Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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technology in focus: FREIGHT MATCHING any transportation companies look to propel their growth by using nonasset brokerage and logistics services. With modest growth in truck capacity, the competition for trucks only will continue to heat up. Speedy communications and transactions with carriers are es- sential to secure capacity. Likewise, carriers that want to keep their trucks moving need to eliminate time-consuming phone calls, faxes and rate negotiations. When matching equipment and loads, carriers and brokers traditionally Speed dating M Online load boards go beyond matching equipment with freight BY AARON HUFF TMW Systems' TMWSuite software allows users to post available equipment en masse. have limited the amount of information they share online; many preferred to handle business transactions offline through phone calls and faxes. This model has changed; companies now are looking for ways to "onboard" cus- tomers faster and conduct business electronically from start to finish. Coming onboard Freight matching service Internet Truckstop's Carrier Registration Plus program allows carriers to create a profile and find brokers and shippers that match their criteria. Carriers that attach copies of their W-9s, cargo insurance and other documents to the profile can eliminate the manual process of get- ting approved by brokers and shippers. Companies want to 'onboard' customers faster and conduct more business electronically. Likewise, brokers can create their own profiles and attach documents, such as load agreements, which carriers can sign online to speed freight transactions. An approved carrier is moved to a separate database that is monitored and updated continuously to note changes in insurance coverage, safety fitness and carrier performance. Internet Truckstop's carrier rating system is based on seven criteria. TransCore's DAT Onboarding service for its DAT.com freight marketplace is a "digital locker" that carriers can use to create profiles of equipment and lane preferences and store cargo insurance and W-9 credentials. The service gives carriers and brokers the ability to sign contracts and paperwork online to speed transactions. DAT Onboarding is free to carriers; brokers pay for the service, which in- cludes ongoing monitoring of carriers' operating authority, safety, insurance and other criteria. Quick transactions Larger brokers and third-party logistics companies often deploy their own freight matching systems that are different than load boards. One of the 56 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2012 largest 3PLs, C.H. Robinson, uses its CHRWTrucks.com Website for trans- actional loads, similar to a spot market. Carriers with Website access already have gone through C.H. Robinson's qualifica- tion process. Besides using the site to search for loads, carriers are able to monitor all loads they are moving, submit proof-of- delivery documents and manage receiv- ables. Carriers also can assign loads to drivers; load details are sent to a mobile app on the driver's phone, which can be used to update load status automatically through CHRWTrucks.com. uShip soon will release uShip Pro, a version of its online transportation mar- ketplace for brokers and shippers, which will provide full load details and the ability for carriers to negotiate and bid for loads online. Carriers can build their credibility through ratings and reviews, similar to the eBay model. Brokers and shippers can create their own carrier networks in order to send loads to a private group. The uShip Pro marketplace also has automated tools for users to import load postings di- rectly from transportation management systems. TMS software In addition to online marketplaces, freight brokers and 3PLs that use TMS Continued on page 58