As someone who works in or owns a small or medium-sized logistics business, you need a high return on investment when you use technology in your operations. Fortunately, technology platforms for freight brokers and logistics providers are more accessible than ever, no matter the size of your operations. Technology often can help improve all aspects of your business, from digitizing load tracking, capacity searches and load booking to providing reporting and analysis to improve your business. Software like Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity platform ultimately can be the x-factor that helps you grow your business without increasing your staff size or sinking oodles of money into custom-built technology. Smart Capacity also is scalable, which means it is priced according to the size of your operations.
Automated Load Tracking=Fewer Check Calls To Make, Better Service
Automating and digitizing how you track loads for your shippers can be a game-changer, especially if your operations are on the smaller side. Prior to implementing Smart Capacity’s real-time visibility, freight broker Surge Transportation was using its shipper’s preferred load tracking technology to track freight, including FourKites, MacroPoint and 10/4. This meant that carriers moving Surge’s loads often had to install a new tracking app on their phones on a load by load basis and that employees were constantly switching between different load tracking systems. Using multiple technologies depending on who the shipper was disruptive for employees and carriers alike.
After implementing Smart Capacity’s real-time visibility, Surge Transportation was able to increase the number of loads tracked, streamline workflows for employees, reduce check calls, increase operational efficiency and provide a simpler technology experience for carriers. Instead of using a new app every time they move a load for Surge, carriers now can use one app for load tracking with Surge: Trucker Tools’ free driver app, which integrates with shipper visibility platforms. Surge’s average tracking compliance success rate now averages between 90 and 100 percent and the company scores in the top 10 on customer KPI score cards. Smart Capacity’s digital load tracking makes life easier on the company’s employees, as well. Now they can monitor loads in real-time right in their McLeod TMS. Smart Capacity’s real-time load tracking has helped Surge grow its customer base, too.
“When we can demonstrate that we’re that compliant on visibility, it definitely helps with that effort to activate new customers,” said Surge Transportation’s CEO Omar Singh. “But really where we see it is that once we get in, are compliant and score highly on their scorecards, they give us additional opportunities or are more inclined to offer us additional opportunities.”
“When we can demonstrate that we’re that compliant on visibility, it definitely helps with that effort to activate new customers,” said Surge Transportation’s CEO Omar Singh. “But really where we see it is that once we get in, are compliant and score highly on their scorecards, they give us additional opportunities or are more inclined to offer us additional opportunities.”
Digital Freight Matching and Book It Now® Streamline Bid and Counter-Offer
Process
Smart Capacity also includes digital price negotiation to shorten the rate confirmation process and eliminate excessive phone calls and emails with carriers. With Smart Capacity’s digital freight matching technology, you can search for available capacity by type, lane, weight, date and other factors in a matter of seconds. The capacity data you see in your Smart Capacity search results is based on the real-time movement of trucks, which means you won’t be chasing phantom capacity like you might on load boards. Once you find the right truck for a load in Smart Capacity, you can instantly send a digital message to the carrier/owner operator or pick up the phone and call the carrier to discuss rates. Since you already know that the carrier has capacity, it’s a much shorter phone call and you can easily offer the carrier multiple loads/reloads in a single conversation.
When carriers see one of your loads in Trucker Tools’ driver app or carrier software platform, they can send you a digital rate quote that you can view in the Smart Capacity interface or in your TMS. You can streamline your bid and counter-offer process further by using Book-It-Now® with your carriers. If you post a load in Smart Capacity as a Book-It-Now® load, carriers and drivers can book the load digitally through the Trucker Tools app or carrier software platform. Thanks to an integration with your TMS, the appointment is automatically scheduled in your TMS when a driver or carrier books one of your Book-It-Now® loads. If you want to grow your business, using Book-It-Now® is a great way to increase your load count without increasing your headcount.
Smart Capacity’s Analytics and Reporting
Smart Capacity uses artificial intelligence to analyze historical lane-based business patterns and generate predictive best-options for your uncovered loads. Advanced search capabilities for carriers lets them search the Trucker Tools app/free carrier platform by preferred lanes, making it easy to find, bid on and book your loads. To better understand the overall health of your operations, use Smart Capacity’s reporting to take a deep dive into the number of loads matched and book, messages sent, views of messages, messages sent and opened, carrier impressions and views on your loads, and other business intelligence-related data. More specific analytics can be pulled by a member of the Trucker Tools team by request.
Read “Avoid Death by Excel: How Trucker Tools Can Automate Broker and 3PL Operations of All Sizes (insert link once have URL).” Schedule a free demo of Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity.
