In 1968, Transmit America® began like many businesses: dreams and small beginnings in a basement office. The start-up had a ground-floor opportunity with a new technology -- the facsimile machine, or "fax" as it came to be known.
The fax machine enabled rapid document transmission in a way far superior to the then-common teletype system. Now images could be sent through a standard telephone line as long as both parties used a fax machine.
But who might use a fax machine? In our hunt for business, we learned that Wisconsin sent trucking permits by teletype to truck stops. Then, a business associate successfully transmitted an Ohio permit to a railroad salvage company cleaning up a train wreck. At that point, Transmit America® settled exclusively on the trucking industry.
Current industry practices then required several days for truckers to order, pay for, and receive permits. The faster technology of the fax machine stimulated us to find other methods to deliver permits even faster with several new key developments: An efficient way to pay, a multiple fax network of permits, and a fax network with delivery points.
The company worked with states to implement transition to fax, to develop better means of applications, to simplify transmissions, and to develop new methods of payment. Meanwhile, we also developed relationships with truck stops in Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Wyoming. As these payments and fax networks developed, turn-around times dropped dramatically with our service. A driver could call the state, have a cup of coffee, and the permit would be waiting at the truck stop.
Our pioneering efforts with fax networks led to the end of teletype services in the permitting industry and helped spread fax throughout the trucking industry. Then fax spread to accountants and lawyers, and throughout the nation.
As our business grew, we established a Permit Service to assist truckers to place permit applications through us to the various state agencies. This required the ability to collect a variety of critical data, and led to another pioneering effort: The early adoption of computer in our industry. We bought some hardware, hired a programmer, and set out to develop our first permitting software system. The new system greatly improved our ability to serve our customers by facilitating accuracy and thorough data collection storage and retrieval, resulting in rapid turn-around times. Today our programs are powered by RAD BACKWARE®.
With a long history of over 45 years, since our founding on May 2, 1968, Transmit America® has been striving to provide excellent service to the trucking industry. Transmit America® helped develop a business model and process that aided both state agencies and truckers. We were active in the development of a distribution network that benefited both truck stops and truckers. We adopted computers to facilitate accuracy and rapid turn-around times. And we developed business relationships which enhanced our service. As we continue to refine our processes and systems we will bring even better quality services, greater efficiencies, and faster delivery time. We're not content to do what others have done. We are not only constantly finding a better way, Transmit America® is leading the way -- to the future.
