Tales of A Transportation Insider: How Technological Advancements Have Enhanced, Not Hindered, My Team.

As someone who has worked in logistics for many years, I have seen firsthand the changes that have occurred in transportation management. For the most part, changes have been driven by unprecedented disruption, shifts in customer expectations, and the need to support sustainability.  The main goal for any transportation team is to deliver goods on time while paying a fair market price. Unfortunately, it has become more difficult to predict and manage transportation efforts. To be successful, transportation teams need to be open to change, and need to embrace new technology that empowers agility, and quick pivoting as disruption occurs.  I know technology can be intimidating for some people. However, I have found that technology makes my job more enjoyable, and more efficient. By eliminating repetitive tasks, I spend less time on tactical efforts and more time on strategic ones related to customer service and sustainability. Innovation has helped freight procurement advance, and here are some of the many benefits. Expands Carrier Options Spending hours negotiating back and forth with freight brokers can be eliminated with automation technology. For example, Sleek Technologies has helped optimize my carrier network by dynamically finding, vetting, and onboarding new carriers. With middlemen eliminated, I have reduced my truckload cost by 15% and strengthened on-time delivery rates to 98%+. Optimizes Existing Carrier Network Making decisions based on bias, relationships, or intuition has been replaced with stronger, data-driven ones. With Sleek Technologies, I have gained full visibility on what trucks get paid, which makes it easy to understand true market cost of each load. I now have real proof points that help level-set truckload price and...

A Methodic Approach To A Fragmented System: All Under One Umbrella

Are you thinking strategically about your transportation spending? Shipping is a complex and costly aspect of any supply chain, and thus, the way shippers consider variables like truckload cost and service levels (OTD)-- is of utmost importance. For a long time, shippers have relied on legacy transportation management processes to procure carriers. These processes are outdated, and siloed, which is why shippers have embraced technological advancements to streamline freight procurement which optimizes the entire carrier network for long-term success to effectively manage the cyclical freight market as conditions change. Introducing Autonomous Freight Procurement & Advanced Analytics AI-powered software, and 100% data transparency, provide a holistic approach to transportation management in 8 simple steps. #1: Once the software is integrated with the shipper TMS #2: Shipper configures load attributes and sets max allowable truckload price in SaaS platform. #3: AI dynamically finds and vets a pool of compliant carriers, which are usually “invisible” to the shipper or blocked by broker middlemen. #4: AI introduces the load to a VETTED network of new and existing carriers giving them the opportunity to haul for you by submitting a direct bid. The 1st carrier to bid at or below the shipper’s allowable price wins the load. #5. With 100% data transparency the shipper knows which carrier has won the bid, and what they are getting paid. With no middlemen involved the shipper understands the actual truckload cost (what the truck is paid), so they can level-set pricing across their entire carrier network. #6: Tracking is done through the carrier's native mobile application, which is all visible to the shipper. #7: Carrier invoicing and payment...

Autonomous Freight Procurement Eliminates Waste & Bias

Autonomous Freight Procurement is revolutionizing the transportation industry by eliminating waste and bias from critical over-the-road transportation management decisions. Many shippers, who have prioritized supply chain digitization, have embraced technological advancements and are actively uncovering resilience, sustainability, and cost reduction opportunities they never knew they had.  What is Autonomous Freight Procurement? Autonomous Freight Procurement involves leveraging advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), to automate the manual processes of finding compliant carriers, negotiating rates and terms, coordinating shipments, and managing invoicing. The primary goal is to streamline the logistics process, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. What are Autonomous Freight Procurement benefits? The benefits of Autonomous Freight Procurement are significant. First, it increases efficiency by reducing or eliminating manual, repetitive, and time-consuming tasks. Second, it always chooses the most cost-effective carriers, which reduces truckload costs. Third, it always selects the most reliable and compliant carriers, which improves on-time delivery and overall customer experience. Finally, it provides 100% data transparency, empowering shippers to make stronger, data-informed decisions. Overall, Autonomous Freight Procurement is a powerful tool for optimizing logistics operations and improving the bottom line. By leveraging advanced technologies such as autonomous freight procurement software, shippers can stay competitive in today's fast-paced business environment and deliver the best possible service to their customers.

Eliminate Costly Transportation Decisions By Closing The Data Gap

Imagine having to optimize something without having all the facts and data. This is what transportation/ logistics professionals are forced to do all the time. Unfortunately, many shippers don't have actionable data and rely heavily on historical benchmarks or market averages when making crucial transportation decisions. This approach leads to implications that could impact a large company's financial health by millions of dollars. Several issues can be solved by closing the freight procurement data gap, such as selecting the best possible carrier for each run, and level-setting truckload prices.  Poor Carrier Selection Many shippers continue to use the same roster of carriers, even when far better options are available because they lack actionable insights to identify existing problem areas. It’s like the old saying… You can’t fix what you don’t know is broken. Without complete and accurate carrier performance and pricing data, shippers can’t make informed data-driven decisions about which carriers to keep, drop or add. This leads to suboptimal carrier selection, higher transportation costs, and poor service levels which lead to unhappy customers. Not Understanding Truckload Price   When working with freight brokers, shippers are presented with a non-transparent truckload cost, with no insight into how payments are divided between brokers and trucks/carriers. To truly comprehend the real truckload cost, it's crucial to obtain pricing directly from the truck/carrier without any hidden middlemen fees. Incomplete data puts shippers at a massive disadvantage and falls short of providing the insights necessary to level-set or standardize truckload pricing across the entire carrier network. Overpayment leads to millions of dollars in transportation budget overages, and underpayment leads to poor service levels and late...