Increasing the efficiency of your operations boosts the overall productivity of your freight brokerage or logistics business. When you increase productivity, you can raise your profits margins and/or increase the volume of freight you move. Raising productivity also can ultimately benefit the shippers and carriers with whom you work. When you are able to do things such as share information automatically with shippers, digitize your communications with carriers and automate freight tracking, you become a with more attractive partner to shippers and carriers, alike.
Read on to learn about five ways that you can boost productivity in your brokerage or logistics business.
1. Use Digital Freight Matching Instead of Load
Boards
Load boards are not your only option when it comes to finding trucks to move your shippers’ freight. Using load boards to cover freight can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process with a lot of back and forth between you and the driver/carrier. Digital freight matching automatically matches your open loads with the best trucks from your network of preferred carriers. With digital freight matching, you can find trucks and cover loads in seconds and then move onto the next task.
2. Provide Doc Upload Option for Drivers
Digitizing paper-based processes is always a win for you and your carriers. Instead of waiting for a driver to drop off or fax BOL/POD paperwork to your office after a load has been delivered, give drivers and carriers the ability to scan and send digital documents to you immediately. Giving carriers a doc upload option means you spend less time chasing down paperwork. Carriers often like having a doc upload option because it saves them time.
3. Automate, Digitize Load Tracking
Accurate, real-time digital freight tracking is what today’s shippers expect, but automating and digitizing freight tracking does more than satisfy your shippers. It also offers your business a chance to increase productivity. You can reduce or even eliminate time-consuming check calls with app-based digital freight tracking like that offered by Trucker Tools. With Trucker Tools’ freight tracking, you can automatically prompt the trucker to turn load tracking on/off when approaching and/or leaving loading docks.
4. Digitize Your Communications with
Carriers/Drivers
Transportation is still very much a relationship business. That doesn’t mean, however, that all of your communications should require a phone call, email or face to face interaction. You can save time and increase productivity by digitizing some of your communications with carriers. Trucker Tools’ Broker Advantage gives your business a homepage within the Trucker Tools driver app. Truckers can quickly and easily see your available loads, upload documents and book your loads right in the driver app with Broker Advantage. Carriers also can send you quotes and view incentives through your homepage.
5. Integrate Technology with Your TMS, Shipper
Software Platforms
It’s important to choose technology that can integrate with the software platforms you use in your operations. Integrating technologies such as Trucker Tools’ freight tracking and digital freight matching platforms with your TMS allows your team to quickly access the information they need without opening a new browser or software program. Choosing technology that also integrates with your shippers’ software platforms lets you automatically share freight tracking data with shippers, which further enhances productivity.
To learn more about how you can use technology to boost profit margins and strengthen relationships with shippers and carriers, read Three Ways To Grow Your Logistics Business.
Schedule a free demo of Trucker Tools’ digital freight matching, real-time freight tracking platform and Book It Now®.
