New technological solutions and mobile applications are popping up on a near-daily basis in the transportation and logistics industry. This digital revolution has left both companies and individuals with a plethora of solutions to choose from, often leading to overwhelm and confusion. Choosing the right tech partner early – one that expands and shifts with the times – can make integrating technology much simpler. For many, Trucker Tools is that mainstay company.
The Trucker Tools driver mobile app was introduced in 2013, and new features have been added continuously over the past several years. The app recently surpassed an impressive milestone – 1 million downloads. The app provides an easy-to-use tracking solution and allows drivers to book loads right from their phones, making it popular with owner-operators and small fleets.
“We are extremely proud of our driver app and how well it has been and continues to be received in the market,” said Prasad Gollapalli, Trucker Tools’ founder and CEO. “Our focus is improving the driver experience and delivering mobile-based tools that make the job of running a truck more efficient and profitable. We are building out a one-to-many platform for truckers that connects them with the brokerage community, applies a familiar process and houses features that allow them to do business in a secure environment.”
Trucker Tools’ success is a result of more than just the app’s tracking capabilities. The app houses resources for drivers, including truck stop guides and parking locators. These tailored offerings bolster driver buy-in, an essential element of the company’s success.
“The biggest part of tech integration is adoption. You can design the best solution, but if the industry doesn’t adopt it, it means nothing,” ARL Logistics Executive Vice President Jordan Reber said. “A few years ago, it was hard to get people to agree when we said we were going to track their cellphones. We still get some resistance now, but it has lessened since all the major brokerages require tracking.”
The Trucker Tools Mobile Driver App has 17 of the most sought-after tools and features truckers use for managing their business while on the road. Those include:
- Smart Capacity predictive freight matching and load visibility, which provides a continually updated list of real-time available loads from brokers, in proximity to the driver, and ranks them with the best load on top, based on driver criteria, availability and preferences.
- Book-It-Now, the industry’s first smartphone-based, automated “one-click” booking tool, which enables truckers to accept and confirm offered loads in an automated process with little or no broker intervention.
- Automated Load Tracking, which utilizes the embedded GPS capabilities of the driver’s smartphone to provide constantly refreshed shipment in-transit status, with updates as frequent as every 15 minutes.
- Digital Document Management, which enables truckers to take a digital image of shipping documents like bills of lading and delivery receipts and transmit them securely into the brokers’ system, speeding payment.
- “On-the-road” support features, including real-time cheapest fuel and route optimizer, a truck stop guide, rest areas and overnight parking locator, weigh scales, maintenance shops, ETA calculator and DOT-certified medical facilities.
Trucker Tools is popular with owner-operators and small fleets, which account for about 90% of the truckload market. Several midsize and large brokerages have partnered with Trucker Tools to gain better access to this capacity, including Schneider, Werner Enterprises, Choptank Transport, ARL Logistics, Kingsgate Logistics, BlueGrace Logistics and Ryder System Inc.
Trucker Tools continues to refine and expand their services in order to meet the needs of carriers and brokers alike.