If consumers can track their pizza deliveries, shippers should be able to track their freight — right?

"It's almost a Google Maps mindset of: I know where I'm at, and it'll also tell me when I get to my destination," said Suresh Acharya, a professor and academic director at the University of Maryland.

Transportation visibility is not quite that simple, Acharya added. But demand for data has accelerated over the years. 

For a fragmented, old-school industry like trucking, putting systems in place for that type of information collecting and sharing has been a slow process. It's also worth noting that fleets can't get to optimal visibility alone. 

This three-part series explores the past, present and future of visibility between carriers and shippers. Read about how far technology has come — and how far it has to go — in the stories below.