In this ongoing educational blog series, we’re taking a closer look at innovative technologies and digital tools that are helping freight brokers like you become more productive in your daily work. These technologies make you better equipped to meet your customers’ evolving needs and help you build relationships with carriers, while simplifying how you source carrier capacity.
In this blog, you’ll learn more about carrier capacity intelligence, also known as capacity intelligence. Capacity intelligence uses real-time data, predictive matching, artificial intelligence and machine-learning to help you identify capacity sources, carrier preferences and carrier behaviors — while giving you the power to scale to meet your customers’ evolving needs.
What Is Carrier Capacity Intelligence?
Carrier capacity intelligence analyzes real-time data to tell you with accuracy and detail where different types of truck capacity are available now and where they will be available in the future. That future could be next week or it could be a month from now. Capacity intelligence includes analysis of historical load and transaction data, as well. These analyses provide you with insights into which lanes your carriers prefer to run in and whether they typically track loads digitally in these lanes. Capacity intelligence also can help you accurately evaluate capacity density in specific lanes when you’re prospecting a new project for your shippers.
Uncovered Loads Automatically Matched with Available Carrier Capacity
Software platforms such as Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity use carrier capacity intelligence to help you as a freight broker make better, more informed decisions faster. Smart Capacity leverages real-time capacity intelligence to match your uncovered loads automatically and instantly with both in-network and out-of-network capacity. Instead of making a dozen or more phone calls to cover a single load, you can find the best truck for your load with a few clicks of your computer mouse within Smart Capacity. Smart Capacity is an artificial-intelligence platform, which means the more you use the platform, the more accurate its capacity intelligence and predictions will be, which will increase your success rate over time.
Secure Future Capacity with Predictive Freight Matching
Platforms like Smart Capacity leverage real-time capacity intelligence and historical data to help you locate and secure capacity in the future, as well. Smart Capacity analyzes transaction and capacity data from Trucker Tools’ driver and carrier tech, which is used by nearly 2 million drivers and 250,000 carriers, to predict with accuracy where truckload capacity will be available in the future. This capacity intelligence is based on real-world data and the real-time movement of trucks as captured by the GPS tech in drivers’ smart phones. The accuracy of this capacity intelligence makes it possible for you to identify where capacity will be available in the future and to secure it before it’s ever posted publicly to a load board.
Better Understand Carrier Preferences and Behaviors
Carrier relationship-building starts with getting to know your carriers, including what types of lanes and loads they prefer — and that’s where capacity intelligence can play a crucial role. Solutions like Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity use capacity intelligence to tell you which of your carriers are currently tracking loads digitally with Trucker Tools and which lanes they’re looking for loads in. Smart Capacity also will show you which lanes and types of loads a carrier historically has preferred. This intelligence empowers you to proactively offer specific loads and lanes to carriers with those preferences, thereby making your capacity sourcing process much faster and more efficient.
Provide Accurate Project Quotes to Shippers
Smart Capacity also leverages capacity intelligence to tell you how much capacity is available in certain lanes and for different types of loads (reefer, van, power only, etc.). If you want a general view, you can use the map view in Smart Capacity to get a quick read on capacity density in a given region. Use the My Capacity Search in Smart Capacity to search only from the point of origin. Try the Carrier Search tool in Smart Capacity to view matching carriers for the point of origin and carriers who’ve delivered the most to that particular market. You also can see where a carrier typically goes after delivering a load by looking at preferred destinations with Smart Capacity’s Carrier Search tool.
Be sure to read, “How To Use Digital Freight Matching To Proactively Grow Your Customer Base.” Schedule a free demo of Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity.
