FreightWaves reported last week that outbound tender rejection rates are at 25 percent, meaning one in four loads are being rejected. The current capacity crunch is just the beginning of what’s expected to be one of the most intense peak shipping seasons in recent history. In a recent panel discussion at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ EDGE 2020 conference, leading logistics executives cited driver availability and the pandemic’s impact on product availability as the primary drivers of a potentially challenging peak shipping season this year.
What can you do as a 3PL or freight broker to ready your business for an even tighter capacity market and higher consumer demand over the next few months? Plenty. To get ready for an intense peak shipping season, it’s important to develop and maintain a loyal carrier network that you can leverage when capacity is tight. Maximizing operational efficiency for you and your partners also should be a top priority, as you prepare for what promises to be an eventful peak shipping season.
Build a Loyal Carrier Network with Technology That Helps Truckers
When tender rejection rates are high and truck capacity is tight, it’s important to give carriers and owner operators a reason to work with your logistics company or brokerage. One of the best ways to do that is to use driver-centric technology that provides real value to your carriers. When used with Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching platform, Trucker Tools’ free driver app reduces manual communications between you and your carriers. Automating and digitizing communications helps carriers operate with greater efficiency, in addition to increasing operational efficiency for your brokerage. Trucker Tools’ free driver app also includes 17 other tools and features that help truckers save time and money on the road.
When given the choice of working with a broker who uses carrier-friendly tech versus one who uses phone calls and other time-consuming methods to track and cover loads, carriers will choose the broker who uses technology that saves them time. Using carrier-friendly technology in your operations is a great way to build a loyal carrier network that you can count on when capacity is at its tightest.
Streamline How You Cover a Load with Digital Freight Matching, TMS Integration
Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching platform reduces the time and cost of covering a load. Our freight matching platform automatically matches your uncovered loads with trucks available from within your network of preferred carriers. You also can search for trucks based on lane(s), date(s), weight, type of freight, carrier name and other factors. With Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching, you can cover loads quickly without ever picking up the phone, sending an email or posting to a load board. A more efficient process for covering loads means more opportunities to move more volume.
You can increase efficiency even more by integrating Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching platform with your transportation management system. Trucker Tools’ broker platforms integrate with the most popular transportation management systems in use today. TMS integration allows you to view available capacity directly in your TMS. This can further reduce the amount of time you spend covering loads, which can reduce your cost per load further, as well.
Increase Carrier Stickiness with Trucker Tools’ Digital Load Matching, In-App Load Booking
If you have to onboard a new owner operator or trucking company every time you need to cover a load, you’re unnecessarily inflating your cost per load and wasting valuable time and resources. Instead, use Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching platform to keep high-performing drivers and carriers active and engaged with your brokerage. Our digital freight matching platform lets you make specific loads viewable to specific carriers. Your preferred carriers can view your available loads 24 hours/day, seven days/week in the Trucker Tools driver app. They even can submit rate quotes directly through the driver app. The convenience that digital freight matching offers carriers can help make your brokerage one that carriers prefer.
To boost carrier “stickiness” even more, consider posting your open loads to Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching platform as Book It Now® loads. With Book It Now®, your preferred carriers can book your loads directly in the Trucker Tools driver app. When a dispatcher or owner operator books your Book It Now® load, the load is automatically booked in your TMS and the driver/carrier receives an automated email message confirming the load details. Carriers can book loads with you any time of day or night with Book It Now®. That convenience factor can go a long way in keeping carriers actively engaged with your brokerage.
Trucker Tools recently launched a new feature, Broker Advantage, which can increase carrier stickiness even further. To learn more, read Introducing Trucker Tools’ New Broker Advantage. Schedule a free demo of Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching platform.
