How TMS Integrations to Freight Marketplaces Automatically Share Truckload Truckload Freight Loads

Automation is now widely available to freight managers, carriers, and brokers. Most automation aims to assist with securing truckload freight loads and trucking capacity. The automation integrated into freight technology must focus on establishing and strengthening lines of communication within the freight transportation network. According to TruckingInfo, “ technology solutions take a wide range of approaches better to connect carriers, shippers, and freight brokers, to make logistics and supply chains run more efficiently, and to drive more profits for users. There’s everything from digital brokers and electronic load boards to sophisticated systems that manage the entire process from load tender to payment. Some focus on the immediate transaction of the spot market. Others aim to foster greater collaboration.” Freight marketplace participants can benefit from the integration of technologies between TMS and digital freight marketplaces to aid in short-term capacity and pricing bids, and annual contract RFPs. This article will explain why integration in freight technology drives improved operations by offering automation that yields increased efficiency. 

The Problem With Traditional Loads Boards and Manual Processes in Freight Management

Today’s most significant challenge facing freight market participants is having too many fronts to battle in the process of procuring freight in a volatile market and not enough resources to handle it all. With too much to manage, relying on outdated, cumbersome manual processes, efficiency gets lost. Many load boards today still struggle to get by with archaic techniques and methods. Embracing digital truckload freight matching innovations and automation makes it much easier to connect a load with a carrier, identify opportunities to improve brokerage efficiency, manage assets, choose the right service level and more. The freight logistics industry continues to lag as many other industries have evolved over the years to embrace a digital, more streamlined concept. 

Many other standard services have all made significant advances thanks to integrating automated technology. Contactless on-demand rental of vehicles and booking of hotels remains something that has become common and expected. Mobile ordering and on-demand food services have become common and expected. In logistics, the greatest challenge for truckload freight load optimization has been keeping up with the times. While the hotel and car rental examples are not necessarily related to the supply chain management theme, everything is moving toward automation. Logistics should be no different. Shifting to an automated process from a traditional one can keep all freight management parties ahead of the competition.  

TMS Integration With Marketplaces Creates More Opportunities to Connect Truckload Freight Loads With Capacity

Finding the next load and utilizing the total capacity for a truck before dispatching may seem easy and straightforward. But the process can get quite involved and complex at times. And that varies based on whether it’s a shipper looking for a carrier, a broker navigating a mix of carriers and shippers, or a carrier trying to fill empty trucks. Conducting all the searching, calls, scheduling, and finalizing booking with a carrier manually via emails exemplifies an inefficient way to handle truckload freight load acquisition. Yet, integrated TMS platforms can ensure all parties have access to the data and resources needed to thrive. 

Why Integration Works More Efficiently and How It Supports All Freight Management Parties.

Technology provides many opportunities for growth and success within the industry. However, successful truckload freight load management requires an effective and practical plan for each of the three primary freight management segments, including carriers, shippers and brokers. The best uses of an automated, integrated freight marketplace platform per segment include:

• Shippers:  Integrated systems form a single pane of glass via a TMS to help shippers source meaningful capacity within tight truckload markets. Since it all operates behind the scenes, shippers see direct improvements without the hassle of implementing more systems within their tech stack. And shippers also see benefits that arise from increased data-driven performance tracking of carriers that are embedded within TMS analytics via the marketplace platform. And the best part is that it all runs in the background.
• Carriers: Carriers realize a faster and more proactive load review and acceptance process within a marketplace-enabled carrier portal. Remember that it all functions by connecting carriers to more TMS resources via integration. As such, that reduces delays in quoting, scheduling a pickup, and dispatching trucks.
• Brokers: Benefits comparable to both shippers and carriers, allowing a faster process to match capacity to loads and even manage company-owned assets or moves. Like shippers, brokers may also capture data to create carrier scorecards to further refine workflows. 

It’s a complex series of benefits, but there’s a single supreme truth to it all; more efficient workflows make brokers, carriers and shippers more efficient and able to leverage digital capabilities.

Adapt to Carriers’ Changing Needs With Digital Load Boards

When integrating TMS platforms with the truckload freight load market, the goal should remain to adapt to each segment’s needs. Each segment or specific service domain remains unique and operates differently, and they will have individual objectives and needs. The issue continues to be that most basic TMS resources do not support this personalization and integration level. That’s a marked disadvantage. However, newtrul software to connect load boards does support all three segments and can work to complement any current TMS setup or logistics’ back-office process. Contact newtrul today to request a free demo.