In a recent webinar, Trucker Tools’ VP of Partnerships Matt Silver was joined by Freightflow’s Founder/CEO Butch Peri and Chief Technology Officer Diego Prado. The recent webinar centered on the value of integrated software platforms and how embracing strategic integrations can help freight brokers and 3PLs elevate profit margins and service levels. The group also discussed best practices for identifying strategic integration partners and how well-executed software integrations can enhance productivity for freight brokers/3PLs and carriers/drivers, especially within the produce/perishables segment.
About Freightflow’s Mission and Partnership with Trucker
Tools
“I had a vision after being in the produce business my whole life,” said Freightflow Founder and CEO Peri. “I was spending 80 or 90 percent of my time on just 10 or 15 percent of my business and it was all related to logistic issues and I wanted to figure out the best way to solve those. Everybody works really well in their own silos, but one of the issues is that silos don’t communicate with each other. I wanted to break down the walls and create an open, end-to-end platform that could integrate with the right companies instead of reinventing the wheel. I’d rather have a connection and integration with companies that are best in class and we felt Trucker Tools obviously was one of the best in class integrations that we could do. I’m very mindful that in the future there will be some autonomous trucks that are going to be driving the straight lanes and in those straight miles, there’s not going to be anybody answering phones or texting. It’s going to be computer to computer and machine to machine, so I was mindful of the future that we built a platform to be prepared for that when that day comes. I felt that we had to integrate with quality companies like Trucker Tools to get that open end-to-end platform and be prepared for the future.”
“I was spending 80 or 90 percent of my time on just 10 or 15 percent of my business and it was all related to logistic issues and I wanted to figure out the best way to solve those. Everybody works really well in their own silos, but one of the issues is that silos don’t communicate with each other. I wanted to break down the walls and create an open, end-to-end platform that could integrate with the right companies instead of reinventing the wheel. I’d rather have a connection and integration with companies that are best in class and we felt Trucker Tools obviously was one of the best in class integrations that we could do. I’m very mindful that in the future there will be some autonomous trucks that are going to be driving the straight lanes and in those straight miles, there’s not going to be anybody answering phones or texting. It’s going to be computer to computer and machine to machine, so I was mindful of the future that we built a platform to be prepared for that when that day comes. I felt that we had to integrate with quality companies like Trucker Tools to get that open end-to-end platform and be prepared for the future.”
How the Freightflow-Trucker Tools Integration Partnership
Simplifies Workflows
As part of the webinar, Prado demonstrated how a freight broker/3PL agent would build a load in Freightflow and make it available to drivers and carriers that use Trucker Tools’ technology. Prado also showed what that load would look like to carriers that use Trucker Tools’ free carrier software platform or driver app. Once your Freightflow/Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity integration is turned on, you can build loads within Freightflow TMS that will automatically be posted to Trucker Tools’ platform, appearing in search results for carriers using Trucker Tools’ carrier platform and driver app. The integration partnership between Trucker Tools and Freightflow also allows you to post loads as Book-It-Now® loads directly from the Freightflow TMS.
You can quickly add drivers to loads from the Freightflow interface and once a driver is assigned, track the load within the TMS in real-time as the load progresses. Team members can send and receive text messages to the assigned driver through Freightflow, which the driver can read and respond to in the Trucker Tool driver app. Drivers can upload documents such as BOL and POD docs via the Trucker Tools app, which can be received and viewed in the Freightflow TMS.
Why Freightflow Partnered with Trucker Tools Instead of
Developing Its Own Driver App
Before partnering with Trucker Tools, Prado spent time analyzing how Freightflow might build its own driver’s app. According to Prado, every time he approached developing a proprietary driver app, he concluded that the size of the endeavor was too great. Instead, Prado saw the Trucker Tools driver app and viewed it as a game-changing technology compared with other driver apps, the power of which Freightflow could harness for its TMS customers.
“Another reason why integrating with Trucker Tools became a good option was that when I first talked to Matt, I knew we were on the same page and had the same culture,” said Freightflow’s CTO Prado. “I like to work with people who are looking forward and trying to develop cutting edge technologies where actually building the integration is fun instead of a hassle, which was the case with Trucker Tools. It was effortless. It was a great experience.”
Watch the full webinar on demand. Schedule a free demo of Trucker Tools’ Smart Capacity.
