New program rolled out by Echo Global Logistics provides various carrier benefits

Chicago-based third-party logistics and technology-enabled transportation services provider Echo Global Logistics recently rolled out a new rewards program for its carrier network, entitled, EchoDrive Preferred.

Echo officials described EchoDrive Preferred as a tiered program comprised of three levels of benefits, with what it called a strategic approach to attract and reward the most loyal carriers and drivers. And the company added that it functions as a counterpart to its proprietary EchoDrive web portal and mobile app, which provides carriers with real-time access to search, view, and bid on available loads and also provide dispatchers with the ability to manage loads and drivers from a centralized location and allow drivers to provide real-time tracking and quickly submit documents for faster payment.

Echo CEO Doug Waggoner told LM that this offering serves as a strong example of how Echo values its carriers.

“We think that having carriers and capacity are just as important as having shippers and loads,” he said. “We have always had a culture that embraces carriers that we do business with want to be the first call they make when they need a load to fill an empty truck. This is kind of an extension of that philosophy. We also have one of the fastest payment terms in the industry, and we don’t charge for that. This is an opportunity to reward carriers that want to be good partners with us. And by being good partners we want them to give us good access to capacity and have them interface with our technology. In exchange, we will provide benefits that will serve them.”

Echo Senior Vice President of Marketing Chris Clemmensen said that the EchoDrive Preferred Program is really the company’s way of bringing some extra benefits to its carrier base, with its three levels-Silver, Gold, and Platinum-offering different things, benefits including: Ryder truck discounts for buying used trucks and for leasing, as well as preventative maintenance programs, and rental equipment; early freight access via EchoDrive and enhanced payment terms based on a carrier’s relationship with Echo; fuel and additional discounts via Wex, which include maintenance discounts on inspections, and roadside service.

“We worked with Ryder over the past six months to put together an exclusive set of benefits for our carrier base, which gives them access to our [50,000] carrier base,” he said. “And we are passing on these discounts from Ryder to our carriers. We don’t take commission or anything like that for this; we are just passing it through.”