To get the best results possible, you must choose wisely when deciding what kind of technology to use in your freight brokerage operations. Most freight brokerages require a unique combination of technology-based tools to best serve customers and carriers. There are some software solutions, however, that provide a high return on investment regardless of your niche within transportation or the size of your business. These technologies allow you to make better-informed decisions faster, while also strengthening your relationships with both customers and carriers. They increase operational efficiency, make you easy to do business with, and can help you develop a reputation as a freight broker of choice among carriers and shippers.
Check out these five can’t-live-without technology-based tools for freight brokers.
1. Real-Time Rate Intelligence
Access to real-time rate intelligence can be a difference-maker when it comes to controlling costs for your shippers and pricing loads fairly for your carriers. We recently integrated our Smart Capacity software platform with FreightWaves SONAR to provide brokerages like yours with real-time rate intelligence on every load you move. For each load you broker in Smart Capacity, you can view SONAR’s average rate on loads in that particular lane, as well as high and low rates. Armed with this knowledge, you can speed up your rate confirmations with carriers and cover your shippers’ loads faster, both of which are invaluable.
2. Driver Loyalty Program
If you’re like most businesses in this industry, one of your greatest challenges is retaining drivers and carriers. With more than 90,000 freight brokerages and agencies in the United States alone, carriers and drivers have a multitude of options when it comes to who they work with. One of the best ways to encourage drivers and carriers to continue doing business with you is with a loyalty program. Trucker Tools’ new Driver Loyalty Program lets you reward drivers with TruckerPoints for using the Trucker Tools drive app to do business with you company. Drivers can redeem their TruckerPoints for free gift cards to 200+ U.S. retailers. What makes this program unique is that you can customize your reward levels based on your company’s specific needs.
3. Real-Time Visibility
Ranked as a top 20 real-time transportation visibility provider by Gartner Peer Insights, Trucker Tools’ real-time load tracking software reduces check calls and provides you with real-time visibility data that you can view in your TMS. Brokers and 3PLs that implement our load tracking software often are able to increase visibility compliance, overall freight visibility, operational efficiency and their ability to meet shipper visibility KPIs. Trucker Tools’ visibility solution also integrates with shipper load tracking software platforms MacroPoint, FourKites and Project44. This integration capability allows you to share visibility data with customers in real-time.
4. Digital Load Matching
Another can’t-live-without transportation technology is digital load matching. Digital load matching techprovides real-time access to truckload capacity information that ultimately helps you source capacity faster. With Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity digital load matching platform, you can search for capacity by lane, equipment type, weight, carrier network status and other factors with a few clicks of your computer mouse. Once you locate the right trucks for a given load, send the load to multiple carriers to bid upon in a matter of seconds. In Smart Capacity’s Carrier Activity tab, you can easily manage all of your bids and negotiations in one central, easy-to-use place.
5. TMS
Your transportation management system is the glue that holds your operations together. Use your TMS to manage compliance, carrier onboarding, customer quotes, accounting and billing, documentation and more. A cloud based TMS offers all of these business benefits with a lower cost of ownership, the ability to scale and a faster return on investment. Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility, digital load matching and Book It Now® tech integrate with all of the most popular TMSs in use today, including Mastery, Ascend, HighJump, MercuryGate, McLeod, Revenova, Tai, Tailwind, Turvo and many others.
“Get More Loads in Front of More Qualified Carriers with Trucker Tools.”
