Why Booking Freight Loads Digitally Creates Efficiencies & Flexibility in the Shipping Network

Securing adequate capacity and ensuring full freight loads make up the bulk of what logistics managers focus on within the shipping network today. With modern advances in technology and innovation, outdated methods need replacing with digital booking and bidding options. Increased efficiency, flexibility, and profitability are just some of the benefits that await supply chain team members. 

The Industry Continues to Endure Manual Books of Freight Loads and Poor Customer Service

In recent years, multiple reports and surveys have found that less than 10% of freight loads get booked digitally by shippers and carriers. While traditional phone calls and emails worked in the past, something better is needed in today's competitive and ever-changing market. Manual bookings are not ideal for shippers and brokers nor customers as it results in a host of issues: 

• Excessive waste of time simply sitting and waiting for a callback. 
• Greater exposure to price gouging and dishonest practices.
• Inability to accurately predict and forecast market trends and demands. 
• Poor service from shipping partners as well as lost hours due to manually-invasive assistance, read “time-consuming and expensive,” given to customers.
• Higher instances of fees and expenses due to higher market volatility. 

To keep up with the times and to stay ahead of the competition, it remains essential that brokers and managers embrace digital trends and leave outdated methods behind as they look to 2021 and beyond. 

Digital Freight Load Bookings Promote Back-Office Efficiencies and Collaboration

There exist many benefits to be enjoyed behind the scenes when modern technology and automation get appropriately utilized.

• Improved communications throughout the supply chain.
• Safe and secure records that get easily shared and maintained. 
• Automated reporting and tracking for accurate status updates.
• Real-time data access by all involved parties and team members.
• Better schedule management and networking collaborations.

Managing booking and scheduling requirements remain a team effort. Embracing digital processes and moving from manual capacity bidding to automated dashboards can help streamline back-office workflow. Improved collaborations and networking remain relaxed when data stays available in real-time.

Increased Throughput Amounts to Higher Profitability for Brokers and Carriers, While Conserving Costs for Shippers

As technologies become all the more advanced, the digital supply chain grows in this new day and age. Now it becomes more accessible than ever for shippers and carriers to set themselves apart from the competition. With maximum load capacities easier to secure, profits can soar, and returns on investments can climb for carrier directors and brokerage managers. Likewise, profit grows, and expenses fall for shippers who deal with freight loads and transportation. Less idle time, shorter phone calls, fewer empty miles, maximized capacity, increased customer loyalty, and better data analysis became possible with a sound approach to capacity booking.

Digital Processes Further Augment Talent

The shift to more digitally-focused processes and procedures can also help the digital supply chain network improved talent relations and boost productivity and efficiency.  Digital freight load management can improve talent performance in several key ways.

• Drawing in new talent to the company.
• Continuing education and training.
• Access to best tools and platforms.
• Implementation of real-time data and analysis.
• Improved scheduling and fleet management.
• Enhanced management through digital marketplaces.
• Greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Automation Builds Additional Flexibility to Source More Capacity When Necessary

Shippers, carriers, brokers, and managers must realize a few issues that necessitate a renewed look at what supply chain automation offers. These include:

• Higher rates of freight spend.
• Poor capacity and order matching.
• Boosting customer service levels.
• Excessive number of tender rejections.
• Increased market volatility and disruption.
• Issues with freight load handling and delivery.
• Lack of adequate capacity and truck space.
• Need to adapt to post-COVID trends.

Take Advantage of Digitally Booked Freight Loads With the Right Platform

Improving capacity bidding and procurement remains a crucial struggle for managers and brokers alike. Embracing automation and digital processes stays critical for continued growth and expansion. Maintaining full freight load capacity will help ensure trucks get loaded, orders completed, profits rise, and expenses fall. Taking advantage of digitally booked freight capacity and load board innovations will make a world of difference for the modern digital supply chain network. Contact newtrul to get started today.