Survey says that more than one person in our distribution list has the "This meeting should have been an email" coffee mug on their desk.

This email is exactly the opposite. It may be long, but it is jampacked with information on two of the Matrix Platform's largest projects: Gran Turismo and myAccelerate, which looks at integrating AI tools with Matrix to increase efficiency.

In the interest of keeping at least one long "story" short, Release v2026.03 deploys on Sunday, let's dive into what's new ...

~Jennifer DeCamp, Knowledge Management

Project Gran Turismo | CEVA Scan Retirement

The race to June: Replacing CEVA Scan with Matrix

Imagine you're a member of the U.S. Ground Network. The flow of shipments to and from stations, and within those stations, is supported by the legacy application, CEVA Scan. Despite the name, CEVA Scan isn't just a 4-Walls Management scanning app. Instead, it's a complex collection of multiple apps, dashboards and macros.

Have we lost you yet?

In more simplistic language, think of CEVA Scan like a house of cards held together by duct tape. In America, duct tape solves almost all. Need to patch a hole? Duct tape. Need to secure a dangling bumper? Duct tape. Need to stabilize a broken tent pole? Duct tape.

Need to support a legacy application that is missing some of the source code and is no longer closely monitored? That isn't just a legacy tool, but runs on other legacy tools. That contains other applications running on legacy OS versions that are no longer supported. Duct tape!

Just kidding — kind of. But now that we're all on the same page, everyone understands the stakes. For years, CEVA Scan has been patched and stabilized with quick fixes. But propping up a legacy app with easy fixes does not and cannot support a modern ground network that has over 50 stations and moves more than 2.5 million shipments a year.

The NORTAM ground network needs a modern solution. One that provides continued business and financial growth. Acknowledging that allows all parties to turn the page.

The determination: Retire CEVA Scan and replace all functionality within Matrix by the end of June utilizing an established and reliable solution.

And although that's a lightning fast turn time when we're talking about building on to the existing Matrix Platform and replacing legacy technology tools, it's also necessary. The Houston Data Center, which houses CEVA Scan, will be decommissioned at the end of June. Imagine the "beep, beep, beep" of U-Haul backing in to load up the out-of-warranty equipment that's no longer supported and prone to downtime. This is one instance where a long, drawn-out goodbye is in no one's best interest.

U.S. Ground Network's current landscape with CEVA Scan

CEVA Scan stitches together multiple tools and applications that support the following key logistics functions for NORTAM:

4-Walls statuses to WorldPort
Operational reporting and automations

The new Matrix solution will not only simplify the flow of information behind the scenes, but it will also allow ops users to manage the above functions in only one platform: Matrix.

Why Matrix?

The fast corporate answer on why we're moving CEVA Scan into Matrix aligns with CEVA's "Down to Three TMS" application rationalization strategy. It also ties into the future retirement of WorldPort, the legacy TMS that the NORTAM ground network still uses to manage order management and customer integration.

But the secondary answer provides historical proof of how much work already flows through the Matrix TMS and FSS to support the U.S. Ground Network. Matrix has handled Pickup and Delivery since 2012. Since then, the network also has turned to Matrix to manage Brokerage, Fleet and myCash. The writing was on the wall; the move from CEVA Scan to Matrix was inevitable.

U.S. Ground Network's new landscape circa July 2026

How do we get to this new flow in the next four months?

Thankfully, we had a head start.

Enter Matrix myDock. Before CEVA Scan's retirement date was determined, the myDock spotter team already was reimagining and rebuilding the 4-Walls Management app of CEVA Scan, which actually is called CEVA Scan (cue the confusion). Matrix myDock launched this past October in a station-by-station rollout, already has recorded over a million scans and will be live in over half the NORTAM stations by the March release. We continue to add new functionality to myDock, like Ground Manifesting, which will provide a simplified, yet flexible solution to manifest freight to transportation instead of forcing freight to follow a set transportation path. That is scheduled to go live with April's release.

The second piece, myDock View v1.0, went live with myDock last fall. This piece replaces data previously available in CG Scan (not to be confused with CEVA Scan) that gives ops managers full visibility to the scans, manifests and transportation for their station. With the March release, myDock View v3.0 has been extended to introduce myDock-specific searches in the Matrix Find which give users quick access to scan information for HAWBs, packages, conveyances and more.

So what's left?

From a technical standpoint, there are three main components of CEVA Scan that still need to be replaced with new modern tools in Matrix.

Dwell Dashboard

Whereas myDock View focuses on only the data for one station, the current CEVA Scan Dwell Dashboard is a holistic approach, giving users an illustrated snapshot of the dwell time for all stations in the ground network. This is being reimagined under the working name, myNetworkView. Instead of opening a separate application to access this info, like users do now, they'll instead be able to toggle easily between the myDock View and myNetwork View screens in Matrix. Planned go-live date for version 1.0 is April's release.

Excel Macros + Eagle Scan

Think of a macro like a washing machine cycle. Instead of having to select the water temp, spin speed and length of time, you just choose the programmed preset and hit start. Currently, most stations use different data to effectively manage their station KPIs, exceptions and more. To provide this data, customized macros were created upon request. Moving forward, these macros will be converted to reports available through Report Manager in Matrix. Instead of building unique versions of the same report, we'll be able to replace it with one version that then users will be able customize by choosing columns that match their needs, maximizing the flexibility that Report Manager offers. Planned go-live is May's release.

Shuttle App

The current shuttle app acts as an intermediary between CEVA Scan and WorldPort. It collects the scanned package data from the current CEVA Scan 4-Walls Management app and then pushes that data to WorldPort to match packages with the trip information. Eventually, we'll have a direct integration between Matrix and WorldPort for statuses. Planned go-live is May's release.

If you have any concerns or questions that were not addressed here, please contact:
Jeff Rogers, NORTAM IT Transformation Head
Chris Sheehan, Systems and Process Specialist

myAccelerate | Intelligent Document Processing

Putting AI to work: Matrix IDP automates invoice data entry

We can't escape discussions about AI's role in the workplace right now. But how do we turn that hype into tools that actually help us do our job? Like using AI to read, comprehend and extract information from an invoice similar to the way a human would.

That’s where Matrix Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) comes in. At its core, IDP uses a third-party AI tool, Abbyy, to work quietly in the background, handling tedious tasks so Matrix users can focus on decisions that require a personal touch. In its first use case, we trained it to read proof-of-delivery documents. Its second use case focuses on training it to extract required information from invoices and then enter it in Matrix FSS.

Say you're a payable clerk who audits freight bills. Each email received from your carrier includes an invoice and the Bill of Lading. These attachments must be opened and evaluated to extract info like invoice numbers, reference numbers, amounts and more. All of that info then gets entered manually into Matrix FSS on the AP Invoice screen.

It's labor intensive, time consuming and prone to user error — all reasons that made it the perfect candidate for IDP.

How does it work?

Now, a payable clerk can log in to Matrix FSS to access the Intelligent Document Processing user interface. Once there, they'll have visibility to all the documents electronically received by the AI Automation Anywhere bot and then sent to Abbyy for invoice data extraction. After docs are evaluated by Abbyy, they're sent to Matrix FSS, where they're organized based on status, like Complete or Extract Exception. A user can select a doc and view all the extracted information, including a confidence level assigned by Abbyy.

Docs with an Extract Exception status have a lower confidence level. When a user chooses to review the doc, it opens up in Abbyy and then they have their first view of the actual image of the invoice. As they examine the doc to rectify the problem areas, they're also training Abbyy where to find information. The initial training process in Abbyy only requires about five to 10 documents to hit the tool's sweet spot, which is a confidence level of about 90% to 92%. After that, it takes a much larger volume of invoices to raise the bar one percentage point, this is where retraining during review plays a role.

EDI or IDP?

Seriously, this isn't a trick question. Although everyone wants to be part of the push to embrace AI tools and IDP represents a happy medium between using either 100% EDI or 100% manual extraction, it's not always the smartest solution.

EDI (aka Electronic Data Interchange) takes routine business information like orders, shipment updates, delivery confirmations and invoices(!) and moves it directly from one company's system to another company's system so people don't have to. EDI is perfect for large carriers that manage a high volume of shipments and can afford the higher cost and longer timeline to go-live required to create the initial integration.

Unfortunately timeline and expense also make EDI out of reach for smaller companies or carriers. This is where IDP can deliver value by allowing organizations to automate menial tasks without breaking the bank.

A business even can choose a hybrid model and use both EDI and IDP. For example, say they work with a large, global carrier that manages 75% of their shipments. Based on shipment volume and carrier size, EDI is the best solution. On the flip side, the other 25% of their business is handled by three, small independent carriers. For those carriers, EDI is cost prohibitive and doesn't make sense. That's where IDP comes into play.

Matrix FSS | Quick Quote global user interface update

Update location: Rate Quote UI

What is the Rate Quote screen?

The Rate Quote Search screen allows users to view the costs and details associated with each rate quote request a customer has made using Quick Quote. Quick Quote, is the new Rating API in Matrix FSS that allows customers to receive fast, accurate rate quotes to ship freight with CEVA based on preestablished tariffs set up in Matrix.

What's new in the March Release?

The Rate Quote screen has experienced a major makeover this spring — redundant information was removed (or hidden) to make way for new, more valuable information requested by Quick Quote users. Some of the new features include:

Origin + Destination info: By customer request, new columns were added that include a shipment's origination city, state, postal code and country. That same information was also added for a shipment's destination. To make it quicker to separate that info, vertical rules were added within the grid.

Column filters: New column filters also were added within the grid, allowing users to filter the grid data based on a specific customer or even a specific shipment origin. Users also can apply multiple filters! For example, if they want to zero in on packages going from Colorado to California, that's now an option. Previously, the system prioritized one filter.

Cube + Pieces + Weight: By request, we've also added three columns that provide information regarding a shipment's size. For example, is it volume driven? Or weight driven? Now that information is readily available when examining a potential shipment without having to do any behind-the-scenes detective work.

Matrix TMS | Facility Board user interface update

Update location: Matrix TMS Facility Board

What is the Facility Board?

The Facility Board, pictured below, provides the visual layout of a location, like a yard for Matrix YMS users or a station for Matrix myDock operations. It allows an operation to place key areas (i.e. dock doors, staging areas, racks, etc.) used for functions like scanning, receiving or yard moves on the location's map.

What's new in the March Release?

Technically, this is our second round of updates this year! The most noticeable change for all users is its new, more modern color palette which aligns it with the current look and feel of the Matrix Platform. It's lighter and brighter.

We've also added a legend on the right side of the screen to help users quickly identify a location area's status based on color. For example, Matrix YMS users can determine a dock door's status (red = occupied, yellow = pending job), based on its color before needing to drill into the location's details. Similarly, Matrix myDock users can tell what station location areas have scanning functions like loading/unloading/receiving based on an area's color. We've also added an icon that allows users to quickly recenter the map and added a Hot Key legend.

January's release introduced major editing improvements, including a new alignment tool and the ability to change an object's size directly on the Facility Board.