How technology Is helping Union Pacific help truckers…and rail shippers

Union Pacific is implementing a multifaceted technology strategy that focuses on safety, service, and operational excellence, and a customer-focused approach where real-time information is now a standard expectation.

In a webinar for customers, Kenny Rocker, executive vice president of marketing and sales, highlighted the role of API (application programming Interface) solutions in enhancing customer communication. APIs allow software systems to talk to each other and request data and functionality.

This adoption of technology allows customers to receive real-time updates on their shipments, Rocker said, providing crucial insights into location and status. 

Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) has 65 available APIs for invoices, shipment tracking, car orders, routes, and more. More than 300 customers have signed up, with a total 100 now active.  

“You can see where we’re headed as a company, and we’re excited about all the tech that we’re invested in,” Rocker adds. Comprehensive container GPS tracking, which gives customers visibility of their shipments at nearly every move, also complemented this technological forward leap.

The carrier has completed GPS installation on approximately 90% of its container fleet, said Rocker, for end-to-end container visibility, including door and load sensors. This will enable enhanced notification alerts and customizable geo-fencing, which can trigger a response when a container enters or leaves a particular area.  

A total of 1,500 railcars will be equipped with RailPulse technology by year’s end, the digital platform that provides real-time railcar data including load status, and door and brake sensors.

Rocker said the improvements are expected to enhance safety, reduce cost, boost efficiency, and improve the customer experience. 

Rishi Patel, assistant vice president of enterprise and customer technology, said the company’s digital transformation efforts include the launch of an updated website and a new customer portal. 

“This website is more than a bold and modern look,” Patel said. The revamped online platform is designed to simplify navigation and improve search functions for stakeholders. The customer portal, in particular, replaces the MyUPRR landing page, and aims to enhance user experience by offering a one-stop shop for shipment, waybill, and invoice information.

Intermodal technology and efficiency

The integration of technology is equally transformative in Union Pacific’s intermodal operations, as described by Pat Linden, assistant vice president of marketing and sales. 

Linden points to the advancements in driver feedback and gating processes as key improvements, notably through the UPGo mobile truck driver app. 

“We take this feedback seriously, which is why UPGo was implemented,” Linden said. Paired with machine vision for no-stop terminal gates, Union Pacific has significantly reduced wait times at ramps, resulting in higher efficiency for drivers and customers alike.

Linden related that concerns from draymen at its Global IV Intermodal Terminal outside Chicago about wait times when getting containers out of stack led UP to use gate technology data to zero in on the root causes for the extended waits. 

“Based on that data, we worked with select BCOs (beneficial cargo owners) on optimal times to pull containers so drivers could increase their efficiency,” Linden said. “This end result was a shorter wait time at the ramp, increased turn times for the dray driver, and an improved process for the BCO. Now all our drivers current using the UPGo app and accessing the ramp have access to this technology, and can and can take advantage of these features within the app.”

Linden said 93% of truck drivers serving UP terminals are now using the app. Ingating is now 65% faster, with 45% fewer gate exceptions.

Union Pacific is also using precision gating technology, or PGT, within the app, to speed ingating when drivers enter its intermodal terminals. Machine vision scans the truck, container, and chassis to identify potential issues and automatically begins the ingate process, matching it to a scheduled UPGo event.

The new Kansas City Intermodal Terminal opening in July will include precision gate, UP Go and GPS, “all of these things driving efficiencies at our ramp and a more positive driver experience,” said Linden.

Operational excellence through technology

Union Pacific’s operational strategy is intertwined with technological innovations that bolster both safety and service. 

Eric Geringer, executive vice president of operations, explained the role of adaptive planning in maintaining service reliability.

“Adaptive planning takes the information from those events, feeds them into a centralized computer system that then, in a matter of minutes, calculates the optimum outcome or optimum response to that incident,” says Geringer. Such systems enable swift decision-making, crucial for a network stretching over 32,000 miles of track.

The system enables UP in the case of, for example, a flooding event to reroute trains in a matter of minutes rather than what used to take days when working with Excel spreadsheets. 

“At the same time, this is also about service. It’s about giving through technology as much transparency as possible to our frontline leaders. So whether they’re working through their daily activities to move cars into and out of their terminal or they’re responding to a customer’s question, this gives them more transparency and more ability to double-click into their business and make the fastest decision that’s best for our customers.”

To improve capacity to meet customer demand, UP has deployed technology in the field to automate and optimize some operations. The handheld MobileNX technology used by crews on the ground in terminals can reduce by as much as half the dwell for the average manifest car touching three terminals. The engineering department has deployed technology that has fundamentally redefined how the railroad distributes and installs 4 million ties per year, generating 50,000 hours of additional capacity.

Amid the dramatic rise in cargo theft, Geringer said the railroad since early 2023 has spent nearly $40 million across the 7,400 communities it operates in to help its special agents, local police departments and other partners. “We want them to have the most actionable information possible to make the quickest, most prompt response to any type of securement issue, so that your freight gets from origin to destination without incident,” said Geringer.

The railroad in that time has added 52,000 linear feet of walls, barbed wire and crashproof fences; upgraded security at its automotive and intermodal facilities; and utilized theft-deterrent or barrier seals where practicable. More cameras, thermal imaging and drones have been added to keep watch on the system.

UP has also more agents as part of its proprietary police force, working with local and federal law enforcement, at seven locations from Los Angeles to Chicago. 

The carrier has also formed joint task forces with local agencies, hired third-party security, escorted intermodal trains through the LA Basin, and partnered with customers to upgrade security. 

Said Aaron Parsons, special agent in charge, “Our mission is simple, to safeguard our customers’ assets and maintain trust in every shipment.”

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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