DTNA Using App For Spot Load Efficiency

In an interesting glimpse at how technology can streamline freight hauling, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) said it is launching a new digital platform for its contracted freight carriers in the United States to match them with the company’s spot loads using a customized version of an app developed by Loadsmart.

“To manufacture trucks, we need carriers to deliver components and parts to our plants,” said Lori Heino-Royer, director of business innovation at Daimler Trucks North America. “Offering a customized app to our contracted carriers gives them first access to our spot business and improves critical points in our supply chain.”

Loadsmart, a technology company that specializes in full truckload shipping, offers a platform designed for both carriers and shippers. The Loadsmart platform, available online and through mobile devices, helps update the logistics process for spot loads which are freight shipments that are outside of regularly scheduled shipments.

Loadsmart is engineered to take the process from pen and paper and phone calls to a more efficient digital platform that leverages data and machine-learning technology.
DTNA teamed up with Loadsmart to develop a customized version of the platform which was piloted with a small subset of DTNA’s carriers in the autumn of 2017. It demonstrated dramatic improvements in the time to process a spot shipment — going from five hours to just 18 minutes on average. In addition, carriers received payments in two days instead of 30 days.

“We saw Daimler Trucks North America’s participating fleet customers increase their average number of spot loads moved by more than 50% and improve their average time to accept, process and deliver a spot shipment by over 90%,” said Loadsmart CEO Ricardo Salgado. “Working with the largest truck OEM is core to Loadsmart’s vision to build the future of logistics by interconnecting all players in a powerful platform.”