In a recent Trucker Tools webinar, Trucker Tools’ Founder & CEO Prasad Gollapalli spoke with Jeff Henderson, Senior VP of Operations for Ryan Transportation, about the benefits the company has gained from dramatically improved data quality and compliance success with Trucker Tools. In the webinar, entitled “How Ryan Transportation Accelerated Access to Visibility Information,” Henderson spoke about the visibility challenges Ryan Transportation faced prior to the implementation of Trucker Tools’ load tracking platform. Henderson also discussed the positive outcomes of the implementation, which include greater efficiency, higher load volume, improved relationships with carriers and shippers, and the ability to make better business decisions.
Visibility Challenges Solved with Trucker Tools’ Game-Changing,
Real-Time Freight Tracking
Prior to the rollout of Trucker Tools’ real-time freight tracking platform, Ryan Transportation’s team used check calls to track shipper loads. According to Henderson, before the implementation, if each carrier rep was moving 10 loads/day, they were making 20 to 30 check calls/day, which was not very efficient. Once carrier reps reached the dispatcher or driver, they didn’t always trust that the location updates and arrival times provided were accurate. Ryan Transportation was an early adopter of Trucker Tools’ load tracking technology in part because leadership within the organization recognized that real-time digital load tracking was going to be a future requirement from shippers.
“Real-time visibility is not a nice to have service anymore,” said Henderson. “It’s a requirement. First and foremost, Trucker Tools’ freight tracking has truly increased our efficiency, which not only helps with reducing those tracking and tracing calls, but it actually has turned into more loads per day for our reps. Those 20 to 30 calls can be used to cover current loads or future loads, so it also has been a big win with our customer base. We know now what is going on with the truck. This always had been a big hurdle with the larger shippers, so this has continually allowed us to move upstream with that customer base. Trucker Tools’ load tracking has been a really big game changer for us.”
“It’s a requirement. First and foremost, Trucker Tools’ freight tracking has truly increased our efficiency, which not only helps with reducing those tracking and tracing calls, but it actually has turned into more loads per day for our reps. Those 20 to 30 calls can be used to cover current loads or future loads, so it also has been a big win with our customer base. We know now what is going on with the truck. This always had been a big hurdle with the larger shippers, so this has continually allowed us to move upstream with that customer base. Trucker Tools’ load tracking has been a really big game changer for us.”
TMS and ELD Integrations Increase Efficiency, Improve
Carrier and Shipper Experience
Ryan Transportation has been using the McLeod PowerBroker transportation management software since 2007. The ability to integrate Trucker Tools’ freight tracking software with the McLeod TMS provides Ryan Transportation’s carrier sales reps with the ability to check up on loads directly in the TMS without opening another browser or software program. The integration also has allowed Ryan Transportation to set up an automated process where the Trucker Tools’ load tracking request is sent to the driver/carrier automatically on the day the load is scheduled to be picked up instead of several days in advance, thereby providing a better experience for carriers.
“Trucker Tools’ push on ELD integration has been massive for us, as well,” Henderson said. “When Trucker Tools’ first started offering the chance to track loads with ELDs, there were about 400 carriers who were set up for ELD tracking with Trucker Tools. When we went back and looked at our records from the previous year, those 400 carriers had moved 10,000 loads for us. We knew that we could immediately pick up 10,000 loads worth of compliance. Since then, the number of carriers Trucker Tools has set up to track loads via ELD has grown to over 1,000, so now we have 1,000 plus carriers that are on ELDs integrated with Trucker Tools’ freight tracking platform/our McLeod TMS. We have some dispatch notes set up and when a rep goes to book that carrier, it automatically tells the rep the carrier is on ELD and they can put in their tractor number. I mean, there’s not a better process than that, right?”
Henderson went on to say that the company’s shippers often grade performance based on visibility consistency and compliance. Trucker Tools’ ELD integration capabilities have helped Ryan Transportation consistently meet these shipper visibility requirements.
Henderson went on to say that the company’s shippers often grade performance based on visibility consistency and compliance. Trucker Tools’ ELD integration capabilities
Using Digital Visibility Data To Make Better Strategic
Business Decisions About Carrier Relationships
In the webinar, Henderson reiterated that Trucker Tools’ load tracking has helped Ryan Transportation increase its operational efficiency, while offering advantages to the company’s customers. Gaining efficiency also allows Ryan Transportation to accept more loads from its customers. An added notable benefit is that Trucker Tools’ load tracking is helping Ryan Transportation identify which carriers are high performers and which aren’t. Henderson sees a driver/carrier’s willingness to use digital load tracking as a predictor of performance.
“We’re no different from anybody in the industry in that we have problems with loads at times, but we also have problems with carriers, too,” Henderson said. “When we have a serious problem with a carrier, whether it’s a double brokering situation or a load hostage situation, which are things that are really out of you know norm, I can say with 100 percent certainty that the carrier is not tracking. It definitely raises a red flag for us when we’re talking to a carrier and they absolutely won’t track the load, or they say they will do it and then they don’t turn it on. When that happens, we put some extra eyes on those loads and maybe get a manager involved.”
For the rest of the discussion and to learn more about the results you can achieve with Trucker Tools’ real-time freight tracking, watch “How Ryan Transportation Accelerated Access to Visibility Information.”
