With calls for a mass upgrade of the nation's infrastructure - especially in transportation - the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is leading the way with technology involving the term smart freight, according to Oak Ridge's Randy Walker.
"Smart freight would create a scenario where freight could actually talk to truck drivers, enforcement officers, materials handlers and the shipping companies, identifying itself as either in the right place or the wrong place," says Oak Ridge's Randy Walker. "This would lead to increases in productivity, safety and the security of our supply chain."
Walker says Oak Ridge is working on a number of transportation-related technologies.
"We've tested more technologies, including radio frequency radiation detection, optical and digital character recognition," Walker says. "We've started to look at the integration of the technologies."
ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy.