Trucker Tools recently surveyed logistics providers who move 1,000 loads or less to learn more about their specific needs and operations. Of those that responded to our survey, 71 percent told us that getting new shipper contracts is a top concern. If you’re a broker or 3PL of this size, you probably feel like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place right now. You know you need to diversify your shipper base to maintain and/or grow your business, yet you run a lean operation with a small staff and limited budget. At the same time, new shippers that you approach may have strict freight visibility requirements (visibility of 90 percent of their loads or higher) that you struggle to meet.
While many of the digital visibility software solutions on the market today are designed for large 3PLs/brokerages, Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility solution provides highly accurate, real-time load tracking to logistics businesses of all sizes. Pricing for Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility solution is based on volume to ensure that brokers and 3PLs of all sizes benefit from access to real-time, digital visibility technology.
How Trucker Tools’ Real-Time Visibility Works
The centerpiece of Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility solution is the free Trucker Tools driver app, which uses the GPS technology of the trucker’s smart phone to identify the precise location of freight once it’s on the road. The GPS included in most smart phones can identify a location correctly within approximately 30 feet, which makes it a highly reliable and accurate location technology. You can see exactly where your shippers’ freight is located in real-time either in Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity platform or directly in your TMS via a software integration.
Access to real-time visibility information means you can quickly identify and work to resolve delays as they occur in real-time. If, for example, a driver gets lost on their way to a receiver’s facility, you know this immediately and can call the driver to redirect them. When a trucker encounters traffic or other types of delays, you can provide an updated, accurate ETA to your shipper customers in real-time. Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity real-time visibility platform even can be integrated directly with your shippers’ software platforms, if you want to share location data with your shippers seamlessly.
Full Implementation in a Month or Less, Quick Results
When you implement a new technology platform, it needs to be as simple and quick as possible so that it doesn’t adversely affect your daily operations. With this in mind, Trucker Tools has developed a customized implementation and training process that is as efficient and pain-free as possible. It also doesn’t take long for you to see real, tangible results with Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility platform.
“The Trucker Tools’ implementation process was fairly seamless,” says Jacob Kosiara, VP of Business Excellence & Strategy for Candor Expedite. “For any organization that is contemplating using Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility platform, it’s important to know that it’s a platform that can be implemented in a month or even less. And we were able to see results within about three weeks.”
Reduce Check Calls, Increase Efficiency and Profit Margins
In the same survey mentioned above, 59 percent of those surveyed said they’re using text messages and/or check calls to track loads or that they aren’t tracking loads for their shippers at all. Of those who are using digital load tracking technology, 71 percent also report that 80 to 100 percent of those loads still require check-calls. The problem with check-calls and other manual methods of load tracking is that they require a considerable amount of time and effort. If you use phone calls, text messages and emails to track loads in your operations, you may not be able to grow your business and add new shippers without hiring additional staff members or paying overtime to your current staff.
Brokers and 3PLs who implement Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility tools typically reduce the number of check-calls they make per load because our GPS-based tools are accurate and reliable. LTI Delivers, a full-service logistics company based in Iowa, has been able to reduce check-calls by 40 percent, while Georgia-based Syfan Logistics has reduced calls by 30 percent, both thanks to Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility. Reducing check-calls benefits your business because it gives you more time and resources for cultivating new business. Check-call reduction also makes your operations more efficient, which can help you increase volume and profit margins. Third-party logistics provider Choptank Transport is using Trucker Tools’ real-time visibility platform to increase operational efficiency by 20 percent.
Read Are You Providing a Positive Experience for Carriers? to learn how your approach to load tracking can influence carrier adoption of digital load tracking technology. For more pricing information on Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity real-time visibility platform, click on Request a Demo to receive a personalized quote.
