As we’ve seen this year, technology has led the way in giving companies greater adaptability and resiliency when markets are unpredictable. For freight brokerage and logistics companies like yours, the clearest path to greater resiliency and adaptability is digitization. When you use well-designed digital tools and platforms, you gain the ability to increase operational efficiency, scalability and profit margins, while reducing manual tasks and simplifying day-to-day work for your employees. Using digital freight matching, real-time visibility and automated load booking, in particular, allows you to meet the evolving needs of your shippers and attract new customers. Choosing digital tools that are carrier-friendly and that provide real value to carriers helps you build a loyal capacity network.
Digital Transformation Gives You a Competitive
Edge
This year has been a wild one for the transportation industry. When the Coronavirus hit the United States in March of this year, it sent many markets into a tailspin, including the transportation industry. Some drivers decided to retire early due to health concerns, while others took their trucks off the road due to low rates or health concerns. Since then, rates and capacity have rebounded in some markets and lanes, while others still haven’t recovered. This market volatility combined with a driver shortage and the implementation of a new national drug and alcohol clearing house have raised outbound tender rejection rates to historic highs.
The brokers and logistics companies who’ve implemented technology in their operations have been best able to react quickly to these fluctuations and new market conditions. Those using digital freight matching, real-time digital load tracking, load booking automation and unified carrier technology in their operations have been able to attract new shippers, build and maintain loyal carrier networks, find more capacity, expand into new lanes, and maintain or increase profit margins. They’re also well positioned to withstand market volatility and supply and demand fluctuations in the future.
Why “Maybe Next Year” Is a Losing Strategy
On the opposite end of the spectrum, those who use only manual processes or who haven’t fully digitized their operations have struggled to adapt. It’s near impossible in the current market to attract new shippers, build a loyal carrier network, find more trucks or maximize your margins without technology. The reason why is simple: without technology, you lack scalability and can’t easily pivot to meet new demand. You have to hire more staff members to make more check calls, develop relationships with new shippers, post more to load boards, send more emails to carriers and spend more time on rate negotiations. Hiring more staff raises your overhead and reduces your margins. The inefficiency of your manual operations also is passed onto your shipper and carrier partners.
If you’re thinking that you can wait another year on going digital, think again. As Craig Fuller, founder and CEO of FreightWaves, noted in a recent webinar, “Brokers who are working on their business are going to be successful because they’re invested in technology, thinking about how to build better relationships with carriers and are concerned with how to get better visibility. They’re playing offense, while those who aren’t working on their businesses are just playing defense.” The message is clear: adapt or get left behind.
Transform Your Business with Trucker Tools’
Carrier-Centric Technology
Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching, real-time visibility platform, automated load booking and carrier-friendly driver app can lead you on your path to digital transformation. These solutions give you the adaptability and resiliency you need when facing market volatility, while preparing you for a future that leans heavily on technology. Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching minimizes the time and manpower you need to cover a load. Minimizing the time and resources required to cover a load increases your operational efficiency, lowers your cost per load, allows you to move more freight, provides greater efficiency to carriers and helps you find trucks quickly for your shippers. Adding Trucker Tools’ Book-It-Now® to the mix lets truckers and carrier dispatchers book your loads digitally, minimizing the time and resources you spend on rate negotiations.
Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility platform delivers an average visibility compliance rate of 72 percent and 100 percent stop visibility, which meets the requirements of most shippers, including larger shippers with whom you may want to work. The carrier component of the platform, the Trucker Tools driver app, provides complete transparency for truckers — they always know when load tracking starts and stops, when it’s on and who is receiving their location information. In addition to a load tracking tool that helps you meet your shippers’ visibility needs, the Trucker Tools driver app also gives truckers real-time info on fuel prices, parking, CDL legal protection, amenities at docks, weigh scales, routing, rest areas, truck stops and more. Trucker Tools’ driver app provides a unified technology experience for truckers and saves them time and money, which encourages them to work with you again and again.
Schedule a free demo of Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching, real-time visibility platform and Book-It-Now®.
