Exploring the benefits of using the RFID technology in road-based goods transportation processes

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology is a rapidly emerging technology that can be used to enhance the performance of the supply chain. Previous researchers have studied the benefits of the RFID technology in supply chain management. Most of the relevant studies focused on: i) manufacturing processes aiming at ensuring that the right components are putted into the right products, ii) warehousing processes aiming at reducing inventory errors and iii) reverse logistics processes aiming at increasing accuracy on the quantity of returned products. However, little research has been done on the benefits of the RFID technology in goods transportation processes. Most of the published work is dealing with the benefits of using this technology for the transportation of perishable goods within cold chains. The focus of this work is to provide a better understanding of potential benefits stemming from using the real-time information provided by the RFID technology in road-based goods transportation processes. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of some challenges of RFID implementation for road freight carriers.