Twenty-two companies showcased their FreightTech innovations as part of November’s FreightWaves LIVE @HOME virtual conference. Each company was tasked with displaying its cutting-edge technologies in seven minutes or less without the use of PowerPoint.
Seven companies were awarded best of show for their outstanding virtual demonstrations. J.B. Hunt, Turvo, Axele, Transflo, Loadshop, Trimble Maps and Platform Science took top honors.
J.B. Hunt
J.B. Hunt showcased final-mile solutions offered by Shipper 360, its instant visibility and delivery management platform. Customers can easily schedule in-home deliveries through Shipper 360’s intuitive dashboard that provides in-depth options for booking shipments or scheduling returns.
“Coupling J.B. Hunt, the largest asset-based final-mile network in North America, with a dedicated, non-service offering, we bring new levels of value to our customers with big and bulky product deliveries such as appliances, TVs, fitness equipment and many more products,” said Mark Brewer, director of product innovation at J.B. Hunt.
Among its many features, Brewer detailed Shipper 360’s Create a Shipment “In Home” experience, which offers both extensive residential and commercial delivery order options. Customers can provide relevant information concerning the types of vehicles permitted on their street, details on how to access the residence or place of business, as well as width of doorways, etc. Delivery times can also be negotiated through its interactive calendar.
Turvo
Turvo specializes in collaborative logistics that empowers shippers, carriers and brokers to connect and communicate on a single platform. Its streamlined solution emphasizes collaboration and visibility as key factors in achieving supply chain management, unlike using spreadsheets and siloed software — the long-standing status quo.
The intuitive user interface allows users to view, create and manage both full-truckload (FTL) and less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments and easily find a carrier for each load. Turvo even provides users the ability to share access to real-time shipment tracking to their customer bases.
“Turvo uses collaboration to remove the inefficiencies between companies by creating automation,” said co-founder Jeff Dangelo. “We solve more problems than just tracking a shipment. Turvo promotes collaboration between organizations as well as giving the customers in your network a better experience.”
Axele
Axele proudly describes itself as the first intelligent TMS system for full truckload carriers. For the first time, small- to medium-size truckload carriers have access to a powerful, intelligent TMS (transportation management system) at affordable prices.
Ryan Camacho, product director at Axele, describes the platform as a “one-stop shop” to help run a smoother business, automate day-to-day operations and optimize load planning to increase profits and grow your business.
In this demo, Camacho stepped through Axele’s load creation process, its settlement module where managers can pay drivers and invoice customers, and how its users can get started with a free account.
Transflo
Transflo came on the scene in 1991 offering paperwork solutions but has since evolved to deliver an array of digital tools to transform supply chains across the industry. Processing nearly $84 billion in freight bills each year, Transflo boasts over 1.6 million app users, including shippers, brokers, carriers and drivers.
“As a shipper, what I like about Transflo is it gives me a safer and more efficient way to interact with my carrier partners,” said Mark Cody, director of sales at Transflo. “With an electronic bill of lading (eBOL) and electronic proof of delivery (ePOD), not only has it increased my interaction with drivers and my carriers, but it has also improved our yard workflows and our internal processes.”
Among its many features, Transflo detailed its Command Center Carrier Portal, which allows brokers to book more loads faster and with less input. Transflo can be integrated with most TMS and supplies carriers with the ability to see all brokered loads in the same place in addition to real-time visibility of each shipment.
Loadshop
Loadshop’s aim is to seamlessly connect shippers and carriers on a single freight-matching platform. The Loadshop platform can be integrated with an existing TMS and only requires shippers to pay a nominal fee once a load is booked.
Loadshop founder and product leader Hunter Burke explained that giving shippers and carriers a hassle-free way to directly connect allows them to bypass the limiting filter that the current brokering model creates. Plus, Loadshop charges a flat, transparent fee only when a match is made.
“These benefits help create a virtuous cycle of mutual benefit where shippers end up paying less and carriers ultimately earn more from their spot market transactions,” Burke said. “We’re excited about the economic benefit that Loadshop can bring to the spot market, with shippers already reporting average savings of up to $200 per load booked through the platform.”
Platform Science
Platform Science capitalizes on the power edge of computing with its connected vehicle platform. The system provides for app-to-app integrations, mobile device management as well as the ultimate in driver experience and security. Darrin Demchuck, vice president of Platform Science, demoed Platform Science’s application with a tractor-trailer in real-time.
Demchuck explained that with edge integration, cloud computing is not needed to generate real-time data from the vehicle to the mobile device or tablet. Data can be streamed securely via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection between truck and driver.
“Through harnessing the power of edge computing, all new capabilities can be unlocked purely in software instead of requiring more and more hardware,” Demchuck said. He added that Platform Science software will be embedded into Freightliner Cascadia trucks at the factory starting in 2021.
Trimble Maps
Trimble Maps’ platform and copilot app provides in-depth delivery location information. By utilizing verified commercial location data, both fleets and drivers can get more precise estimated times of arrival (ETAs) and give drivers proper instructions to guide them from the interstate to the loading gate.
Kelly Loizos, product owner at Trimble Maps, presented how fleet managers and dispatchers can customize a predefined database of tens of thousands of commercial locations during the FreightWaves LIVE @HOME demo.
“Fleet managers and dispatchers can customize our predefined database of tens of thousands of commercial locations,” Loizos said.
Loizos showcased the platform’s commercial location data capabilities by zooming in on a Sysco distribution center (DC) in Indianapolis. The interactive map provided a detailed road-level aerial view of the DC, including access points for entry and exit gates.
