Not long after heralding the pilot program between freight transportation and logistics services provider Schneider and Truckstop.com, a load board and provider of spot market freight matching services, in which the parties announced they completed a pilot program that provides intuitive advanced functionality to Schneider carriers, entitled “Book it Now,” Truckstop.com said this week that the Book It Now offering will soon be made available to the general public.
Truckstop.com said this week that Book It Now will be available for free for a limited time to freight brokers using Truckstop.com Load Board Pro, adding that it is free for carriers and will appear on their Truckstop Mobile application.
And the company added that early feedback from the Book It Now pilot program noted that brokers can save up to two-to-three hours covering loads depending on market conditions and lanes.
“Freight brokers decide the rate and allow their preferred carriers to instantly book loads, eliminating negotiations,” it said. “The time saved allows the broker to move more loads, grow their client lists, and increase their bottom line. For carriers, Book It Now allows them to instantly book loads with brokers they trust and receive an automated rate confirmation. By eliminating extra phone calls, carriers have more time to grow their business or spend more time with their family. Once a carrier has been added to a broker’s preferred carrier list, they can see their Book It Now loads on Truckstop Mobile. Before booking the load, the carrier is able to see all the important information needed to make a decision such as: the rate, pickup and drop off information, broker information, and other pertinent details about the load. By working with trusted partners, Book It Now increases the quality and security of the freight marketplace.”
When Truckstop.com and Schneider announced the completed Book It Now pilot program, they cited various benefits Book it Now provides for carriers and owner-operators, including:
In a recent interview, Brett Webb, VP of Product, Truckstop.com, explained that the introduction of new technologies across the freight industry has caused a sort of ripple effect as companies look for ways to improve the outdated systems that are still used today.
“The ability to quickly book and move freight is one of those technologies that has really taken off in the last couple of months/years, and it’s been front of mid for many of our customers,” said Webb. “In fact, in our recent customer demographics survey (more than 3,500 carriers and brokers) we found that an overwhelming majority of respondents (75 percent) were interested in a ‘Book it Now’ solution. As the largest neutral freight marketplace in North America, it made sense to develop a solution that gives our customers even more freedom to run their business. We decided to work with Schneider because of their shared values, forward-thinking vision, thoughtfulness, and development prowess.”
And when asked how the Truckstop.com-Schneider pilot program provided benefits for shippers, Webb said that the program’s goal was to make the trusted relationship between the broker and carrier more efficient.
“Ultimately, this will benefit the shipper by allowing a broker more time to focus on giving them a better experience and services and possibly more capacity and predictability,” she stated. “Adding Book it Now also allows the broker to fill their freight faster and focus on deepening their relationships with the shippers.”