Melton Technologies (http://www.mtihorizon.com) announced today the latest version of Container Tracking for the Horizon family of Windows-based trucking software products. The add-on software allows trucking companies to better serve the inter-modal freight industry, focusing on tracking where individual containers are and how much they are costing companies through detention.

(PRWEB) August 9, 2005 -- Melton Technologies (http://www.mtihorizon.com) announced today the immediate availability of Container Tracking for the Horizon family of Windows-based trucking software products. The add-on software allows trucking companies to better serve the inter-modal freight industry, focusing on tracking where individual containers are and how much they are costing companies through detention.

MTI's Horizon product line is well known for its various add-on services that further enhance the functionality of the fleet management solution for specific niches of the trucking industry. The Container Tracking service addresses the dispatching and billing needs for intermodal carriers.

"With this module, tracking containers and the costs associated with them is like tracking your tractors and trailers," explained Chuck Melton, President of MTI. "Whether containers are from ship, rail or another source, Horizon tracks all aspects of the container, so companies can provide accurate reports for their partners."

The software also addresses the re-use of existing containers. When a container number is entered, Horizon checks to see if it has ever been used, pulling from its history of past container-based shipments. The feature allows companies to reduce data entry for the details on the containers.

The Container Tracking add-on also deals with the reality of detention charges, tracking daily charges based on free dates and grace periods for the individual shipping lines or partners.

"Every shipping line has different charges and free periods, "
explained Scott Gresham, Regional Sales Manager for MTI. "The Horizon Container Tracking solution lets companies set up their own individual schedules for holidays, hourly or daily charges and notifies dispatchers as soon as containers are close to incurring those charges, helping them reduce costs."

Container Tracking information may be directly customized in the Horizon software and included in ExecView, MTI's popular performance management system. Notifications about pending detention and status of containers may then be sent via email to customers and managers as changes occur.