It’s hard to remember what life as a trucker was like twenty years ago. With the modernization of equipment, the reliance on cellphones/tablets/computers and the introduction of social media, the trucking industry has had a major overhaul.
In his blog, Dan Goodwill discusses how many of these modern-day trends are finally making their way to the freight brokerage industry. There are two companies in particular that seem to be on the verge of changing the industry…
The concept of Buytruckload.com is “automating all of the pricing, booking and tracing functions. This company will be a retail provider of partial (e.g. 5 pallets or 5,000 pounds and up) and full truckload service – dry van, refrigerated or flat bed – to domestic American shippers. Down the road, the company will be adding the functionality to quote and book intermodal and cross-border loads.” They are positioning themselves as being the “Expedia.com” of the trucking industry.
Comparing them to another new player in the industry – Post Bid Ship, who consider themselves more as the “Priceline.com” of the trucking industry. “First, Post Bid Ship helps [brokers] find capacity that they cannot obtain through their own data bases. Second, they save time by not having to call 5 or 10 carriers to cover a load.”
These companies are examples of how people are looking to modernize the freight brokerage and trucking industry. The question that remains is how willing will truck drivers be to adapt to these future trends?
BigRoad is also in the running for defining the trucking industry in the future. We areoffering browser applications for fleet managers with features, including real-time messaging to drivers; automate HOS and job status; real-time document capture from drivers; and real-time GPS location with traffic, weather, and satellite images for drivers. Our app also provides driver mobile applications for smartphones and tablets with features, including in-application messaging, HOS paperwork, send/receive documents and photos, and real-time navigation and traffic.
Adapting to ever-changing technology is not always easy, but companies like us are here to make it less of a battle for truck drivers and owner-operators.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, comments or concerns about how to use our app.
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Link to Dan Goodwill’s blog post