The future of freight brokerage is all about using technology to your advantage to reduce inefficiencies, while dedicating your human resources to shipper service. It makes sense. Why assign your staff members repetitive manual tasks that can be automated with technology? It makes better business sense to concentrate your human resources on relationship-building activities with shippers and carriers instead.
Process automation, machine-learning and artificial intelligence are leading the way when it comes to raising the efficiency bar for freight brokerage/3PL operations. That’s why we’re excited about a new workflow automation tool that was recently launched by one of our integration partners, AscendTMS. AscendTMS’ new automated workflow engine (AWE) allows you to set up workflow rules that automate repetitive tasks and trigger automatic responses. When you combine AWE with Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching, real-time load tracking and automated load booking, you can boost operational efficiency for your business significantly and maximize your revenue.
AscendTMS’ Automated Workflow Engine (AWE)
AscendTMS is one of the most popular transportation management systems in the world. As a cloud-based TMS, AscendTMS is suitable (and scalable) for brokers and 3PLs of any size, offering dispatch control, document management and accounting tools. In a recent update, a powerful new Automated Workflow Engine (AWE) feature was added to AscendTMS.
With AWE, you can set up customized workflow rules that reduce inefficiencies in your operations. AWE uses simple “If this, then that” rules that can be used to automatically update load status, assign or remove carriers to/from loads, manage claims, and take actions on loads based on a customer’s credit status. For example, if a claim is recorded for a load, AWE can automatically trigger an internal process for the claim and automatically notify specific employees about the claim. Once a rule is set in AscendTMS, AWE will automatically follow that rule, which gives your staff members time to focus on more important tasks throughout the day. AWE also helps reduce human error, which saves your business time and money.
Trucker Tools’ Digital Freight Matching, Book It Now®
The integration between Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching platform and AscendTMS allows your staff members to view available truck capacity directly in the TMS interface. The integration streamlines your process for finding capacity with preferred carriers. Instead of using load boards, phone calls and bulk emails to carriers to find trucks, you can view available trucks from within your network of preferred carriers in a matter of seconds. The integration also allows you to upload your open loads to Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching platform. Doing so allows carrier dispatchers and owner operators to view your loads directly in the Trucker Tools’ driver app. (Note: you choose which carriers can view your loads in Trucker Tools’ driver app.)
With the integration between Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching and AscendTMS, you can cover your open loads quickly and efficiently, reducing the time that your staff members devote to finding truck capacity. Digital freight matching also benefits your carrier partners, as they can quickly see your open loads in Trucker Tools’ free driver app 24 hours/day, seven days/week. You can increase operational efficiency for your logistics company even more with Book It Now®, Trucker Tools’ automated load booking tool that allows carriers to book loads directly through our free driver app.
Trucker Tools’ Real-Time Visibility Platform
Increase your efficiency even further with an integration between Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility platform and AscendTMS. This integration allows you to view real-time load tracking information provided by Trucker Tools’ free driver app directly in AscendTMS. Instead of making seven or eight check-calls per load to a trucker or carrier dispatcher, your staff members can view real-time, GPS-based location information on their computer screens. Locations are updated every five minutes to ensure that you always have accurate ETAs for your shippers.
What differentiates Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility platform from other load technologies is that the carrier component, Trucker Tools’ free driver app, does more than just track freight for you and other brokers. In addition to a robust, real-time visibility tool, Trucker Tools’ free driver app also provides truckers with real-time information on weigh scales, routing, fuel prices, truck stops, rest areas, truck washes, parking, DOT office locations, Wal-Mart stores, available loads and more.
Unlike single function load tracking apps, Trucker Tools’ driver app provides real value to truckers, which is why carrier adoption rates of Trucker Tools’ load tracking technology typically outpace that of single function load tracking apps. Trucker Tools’ load tracking also provides complete transparency to truckers, so they always know who is receiving their location information and for which load.
To learn more about our integration partnership with AscendTMS, read Integration Partner Highlight: Rise Up with Ascend TMS. To schedule a free demo of Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching, Book It Now® and real-time visibility platform, contact our sales team.
