KBX Logistics has entered into a partnership with Transflo to expand the use of electronic bill-of-lading and electronic proof-of-delivery solutions to KBX customers.
KBX is an arm of privately owned Koch Industries. On its website it describes itself as the sixth-largest 3PL in the U.S., managing more than $1 billion in freight spending in U.S. transportation.
The new service will provide KBX customers with electronic bill-of-lading (eBOL) and electronic proof-of-delivery (ePOD) documents. “This strategic collaboration will deliver digitized end-to-end automated document workflow solutions between KBX Logistics and their partners including drivers, carriers, shippers, and receivers,” the companies said in a joint statement.
Georgia Pacific, which is also owned by Koch Industries, was cited in the statement as an example of a company that had used the service. “This new solution has proven to be highly successful,” the statement said. “With few process changes, Georgia-Pacific will now be able to quickly and efficiently move from a nearly 100 percent manual bills of lading process to the new KBX electronic bill of lading solution for transactions and storage.”
The release quoted Ron Taub, senior director of manufacturing logistics at Georgia Pacific, as saying that the new solution “allows the entire supply chain to move to a completely touch-free, electronically stored Bill of Lading that achieves greater efficiency and safety, accessibility, storage, and compliance needs, all while reducing operational costs for everyone involved.”
The citation of Georgia Pacific, a major producer of consumer and building supplies, highlights the fact that Transflo worked with various Koch Industries companies in developing the eBOL and ePOD solutions. The collaboration was between the Customer Advisory Board of Transflo and “several” Koch companies, including Georgia Pacific.
On its website, KBX says this about what it refers to as eBOL: “eBOL works by streamlining the signature and confirmation process as a one-source solution that conveniently — and securely — transmits shipment information to all parties involved (shippers, drivers and consignees) while meeting all legal and business requirements, with the added convenience of e-signing.”
Most KBX carrier partners are now using Transflo tools, the statement said. But even if they are not, KBX customers can use the eBOL and ePOD solutions with systems other than Transflo.
Transflo already provides services that digitize the payment process to varying degrees. For example, earlier this year, it announced its participation in a three-way agreement with Schneider National and TriumphPay that involved Transflo using its capabilities to digitize documents in the supply chain process.
The eBOL and ePOD services will be integrated into the Transflo Mobile+ “suite of solutions, [which] also includes document scanning, freight visibility, truck navigation, plus image optimization and digital workflow management tools,” the joint release said.
While the relationship between Transflo and KBX does not mark the first use of the eBOL technology, Transflo President and CEO Frank Adelman said in an email to FreightWaves that “the KBX relationship puts us way ahead of the marker as far as daily volume.”
“We actually think we can be the leading provider of the eBOL solution to the industry,” he added. “There is a ton of great technology in the transportation supply chain today, and we are fortunate in that ours is already in the driver’s pocket.”
Adelman said there are 1.6 million use downloads of the Transflo Mobil+ app, and 90% of the top 400 carriers are using Transflo solutions, as well as 60,000 carriers beyond that top 400.
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