As an owner-operator or owner of a small to mid-sized trucking company, you may think to yourself, “Why is freight visibility my problem?” It’s a good and natural question. While getting the freight to its destination on time is the ultimate goal for truckers, brokers say that freight visibility is equally important to shippers. That’s why they ask you or your truckers to use their shipper’s freight tracking mobile app for each load.
Load Tracking Requirements Can Strain Broker/Carrier Relationship
For small trucking companies and owner-operators who work with multiple brokers and 3PLs, it’s not practical to download a new freight tracking app for every load hauled. Most truckers and carrier dispatchers are already overwhelmed with competing demands and may not have the time or interest in making freight tracking for brokers one of their top priorities.
When a broker insists that carriers use the shipper’s preferred freight tracking technology anyway, it can hurt the broker/carrier relationship — especially if the mobile app doesn’t work as it should and has no transparency. Brokers end up blaming carriers for poor visibility and carriers tend to view load tracking as the brokers’ problem.
The truth is that visibility rates remain low across the industry because of poorly designed tracking only apps, not because carriers or brokers have done anything wrong or aren’t doing their jobs. It’s the visibility vendor’s responsibility to create technology that has value and works. Trust us, we know!
What Most Brokers Don’t Know About That App They Want You To Use
Did you know that most freight visibility solutions are comprised of two parts? First, there is the mobile app that records the truck’s location. Second is the software that receives, displays and analyzes the truck location data. What most visibility vendors don’t explain is that third-party apps such as Trucker Tools’ driver app can easily integrate with any load tracking software a shipper might want a broker to use.
What that means for carriers is that they actually do have a voice and a choice in the matter where it seemed like there wasn’t one. Carriers can choose between the broker’s single function tracking only app or Trucker Tools’ free driver app, which includes more than 17 practical features and tools and can be used with multiple brokers.
Talking to Brokers About Load Tracking Doesn’t Have To Be Awkward
The feedback that we get over and over again from truckers and carriers is how much they appreciate Trucker Tools’ all-in-one driver app. It saves time and reduces the number of apps truckers have to use on the road. If one comprehensive tool can be used instead of seven or eight, that can be a game-changer for an owner-operator or small to mid-sized trucking company. At the same time, our driver app uses the smart phone’s GPS technology to provide brokers with super-accurate load tracking and notifies truckers anytime that their location is being shared.
Instead of avoiding conversations with brokers about load tracking and that app they want to use, see those conversations as opportunities to take control of the situation. Proactively suggesting Trucker Tools’ all-in-one driver app to brokers can go a long way in giving brokers and their shippers what they want while helping increase drive time and efficiency for carriers. Having that honest conversation ultimately can strengthen relationships between carriers and brokers.
Want to learn more about Trucker Tools’ free driver app? If so, read “Trucker Tools’ Driver App Delivers More Than One Trick Pony Tracking Apps.” To download Trucker Tools’ free mobile driver app, visit https://www.truckertools.com/carriers-toolkit/.
