New management system helps keep Soldiers moving

Starting March 1, the Transportation Management System will improve post support for Basic Combat Training organizations by allowing unit representatives to fill out motor movement requests online said Randy Cloman, the motor vehicle supervisor at the Logistical Readiness Center.

Units request motor movements when marching is impractical.

TRAMS, already in use at Fort Benning, Georgia, is a new system to Fort Jackson that will ease transportation requests, making it easier for commanders to lead their troops while allowing transportation management to track where each bus is going.

All transportation to area airports, railroad and bus stations during Victory Block Leave in December were inputed and tracked through TRAMS.

Units can request "motor moves, view the motor moves and make changes to it" through TRAMS' user friendly interface, Cloman said. All while not having to call or email for status updates because they can view all the information in one window on their computers.

The program is accessed via the Internet from a Common Access Card-enabled computer.

TRAMS gives commanders a better planning tool. In the past they would call to verify their transportation times now they can just go online and look. They can also see if any changes are made and who made the changes.

In the old system only one person on post input requests into the database, where the new system allows each user to input their requests simultaneously.

TRAMS will shorten the amount of time a movement request is approved because "in the past it would have taken us two or three days just to input the stuff," Cloman said. "Now with each company doing its own stuff, and if they have it planned out, they could have their stuff in the system in an hour, hour and a half."

Approval isn't instantaneous though as transportation officials still must process each request.

The system is so simple, Cloman said, that users don't need any special training to access the system - they just fill out an online form that includes their name and telephone number.

Train the trainer classes will take place Feb. 26 to help units better acclimate themselves to the new system.

"We just did a lock in where we had the new system up showing (the unit) how to input (information into the system) and a couple lieutenants said, 'Is that all to it?' Yes, they have one screen with all the information right there. They don't have to go to different windows or anything."

TRAMS allows commanders the flexibility of allowing anyone in their unit to view movement requests.

"If a commander wants all his senior drills to have 'view access' they can have it," Cloman said. "(The Soldiers) won't have to ask (the commander) what their loading time is; all they have to do is log in and look.