Technology

When computer technology changes, companies must take advantage of these changes, and use them to their advantage. At ARL, we strive to stay on top with the use of the newest technology. ARL supports its Agents and gives them the tools needed to grow their business to the fullest extent. The IT Department started with the Agent Package. This gave the Agents the ability to book loads and send them to the corporate office for payment. As new networking technology grew, and the use of the Internet as a powerful business tool expanded, ARL developed the next Agent tool for our Agents. The new VPN system being used by ARL Agents, gives the Agent real time access to corporate systems. Agents can book, bill, and run reports in real time, as though they were sitting in the corporate office.

The VPN system for Agents is currently in the implementation phase of development. New Agents are getting connected to the office daily, and the old Agent Package is fading away. This real time system will give the Agents faster pay, real time advances to drivers, up to the minute settlements, and numerous other reports. Contact the IT Department today to find out how you can get connected with this new system.

Information Systems

With the ever changing business of transportation is the need for an information system that is capable of "keeping up with the times" and able to adapt to these changes. With flexible database software, and development tools we have created a system that allows ARL employees to quickly and efficiently book and track loads. Now, with VPN, or Virtual Private Networking, our Agents can have access to those same tools. With a customized graphical interface, users are presented with an easy to use system that is dynamic enough to handle loads ranging from flatbeds and vans, to containers and even air freight. We have also developed Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Billing Systems to insure quick and smooth processing of all transactions in our system. By developing in-house, we can quickly adapt to the changing needs of the industry and the way we do business. Since we can efficiently manage our entire database system, access to its information is fast and easy. With such sensitive information, it is critical that the data be kept secure on a reliable system. Using state of the art hardware and software protection schemes, your data is kept safe and secure. Incorporating strategies like disk mirroring, or real-time duplication of data, and daily tape backups, your data is kept safe from corruption. Since none of this is good without reliable hardware to provide fast access to your data, we use only authorized products from one of the top 3 System V Unix companies in the business. They guarantee their products so we can guarantee your information is always a keystroke away.

Internet

The internet is a fast growing technology. With the internet rapidly changing, you need an internet system that can keep up with your demands. We offer a server that is connected to a T-1 line that is fast and offers 99.99% uptime relibility. Along with that, we have a server that is able to keep up with the demand of all our users. With the necessary hardware, we have the staff to handle any new internet technology as well as update what we have currently.

While we utilize the newest technology, we are able to offer a number of services to benifit you. You can book your loads realtime into our database server. We also offer the ability for you to get reports that are real time directly from our database server. As well as offering those services, we also are giving you the ability to to post your own equipment and loads. This will be the way of the future.

Email

Our email system in place is less than a year old. ARL uses Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 running on a Windows 2003 Server system. Like all the other systems in ARL, the email system is developed in-house, and all emails are sent directly to this server. When you send message to ARL, it is delivered right to our system. The need for a third party company to host our email is eliminated.

Phone/Voicemail

ARL Inc. uses a state of the art system to handle incoming phone calls, and manage messages. An ADIX phone system is used to route calls to the desired party, and provides voice mail services. ARL will be making changes in the next few months to the voice mail system, by making use of the automated attendant. We believe this will speed up the time it takes to get a "real" person on the phone.