The one or more customers in a negotiation process need to select one of the cost quotations from the one or more cost quotations provided repeatedly. Once, a negotiation criteria such as negotiation time and budget is fixed by the one or more customers, the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configured to suggest an optimal cost quotation fam the one or more cost quotations based on a plurality of reservation criteria for enabling the one or more customers upon negotiation to select reservation of the one or more freight vehicles. As used herein, the term ‘optimal cost quotation’ is defined as one of the best possible quotation suitable for the customer to reserve the one or more freight vehicles. In one embodiment, the plurality of reservation criteria may include at least one of a minimum cost quotation value, a minimum travel duration from the destination location to the source location, a travel insurance coverage for transporting the return load, a credit score of the one or more customers or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem also enables provisioning of physical security along with transportation of high value return loads via the one or more freight vehicles from the source location to the destination location associated with the retur loads.

[0025] The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configured to reserve the one or more freight vehicles for the retur load reservation upon obtaining a selection from the one or more customers based on the optimal cost quotation suggested. Successfill reservation of the one or more freight vehicles generates a reservation identity number corresponding to the one or more freight vehicles which further helps in extraction of multiple details. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130) also sends a booking confirmation notification to the one or more customers via a plurality of notification means. In one embodiment, the plurality of notification means may include at least one of a text message, a multimedia message, an email, a call or a combination thereof. In a specific embodiment, the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem also notifies a plurality of freight vehicle services information upon confirmed reservation to the one or more customers. In such embodiment, the plurality of freight vehicle services information may include, but not limited to, a nearby fuel filling station on the route, a refreshment station for the one or more freight vehicle drivers, a resting point for the one or more freight vehicle drivers, a servicing point with one or more spare parts for the one or more freight vehicles and the like. [0026] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a system (100) for freight management in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described in aforementioned FIG. 1, the system (100) includes a freight vehicle information collection subsystem (110), a freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) and a freight vehicles reservation confirmation subsystem (130). In addition, the system (100) also includes a freight vehicle tracking subsystem (140) operatively coupled to the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem. The freight vehicle tracking subsystem (140) is configured to track a loading activity and an unloading activity of the return load, upon reservation, at a loading point and an unloading point respectively in real-time In one embodiment, the loading point of the return load may include a customer’s location from where the return load is picked up. In another embodiment, the unloading point may include a drop location address of the return load. The system (100) also includes a freight vehicle payment management subsystem (150) operatively coupled to the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem. The freight vehicle payment management subsystem (150) is configured to create a payment link for enabling the one or more customers to make a payment for the return load transported successfully by the one or more freight vehicles at the corresponding drop location address. The freight vehicle payment management subsystem (150) is configured to enable a return load financial organization to provide financial resources to one or more freight vehicle drivers or the one or more freight vehicle owners based on the payment made by the one or more customers via the payment link. In a particular embodiment, the system further provides multiple language-based user interface to the one or more freight vehicles drivers. In such embodiment, the multiple language-based user interface may include, but not limited a regional language-based user interface, a global language-based user interface and the like. In such embodiment, the multiple language-based user interface helps in communication between the one or more freight vehicles drivers and the one or more customers with their corresponding known languages fluently.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for freight vehicle management in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system (100) provides a freight vehicle management solution across multiple modes to streamline the transportation process of one or more goods. The system (100) assists with the transportation logistics of an organization by providing transportation facilities through booking, tracking, warehousing and delivering the goods for their customer from one place to another. Considering an example, where the system (100) as web-based application is utilized by one of a production company ‘A’ for efficient management of the transportation process. Suppose the company ‘A’ situated at place ‘X’ wants to transport one or more non-hazardous products to one of its subsidiary unit ‘B’ located at place ‘Y’. In such a scenario, the system (100) helps in efficient management of the transportation process by finding a return load for a commercial vehicle such as a truck to get back to a source location rather than going empty after disposing off the booked load at a destination location. In the example used herein, the source location is place ‘X’ which is an originating point and destination location is place ‘Y’ which is a drop point.

[0028] A freight vehicle information collection subsystem (110) collects booking information associated with one or more freight vehicles transporting from the source location to the destination location. For example, the booking information associated with the one or more freight vehicles may include at least one of a freight vehicle booking number, the source location address associated with the one or more freight vehicles, the destination location address associated with the one or more freight vehicles, forward journey date, a model details of the one or more freight vehicles, driver details of the one or more freight vehicles or a combination thereof.

[0029] Upon disposing of the one or more hazardous products at the place ‘Y’, a freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) obtains return booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles from the destination location to the source location based on the booking information collected. For example, the return booking requirement information may include at least one of a departure date of the one or more freight vehicles, a departure time of the one or more freight vehicles, a departure point of the one or more freight vehicles, a load type information allowed by the one or more freight vehicles, a load size information permitted by the one or more freight vehicles, a load capacity information permissible by the one or more freight vehicles or a combination thereof.

[0030] Based on the return booking requirement information obtained, the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) also identifies one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles for return load reservation within a predetermined geographical location in proximity to the destination location. Here, the one or more interested customers may be identified within the predetermined geographical location based on utilization of a global positioning system (GPS). Once the one or more interested customers are identified, one or more customer requirements associated with the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation are obtained from the one or more customers by the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120). For example, the one or more customer requirements may include at least one of an availability date for transporting retur load, an availability time for transporting the return load, a type of material of the return load, a size information of the return load, a weight information of the return load, a drop location address for the return load, a packaging details information of the return load or a combination thereof. Let’s assume, that the one or more customers ‘C’ of the company ‘A’ wants to reserve the one or more freight vehicles for transporting cement. In such a condition, the one or more customers need to provide each and every detail related to the type of the product that is selected for return load and also details of packaging material used for packing the cement. In case, if the one or more customers are unaware of the packaging material for the one or more products, then in such cases, the one or more customers utilizes packaging recommendation provided by the system corresponding to the type of the product selected by the one or more customers. The freight vehicle reservation subsystem also matches the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements for initiation of the reservation of the one or more freight vehicles.

[0031] Later, a freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130) provides one or more freight vehicle reservation options to the one or more customers and one or more freight vehicle owners based on matching of the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements. Also, the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem enables negotiation of the cost quotations between the one or more customers and the one or more freight vehicle owners for a definite time based on a negotiation criteria. For example, the negotiation criteria may include negotiation time and budget which is fixed by the one or more customers. Also, in order to help the one or more customers to reach a final concluding point for fixing the cost quotation, the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130), suggests an optimal cost quotation from the one or more cost quotations based on a plurality of reservation criteria for enabling the one or more customers to select reservation of the one or more freight vehicles. In the example used herein, the plurality of reservation criteria may include at least one of a minimum cost quotation value, a minimum travel duration from the destination location to the source location, a travel insurance coverage for transporting the retur load, a credit score of the one or more customers or a combination thereof.

[0032] Finally, upon obtaining a selection from the one or more customers based on the optimal cost quotation, the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130) reserves the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation. Successful reservation of the one or more freight vehicles generates a reservation identity number corresponding to the one or more freight vehicles which further helps in extraction of multiple details. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130) also sends a booking confirmation notification to the one or more customers via a plurality of notification means. For example, the plurality of notification means may include at least one of a text message, a multimedia message, an email, a call or a combination thereof. Also, the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem notifies a plurality of freight vehicle services information such as information of a nearby fuel filling station on the route, a refreshment station for the one or more freight vehicle drivers, a resting point for the one or more freight vehicle drivers, a servicing point for the one or more freight vehicles and the like to the one or more customers.

[0033] Further, a freight vehicle tracking subsystem ( 140) tracks a loading activity and an unloading activity of the return load upon reservation at the destination location corresponding to a customer’s location and a drop location address respectively in real-time. The real-time tracking not only improves transparency throughout the freight vehicle movement, but also enhances customer service, and can reduce missed delivery attempts. In addition, the system (100) includes a freight vehicle payment management subsystem (150) to create a payment link for enabling the one or more customers to make a payment for the return load transported successfully by the one or more freight vehicles at the corresponding drop location address. Also, the freight vehicle payment management subsystem (150) enables a retur load financial organization to provide financial resources to one or more freight vehicle drivers or the one or more freight vehicle owners based on the payment made by the one or more customers via the payment link. Thus, the system (100) helps in overall management of the transportation process starting from booking, loading, delivering, tracking, payment and the like which not only helps in saving time but also makes the complete process transparent and eliminates unnecessary stress of both the customers and the freight vehicle owners.

[0034] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a computer or a server of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The server (200) includes processors) (230), and memory (210) operatively coupled to the bus (220). The processor(s) (230), as used herein, means any type of computational circuit, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a complex instruction set computing microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing microprocessor, a very long instruction word microprocessor, an explicitly parallel instruction computing microprocessor, a digital signal processor, or any other type of processing circuit, or a combination thereof.

[0035] The memory (210) includes several subsystems stored in the form of executable program which instructs the processor (230) to perform the method steps illustrated in FIG. 1. The memory (210) is substantially similar to a system (100) of FIG.l. The memory (210) has following subsystem: a freight vehicle information collection subsystem (110), a freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120), and a freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130).

[0036] The freight vehicle information collection subsystem (110) configured to collect booking information associated with one or more freight vehicles transporting in one or more routes from a source location to a destination location. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) is configured to obtain return booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles from the destination location to the source location based on the booking information collected. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) is also configured to identify one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles for return load reservation within a predetermined geographical location in proximity to the destination location based on the return booking requirement information obtained. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) is also configured to obtain one or more customer requirements associated with the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation based on the one or more customers identified within the destination location of the one or more freight vehicles. The freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) is also configured to match the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements for initiation of the reservation of the one or more freight vehicles. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130) configured to provide one or more freight vehicles reservation options to the one or more customers and one or more freight vehicle owners based on matching of the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configured to provide one or more cost quotations collected from each of the one or more vehicle owners for each of the one or more freight vehicle reservation options provided to the one or more customers. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configured to suggest an optimal cost quotation from the one or more cost quotations based on a plurality of reservation criteria for enabling the one or more customers to negotiate and select reservation of the one or more freight vehicles. The freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem is also configured to reserve the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation upon obtaining a selection from the one or more customers based on the optimal cost quotation suggested.

[0037] The bus (220) as used herein refers to be internal memory channels or computer network that is used to connect computer components and transfer data between them. The bus (220) includes a serial bus or a parallel bus, wherein the serial bus transmits data in bit-serial format and the parallel bus transmits data across multiple wires. The bus (220) as used herein, may include but not limited to, a system bus, an internal bus, an external bus, an expansion bus, a frontside bus, a backside bus and the like.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a flow chart representing the steps involved in a method (300) for freight vehicle management a system of FIG. 1 in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure. The method (300) includes collecting, by a freight vehicle information collection subsystem, booking information associated with one or more freight vehicles transporting in one or more routes from a source location to a destination location in step 310. In one embodiment, collecting the booking information associated with the one or more freight vehicles may include collecting at least one of a freight vehicle booking number, the source location address associated with the one or more freight vehicles, the destination location address associated with the one or more freight vehicles, forward jourey date, a model details of the one or more freight vehicles, driver details of the one or more freight vehicles or a combination thereof. In such embodiment, the one or more freight vehicles may include at least one of a truck, a van, a cargo ship or a combination thereof. In some embodiment, the one or more routes may include at least one of a road route, a sea route or a combination thereof.

[0039] The method (300) also includes obtaining, by a freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, return booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles from the destination location to the source location based on the booking information collected in step 320. In one embodiment, obtaining the retur booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles may include obtaining the return booking requirement information which may include at least one of a departure date of the one or more freight vehicles, a departure time of the one or more freight vehicles, a departure point of the one or more freight vehicles, a load type information allowed by the one or more freight vehicles, a load size information permitted by the one or more freight vehicles, a load capacity information permissible by the one or more freight vehicles or a combination thereof.

[0040] The method (300) also includes identifying, by the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles for retur load reservation within a predetermined geographical location in proximity to the destination location based on the return booking requirement information obtained in step 330. In one embodiment, identifying the one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles for the retur load reservation may include identifying the one or more customers for the return load of one or more products which may include at least one of hazardous products, a non- hazardous product, an edible product or a non-edible product. In such embodiment, the hazardous product may include, but not limited to, pharmaceutical materials, solvent based paints, pesticides, batteries, motor oils, fuels, cleaning and polishing chemicals, flammable oils and the like. In another embodiment, the non-hazardous product may include, but not limited to, ashes, sludges, iron, steel, gravel, sand, cement and the like. In yet another embodiment, the edible product may include, but not limited to, fruits, vegetables, pulses, dairy products and the like. In one embodiment, the non-edible product may include, but not limited to, an electronic product, a house- hold product, a home decor product, an apparel, a stationary product and the like.

[0041] The method (300) also includes obtaining, by the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, one or more customer requirements associated with the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation based on the one or more customers identified within the destination location of the one or more freight vehicles in step 340. In one embodiment, obtaining the one or more customer requirements may include obtaining at least one of an availability date for transporting return load, an availability time for transporting the return load, a type of material of the return load, a size information of the return load, a weight information of the return load, a drop location address for the return load, a packaging details information of the return load or a combination thereof. The method (300) also includes matching, by the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements for initiation of the reservation of the one or more freight vehicles in step 350.

[0042] The method (300) also includes providing, by a freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, one or more freight vehicle reservation options to the one or more customers and one or more freight vehicle owners based on matching of the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements in step 360. In one embodiment, providing the one or more freight vehicle reservation options to the one or more customers and one or more freight vehicle owners may include providing a list of one or more freight vehicles available for plying from the destination location or a customer’s location to the drop location.

[0043] The method (300) also includes providing, by the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, one or more cost quotations collected from each of the one or more vehicle owners for each of the one or more freight vehicle reservation options provided to the one or more customers in step 370. In one embodiment, providing the one or more cost quotations may include providing the one or more quotations for negotiation between the one or more customers and the one or more freight vehicle owners via an electronic communication medium.

[0044] The method (300) also includes suggesting, by the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, an optimal cost quotation from the one or more cost quotations based on a plurality of reservation criteria for enabling the one or more customers upon negotiation to select reservation of the one or more freight vehicles in step 380. In some embodiment, suggesting the optimal cost quotation from the one or more cost quotations may include suggesting the optimal cost quotation based on at least one of a minimum cost quotation value, a minimum travel duration from the destination location to the source location, a travel insurance coverage for transporting the return load, a credit score of the one or more customers or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the method also includes suggesting a security amount payment option to the one or more customers for provisioning of physical security along with transportation of valuable return loads via the one or more freight vehicles from the source location to the destination location. The method (300) also includes reserving, by the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation upon obtaining a selection from the one or more customers based on the optimal cost quotation suggested in step 390.

[0045] In a specific embodiment, the method further includes tracking, by a freight vehicle tracking subsystem, a loading activity and an unloading activity of the return load upon reservation at the destination location corresponding to a customer’s location and a drop location address respectively in real-time. In a particular embodiment, the method further includes creating, by a freight vehicle payment management subsystem, a payment link for enabling the one or more customers to make a payment for the retur load transported successfully by the one or more freight vehicles at the corresponding drop location address. In such embodiment, the method further includes enabling, by the freight vehicle management subsystem, a return load financial organization to provide financial resources to one or more freight vehicle drivers or the one or more freight vehicle owners based on the payment made by the one or more customers via the payment link.

[0046] Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a freight vehicle management system with better technological capabilities in order to make efficient booking decisions based on quotes, transit time and carrier mix. Thus, an integrated system with better technological capabilities for fixing of the cost quotations for the one or more freight vehicles helps in elimination of unnecessary' stress and time spent during the booking process.

[0047] Moreover, the present disclosed system provides a plurality of freight vehicle service notifications which provides assistance to the one or more freight vehicle drivers during the transportation process.

[0048] Furthermore, the present disclosed system enables real-time tracking feature starting fiom the pickup point of the freight vehicle till the drop point which not only improves transparency throughout the freight vehicle movement, but also enhances customer service, and reduces missed delivery' attempts.

[0049] In addition, the present disclosed system provides an option for the one or more customers to reserve one or more pollution control board (PCB) approved freight vehicles for transportation of the hazardous wastes from the source location to the destination location in order to avoid environmental pollution.

[0050] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory' of the disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

[0051] While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.

[0052] The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements fiom one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, the order of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts need to be necessarily performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples.

Claims

1. A system (100) for freight management comprising: a freight vehicle information collection subsystem (110) configured to collect booking information associated with one or more freight vehicles transporting in one or more routes from a source location to a destination location; a freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) operatively coupled to the freight vehicle information collection subsystem (110), wherein the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120) is configured to: obtain retur booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles from tire destination location to the source location based on the booking information collected; identify one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles for return load reservation within a predetermined geographical location in proximity to the destination location based on the return booking requirement information obtained; obtain one or more customer requirements associated with the one or more freight vehicles for the retur load reservation based on the one or more customers identified within the destination location of the one or more freight vehicles; and match the retur booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements for initiation of the reservation of the one or more freight vehicles; and a freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130) operatively coupled to the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem (120), wherein the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130) is configured to: provide one or more freight vehicles reservation options to the one or more customers and one or more freight vehicle owners based on matching of the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements; provide one or more cost quotations collected from each of the one or more freight vehicle owners for each of the one or more freight reservation options provided to the one or more customers; suggest an optimal cost quotation from the one or more cost quotations based on a plurality of reservation criteria for enabling the one or more customers, upon negotiation, to select reservation of the one or more freight vehicles; and reserve the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation upon obtaining a selection from the one or more customers based on the optimal cost quotation suggested.

2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the booking information associated with the one or more freight vehicles comprises at least one of a freight booking number, the source location address associated with the one or more freight vehicles, the destination location address associated with the one or more freight vehicles, forward journey date, a model details of the one or more freight vehicles, driver details of the one or more freight vehicles or a combination thereof.

3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more freight vehicles comprises at least one of a truck, a van, a cargo ship or a combination thereof.

4. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the return booking requirement information comprises at least one of a departure date of the one or more freight vehicles, a departure time of the one or more freight vehicles, a departure point of the one or more freight vehicles, a load type information allowed by the one or more freight vehicles, a load size information permitted by the one or more freight vehicles, a load capacity information permissible by the one or more freight vehicles or a combination thereof.

5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more customer requirements comprises at least one of an availability date for transporting retur load, an availability time for transporting the return load, a type of material of the retur load, a size information of the return load, a weight information of the retur load, a drop location address for the return load, a packaging details information of the return load or a combination thereof.

6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the return load reservation comprises a reservation for transporting one or more products, wherein the one or more products comprises at least one of a hazardous product, a non-hazardous product, an edible product or a non-edible product.

7. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of reservation criteria comprises at least one of a minimum cost quotation value, a minimum travel duration from the destination location to the source location, a travel insurance coverage for transporting the return load, a credit score of the one or more customers or a combination thereof.

8. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a freight vehicle tracking subsystem (140) operatively coupled to the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130), wherein the freight vehicle tracking subsystem (140) is configured to track a loading activity and an unloading activity of the return load, upon reservation, at a customer’s pick up location and a drop location address respectively in real-time.

9. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a freight vehicle payment management subsystem (150) operatively coupled to the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem (130), wherein the freight vehicle payment management subsystem (150) is configured to: create a payment link for enabling the one or more customers to make a payment for the retur load transported successfolly by the one or more freight vehicles at a corresponding drop location address; and enable a return load financial organization to provide financial resources to one or more freight drivers or the one or more freight vehicle owners based on the payment made by the one or more customers via the payment link.

10. A method (300) comprising: collecting, by a freight vehicle information collection subsystem, booking information associated with one or more freight vehicles transporting in one or more routes from a source location to a destination location (310); obtaining, by a freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, return booking requirement information associated with the one or more freight vehicles from the destination location to the source location based on the booking information collected (320); identifying, by the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, one or more customers seeking for the one or more freight vehicles for return load reservation within a predetermined geographical location in proximity to the destination location based on the return booking requirement information obtained (330); obtaining, by the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, one or more customer requirements associated with the one or more freight vehicles for the retur load reservation based on the one or more customers identified within the destination location of the one or more freight vehicles (340); matching, by the freight vehicle reservation initiation subsystem, the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements for initiation of the reservation of the one or more freight vehicles (350); providing, by a freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, one or more freight vehicles reservation options to the one or more customers and one or more freight vehicle owners based on matching of the return booking requirement information with the one or more customer requirements (360); providing, by the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, one or more cost quotations collected from each of the one or more freight vehicle owners for each of the one or more freight vehicle reservation options provided to the one or more customers (370); suggesting, by the freight reservation confirmation subsystem, an optimal cost quotation from the one or more cost quotations based on a plurality of reservation criteria for enabling the one or more customers, upon negotiation, to select reservation of the one or more freight vehicles (380); and reserving, by the freight vehicle reservation confirmation subsystem, the one or more freight vehicles for the return load reservation upon obtaining a selection from the one or more customers based on the optimal cost quotation suggested (390).