Operational inefficiency can erase profit margins and artificially inflate operating costs, posing a major disadvantage in what is now an extremely competitive industry. Implementing time-saving technology in your internal operations often makes your business more efficient and reduces costs, while also helping your team make better, well-informed decisions faster to drive higher service levels. In this blog, you’ll learn about four different technology-based strategies that help you address inefficiencies in your freight brokerage or 3PL operations. From digitizing how you communicate with shippers and carriers to automating your bid process, these strategies can help your business thrive despite recent declines in freight volumes and rates.
1. Embrace Digital Freight Matching
Digital freight matching technology digitizes what is far too often still a manual process for many brokerages and 3PLs. With digital freight matching technology like Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity, you can say goodbye to the “dial for diesel” approach to finding truck capacity for your shippers. Digital freight matching tech digitizes truck capacity data, making it searchable and easy to find the right carrier for the load you need to cover. Once you locate capacity in the platform, quickly send a message to one or multiple carriers with a few mouse-clicks.
2. Implement Real-Time Freight Tracking
If you’re still using manual “check calls” to track shipments, you’re missing an opportunity to reduce costs and provide better service to your customers. Consider using a real-time freight tracking software to digitize tracking and automatically receive location updates on every load every five to 15 minutes. Real-time visibility tech like Trucker Tools’ reduces or can even eliminate check calls, digitizing what can be a time- and resource-intensive activity in your business. Trucker Tools’ tracking platform also integrates with MacroPoint, Project44 and FourKites, which means you can automatically share visibility data with your customers in real time — another time-saver.
3. Leverage Mobile Tech With Carriers
It’s important to consider what impact your technology choices have on drivers and carriers. To increase efficiency for your team and for your driver/carrier partners, be sure to choose technology that has a user-friendly driver/carrier interface. Trucker Tools’ free driver mobile app, the driver/carrier component of our tracking and matching software, is free, easy to use and includes more than 30 tools that help drivers and carriers save time. In fact, it’s the trucking industry’s number one downloaded mobile app. Apps such as Trucker Tools can reduce the time needed to communicate with carriers about loads, ETAs, rates and more.
4. Increase Carrier Utilization
The fact of the matter is that repeat business between carriers and brokers benefits all involved. Once a carrier is onboarded with your company, that carrier becomes a resource for your team. Every time your team has to onboard a new carrier, that task requires valuable time and human resources. Instead, consider implementing a driver loyalty program to reward drivers for repeatedly moving your shipments, increase carrier/driver loyalty and boost carrier utilization.
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