Imagine securing truckload capacity days or even weeks in advance before the capacity has been publicly posted to a load board. Also imagine being able to tell your shippers that you’ve already covered next week’s or the following week’s loads today. That’s what predictive load matching technology has to offer. The predictive load matching technology included with Trucker Tools’ broker software platform Smart Capacity uses real-time data to make this dream a reality. Its matching algorithm matches your open loads with available capacity, whether the loads are due to be moved today, tomorrow or later this month.
How Predictive Matching Works
Smart Capacity, Trucker Tools’ software platform for freight brokers, uses algorithms and artificial intelligence to automatically match your uncovered loads in real-time with aggregated carrier capacity based on lane, type of load, weight and other factors. The real-time aspect of the Smart Capacity’s matching algorithm is significant. Unlike the stale data that you often see on load boards, Smart Capacity’s truck capacity data is based on the real-time, real-world movement of trucks. This real-world data includes transactions occurring between freight brokers using Smart Capacity and the carriers using our free software platform, as well as GPS data from Trucker Tools’ driver app.
Smart Capacity’s matching algorithm includes future predicted capacity based on these broker/carrier transactions and the GPS-based movements of trucks. As such, you can search for future truckload capacity with Smart Capacity’s matching algorithm. You also may choose to search for future capacity manually using the platform’s My Capacity Search tool. For a quick, visual view of what capacity will be available in the future, go to the map view in Smart Capacity and enter the future dates of when you’ll need the truck(s). You’ll see a green thumbs-up icon where capacity will be available in the future. Hover your mouse over the icon and view market insights on how quickly loads in this market are typically covered. To contact the carrier about this future capacity, click the email or phone icon next to the carrier name.
Benefits for Freight Brokers
Access to predictive matching technology allows you to cover loads faster and more than just a day in advance. As a result, predictive matching increases the level of service that you’re able to offer your shippers. Not only can you cover their loads tomorrow, but you also have the power to cover next week’s loads several days in advance. Predictive matching technology can be a competitive advantage for you as a freight broker, as not all freight brokers have access to accurate, future capacity data. Predictive load matching makes you more efficient as well, as Axle Logistics’ V.P. of Logistics Shawn McLeod noted in a recent interview with DC Velocity.
“Trucker Tools has been the key to operational improvements that are allowing our team to be measurably more productive and efficient,” said McLeod. “We don’t need as many people to operate the freight, find trucks or manually track loads. We can book more freight in less time and be far more responsive to our customers, and just as importantly, to our carriers. We’re getting them booked with the right load faster, keeping them moving and earning money.”
With Smart Capacity’s predictive matching, you also get “first dibs” on future capacity before it’s posted publicly to a load board or before most other brokers start calling or emailing carriers about whether they have trucks available.
Benefits for Carriers (and Why They Matter!)
As always, using technology that helps carriers and owner operators run their businesses with greater efficiency can help you become a broker of choice. As McLeod noted, predictive load matching technology allows carriers and owner ops to schedule loads for their trucks in advance instead of the day of or one day ahead of time. Planning ahead and booking loads well in advance makes owner operators and carriers more efficient and may reduce their operating costs through time saved.
Carriers and drivers also may use the predictive matching technology baked into Trucker Tools’ driver and carrier technology to proactively find and book your loads for their trucks in the future. Predictive matching lets them calculate their net profits on loads and factor in backhaul availability before they agree to a future load, too. Being able to plan ahead can be a major competitive advantage for drivers and carriers as well, as not every trucking company or owner operator has access to predictive matching and is able to find and book loads more than a day ahead of time.
To learn more about how Smart Capacity can help you in your day-to-day work as a freight broker, be sure to check out “Broker Tip: Find Capacity for Hard-To-Cover Loads with Carrier Search.” Schedule a free demo of Smart Capacity, including its predictive load matching.
