As Jen A. Miller of Transport Dive recently wrote in a three part report on real-time visibility, “Visibility between shippers and carriers is no longer in the Dark Ages — or, rather, in the ‘Relying-On-Phone-Calls’ ages.” As Miller and many industry analysts have noted, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of and practical need for real-time, digital visibility of freight within trucking and transportation. Several other factors have contributed to the uptick in use of real-time digital load tracking tools, including consumer expectations for visibility of freight in transit, convenience, the need for a more efficient supply chain and staffing shortages.
While there are many different load tracking software platforms available to freight brokers like you, not all visibility platforms have the same capabilities or options. Read on to discover what makes Trucker Tools’ real-time load tracking software best in its class and learn about the flexibility our platform offers drivers and brokers.
What Makes Trucker Tools Stand Out From the Competition: Driver-Friendly Mobile App
Driver adoption of real-time load tracking technology has historically been a significant barrier to gaining start to finish visibility of freight. Truckers often are asked to use a different load tracking app for every load they transport, leaving their smart phones cluttered with mobile apps they may not ever use again. Most load tracking technologies are proprietary, which means they can only be used with certain types of shipper or broker technology platforms. Truckers also sometimes report that their locations continue to be tracked after a load is delivered, which threatens their sense of privacy.
Our goal here at Trucker Tools is to address and/or eliminate barriers to technology adoption. With this in mind, we’ve built a free driver app that does more than just track loads for brokers. The Trucker Tools driver app includes 17+ features and tools designed to simplify daily operations for truckers and carriers. Drivers can use the app to find weigh scales, rest areas, parking, truck stops, food, loads, repair shops, cargo insurance and much more.
Our engineering team has designed the app’s load tracking tool to provide complete transparency to drivers. The driver must accept the request to have a load tracked before tracking can begin and once the track has begun, the driver has the power to cancel or pause the load track right from within the app. Drivers also can easily see who is receiving their tracking data and the load associated with the track. It’s important to note that drivers can use the Trucker Tools app for load visibility with multiple brokers, as the app and our load tracking tech integrates with the major TMSs used by freight brokers and with shipper visibility systems like MacroPoint and Project44. These integrations facilitate the instantaneous sharing of real-time load tracking data between drivers, brokers and shippers.
Real-Time Visibility with ELDs
Our technology team has made electronic logging device integrations a top priority based on feedback from drivers, carriers and freight brokers that some drivers prefer to track loads with their ELDs instead of the Trucker Tools app. Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility platform for brokers currently integrates with nearly 90 different ELDs — and we’re adding new ELD integration partners every month. The ability to track a load with an ELD gives you an additional option to offer drivers and carriers who either can’t or don’t want to use an app for visibility purposes.
When a driver/carrier elects to track a load with an ELD, you can view the real-time location of the truck and its load within Trucker Tools’ load tracking platform, just as you would with a load that is tracked with our driver app. With ELD-based load tracking, you’re able to honor the preferences of the driver and/or carrier while maintaining access to real-time load tracking data that empowers you to address delays as they occur.
Check out “Digital Freight Matching ABCs: A Guide for Freight Brokers.”
Schedule a free demo of Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility software platform.
