Frequently Asked Questions About Cedar AI’s Automated Rail Management System (ARMS™)
ARMS is Cedar AI’s rail management platform — configurable for railroads, industrial shippers, transload terminals, car owners, and switching operations. This page answers common questions about what ARMS does, how it works, and how it’s configured for each segment of the rail industry.
About Cedar AI ARMS
ARMS — the Automated Rail Management System — is a rail-native TMS built specifically for the rail industry. It connects operations, billing, visibility, and analytics across the full rail ecosystem. Where general TMS platforms treat rail as one mode among many, ARMS is built from the ground up on how rail actually works: EDI waybills, Railinc reconciliation, demurrage billing, ISS settlement, and real-time car tracking across every North American carrier. One platform. End-to-end rail operations.
What is ARMS?
ARMS — the Automated Rail Management System — is a rail management platform from Cedar AI that connects operations, billing, fleet visibility, and analytics in one system. It is purpose-built for the rail industry and configurable for railroads, industrial shippers, transload terminals, car owners and fleet managers, and industrial switching operations. ARMS replaces disconnected tools — carrier portals, spreadsheets, and manual billing processes — with a single platform where every car event creates intelligence, not another reconciliation task.
What does Cedar AI do?
Cedar AI builds AI-powered technology for the rail industry. The company’s core product is ARMS — the Automated Rail Management System — a cloud-native platform covering rail operations, fleet visibility, freight billing, demurrage, EDI integration, switching optimization, and analytics. Cedar AI serves railroads, industrial shippers, transload and intermodal terminals, car owners, and switching operations across North America.
What is ARMS used for?
ARMS is used to manage the full operational and financial cycle of rail — from real-time car tracking and switching plan optimization to freight billing, demurrage calculation, ISS settlement, freight audit, and month-end financial close. It is configured differently for each segment of the rail industry: railroads use it for network operations and revenue management; shippers use it for fleet visibility and freight audit; terminals use it for commodity and container operations; car owners use it for fleet economics; and switching operators use it for plan optimization and switch-to-invoice automation.
Is ARMS a TMS?
ARMS is a rail-native TMS — a transportation management system built specifically for how rail operates, not adapted from a multi-modal platform. General TMS platforms are designed for trucks, air, and ocean freight, with rail handled as an add-on. ARMS is built from the ground up on rail industry logic: EDI waybills, Railinc reconciliation, demurrage and car hire calculations, ISS settlement, and Rule 11 routing. It encodes decades of rail industry knowledge natively — tariff structures, carrier interchange logic, and EDI standards — so teams across every rail segment make accurate decisions without needing to be railroad experts.
What segments of the rail industry does ARMS serve?
ARMS is configurable for five segments of the rail industry: railroads, industrial shippers (companies managing private or leased railcar fleets), transload and intermodal terminals, car owners and fleet managers, and industrial switching operations. Each customer is configured with their specific workflows and revenue model.
Is ARMS a cloud-based platform?
Yes. ARMS is a cloud-native, web-based SaaS platform accessible from any browser. Cedar Mobile — the companion iOS and Android app — extends ARMS to field crews, yard teams, and dock operators who need offline-first access in facilities where connectivity is unreliable.
ARMS for Railroads
ARMS gives shortline, regional, and Class III railroads a single platform for network operations, revenue management, and back-office automation. From real-time car inventory and AI-optimized switching to demurrage billing, ISS settlement, and REN integration, ARMS closes the gap between operations and revenue — so billing teams stop manually reconstructing charges that should have been generated automatically. Learn more about ARMS for Railroads →
What is a rail TMS and how does it differ from a general TMS?
A rail TMS is a transportation management system built specifically for rail operations — not a multi-modal platform with a rail module added on. ARMS is a rail-native TMS that handles everything a railroad actually runs on: AEI reader data, EDI waybills, ISS settlement, Railinc reconciliation, demurrage billing, and interchange delivery. General TMS platforms are designed around truckload and LTL workflows; ARMS is designed around how rail actually works, so railroad teams get a system that matches their operation rather than working around one that doesn’t.
How does ARMS reduce railcar dwell time?
Dwell accumulates when crews make switching decisions on stale data or work from manually built switch lists. ARMS addresses both: Optiswitch™ generates AI-optimized switching plans in seconds, sequencing car movements to minimize locomotive moves and reduce time on active track. Real-time network-wide car inventory — fed by AEI reader data or GPS integration — means every decision is made on current information, not yesterday’s consist.
Can ARMS handle demurrage and storage billing automatically?
Yes. ARMS calculates demurrage and storage natively — including free days, credit days, tariff exceptions, multi-tier charge logic, and excess storage. Every billable day is captured automatically as car events occur. Excess storage is included in the core revenue engine, which most competing systems don’t offer out of the box. Billing teams stop manually reconstructing charges; the system generates them as events happen.
How does ARMS handle interline settlement with connecting railroads?
ARMS manages ISS and junction settlement end-to-end. Instead of chasing individual URRWINs, your team works by exception — ARMS surfaces only the records that need attention. On the junction side, every shipment is automatically audited against weekly remittance files so you know you’re being paid accurately. Built-in month-end accounting reports ensure financials are properly booked without manual reconciliation.
Does ARMS integrate with Railinc and Class I railroad EDI?
ARMS connects to every North American railroad and handles all standard EDI requirements out of the box — 418 Consists, 404 Bills of Lading, 417 Waybills, 419/420 blocking queries, and full AEI automation for interchanges and track events. EDI requirements evolve continuously; ARMS manages that behind the scenes so your team doesn’t need to.
What does ARMS replace for a shortline or regional railroad?
Most shortlines run operations, billing, car hire, tariff rating, and reporting across three to five disconnected systems — often including spreadsheets bridging the gaps. ARMS consolidates all of it: car events generate charges, charges generate invoices, foreign rates upload automatically through REN, and month-end reports are produced automatically. The work that used to consume your back office runs in the background.
How does Cedar Mobile support field crews in the yard?
Cedar Mobile is an offline-first iOS and Android app built for crews working in areas without reliable signal. Field teams complete interchange delivery, car inspections, and work orders directly from their device — data syncs automatically when connectivity is restored. Supervisors get real-time visibility into field activity without waiting for crews to radio in or return to the office.
ARMS for Industrial Shippers
ARMS gives industrial shippers real-time visibility across private and leased railcar fleets, automated freight audit, on-site yard management, and financial accruals from the moment a shipment is created. Most shippers are managing rail across carrier portals, spreadsheets, and manual invoice reviews that were never designed to work together. ARMS replaces that stack with a single connected platform. Learn more about ARMS for Industrial Shippers →
What is a rail TMS for industrial shippers?
A rail TMS for industrial shippers is a transportation management system built specifically for rail freight — connecting fleet visibility, yard operations, freight audit, and cost accruals in one platform. Where general TMS platforms handle rail as one mode among many, ARMS is built on how rail actually works: EDI waybills, Railinc reconciliation, demurrage tracking, and carrier-specific rate structures. ARMS from Cedar AI is a rail-native TMS for shippers managing private or leased railcar fleets, handling everything from real-time car tracking to automated freight audit and month-end financial close.
How do industrial shippers track railcars across multiple carriers?
Industrial shippers track railcars through a platform that consolidates GPS telemetry, carrier ETA feeds, AEI reader data, and Railinc CLMs into a single interactive map. ARMS gives shippers real-time location for every car in a private or leased fleet — with direct Class I railroad API integrations — eliminating the need to log into multiple carrier portals manually.
What is yard management software for industrial facilities?
Yard management software for industrial facilities handles two things: visibility into which cars are on property and where, and execution of switching operations to move cars efficiently. ARMS addresses both — inbound car tracking with real-time ETAs and Optiswitch™, which generates AI-optimized switching plans in minutes, replacing manual cut lists and reducing time on active track.
How does automated freight audit work for rail shippers?
Automated freight audit for rail shippers validates every carrier invoice against contract rates, tariffs, and actual movement data before payment is approved. ARMS runs a 21-checkpoint audit pipeline that catches overbillings automatically — so discrepancies are identified before payment, not discovered during reconciliation weeks later.
How does ARMS handle freight accruals for shippers?
The moment a bill of lading or waybill is received, ARMS automatically creates a freight accrual — so the financial picture is accurate from day one, not weeks later when the carrier invoice arrives. By month-end, the numbers are already confirmed; the finance team validates rather than reconstructs.
ARMS for Transload Terminals
ARMS gives transload terminals a dedicated operating mode built around commodity workflows — not adapted from a railroad or shipper system. Managing inbound and outbound rail and truck movements alongside commodity inventory across disconnected systems means revenue gets lost between operations and billing. ARMS replaces that stack with commodity intelligence, dock coordination, and revenue capture from every service, all running from one platform. Learn more about ARMS for Transload Terminals →
What is terminal management software for transload operations?
Terminal management software for transload operations manages the full workflow from inbound railcar arrival to outbound truck departure — including commodity inventory, transload work orders, dock coordination, and customer billing. ARMS includes a dedicated Terminal OS mode with transload-specific workflows, commodity inventory tracking, blending operations, and digital BOL generation — built for terminal operations, not adapted from a railroad system.
How does ARMS track commodity inventory at a transload terminal?
ARMS tracks commodity inventory by type and location across the terminal — including blending operations, hazmat classifications, and audit-ready records. Auto-populated strapping tables from major lessors ensure accurate volume calculations that feed directly into digital BOL generation. Every unit of measure — boardfeet, gallons, metric tons, bushels — is handled natively.
How does ARMS manage transload work orders?
ARMS manages transload work orders end to end — from railcar receipt through truck departure — with commodity tracking and customer billing integration at every step. Cedar Mobile puts work orders in the hands of dock operators and yard teams on any iOS or Android device, offline-first for facilities where connectivity drops at the dock door.
How does ARMS handle transload billing?
Transload billing is uniquely complex — storage, switching, transload services, and excess charges all calculated against commodity-specific units of measure. ARMS handles boardfeet, gallons, metric tons, and bushels natively, so every charge generates accurately from the same system your operators work in. No reconciliation between operations and billing at month-end.
How does ARMS connect shipment orders to fulfillment at a transload terminal?
ARMS connects contracts to fulfillment in one flow — shipment orders convert to work orders, contract schedules are tracked, and fulfillment is committed against your commodity inventory. Every step is connected, so the gap between what was ordered and what was actually loaded and billed closes automatically.