The show floor of the 22nd Annual Convention of the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) was awash with software. The visual effect alone emphasized the dependancy of the transportation industry on technology. More than half of the 50 exhibitors featured software.

    There was software to operate, to dispatch, to do reports, to track, to integrate, to optimize fuel consumption, to auction, to move money, to match loads - to do everything but sign the customer's check! And there were variations that would virtually affect that too.

    The message was - count on the technology to move you to the next level of customer expectation. The response was - confusion.

    Numerous attendees told us they had come to the show specifically to see what new software was available. Many were ready to buy. Most seemed to go away more confused than determined.

    "It's such a big decision," one broker confided. "We spent over $65,000 on technology in the last two years and we've outgrown it all. An investment like that should last longer than 24 months."

    The phenomenal growth of the economy in the last five years has resulted in more business than many third parties have ever seen. As innovative entrepreneurs, brokers know they must depend on the computer programs as much as the trucks, to stay successful.

    One broker interviewed was now looking for a vendor that would convey the source code for the software. He found none at the show who would agree. He is now considering hiring programmers to build his exclusive system. A colleague suggested he could then sell it. If he did, he decided that he would not convey the source code.

    Other brokers were looking for web-based operation systems. Still others wondered about integrating systems. One convention attendee represented a technology firm developing architecture for software. He felt that brokers would be a prime market for the connectivity that software architecture provides.

    In computer terminology, the software scene in the third party industry could be described as chaotic. Chaos is recognized as the state that immediately precedes satisfaction and fulfillment. In the brokerage industry, it seems it can't come fast enough!