Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
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34 | Overdrive | April 2015 ON-DEMAND LOAD MATCHING intended capacity by geotargeting those truckers. Those with the branded load, their logos appear on the searchers' phone based on geolocation." Carriers can "choose to direct-dial those load providers within the app." Recent updates to DAT's premium Power load board are geared toward delivering a more seamless experience for carrier users. They also provide more instant access to lane-rate data averages and haul options geared \W_IZLMVPIVKQVOXZWÅ\IJQTQ\aWV\ZQX[ (For more on the subject of using data \WUI`QUQbMTWILXZWÅ\IJQTQ\aWV\PM spot market, search "Riding the spot market boom" on OverdriveOnline. com for a 2014 feature on the subject.) As more of the spot market truckload freight transaction process moves online and gets conducted from a mobile device rather than a laptop, traditional truckload freight matching gets that much closer to the Uber model. But Boren and DAT Senior Vice Presi- dent Ken Harper say it's unlikely to go all the way there. "Certainly not anytime soon, VW\NWZ\PMTWVOPI]T[\]ٺº0IZXMZ[Ia[ The immense variety and degrees of specialization in truckload long-haul Q[WVMNIK\WZ¹1[\PMKIZZQMZY]ITQÅML to take the type of freight that's being hauled?" Harper asks. DAT, he says, hasn't felt the impact of Uberization if Q\¼[LMÅVMLJa\PMLMUIVLNWZILMÅVML rate and direct shipper/carrier connec- tion across segments. "Automation is great for speed, but it's VW\IT_Ia[OZMI\NWZaW]ZXZWÅ\IJQTQ\aº Harper says. "I'm always skeptical of taking the power of negotiation out of the hands of the parties" in any transaction. In terms of the mobile-access aspect of Uberization – and access to informa- tion to inform rate negotiation and load planning for individual independents – the share of TruckersEdge.net users who access the board on a smartphone or tablet doubled in 2014 to almost a third of users. The share only will con- tinue to grow, says Scott McCollister, DAT product manager. KEYCHAINLOGISTICS.COM Keychain Logistics is taking a similar approach to DashHaul with a focus on delivering the connection as an automated brokerage between shippers and carriers. It launched in 2012 when it populated its smartphone app with brokered loads from PostEverywhere.com and other load-board sources to attract independent haulers. Keychain's founder built the platform to "show people the theory of what could be the future of trucking," says company represen- tative Ryan Kulp, calling it "one central access point to manage their money and manage their gig. They don't have to go to a forum to wonder about the broker anymore. We can make safety guarantees with people using our software." Early 2013 saw the app's fi rst version – a simple load board, with in-app call but- tons to connect to brokers handling the loads. Last summer, Keychain began to approach shippers to bring more direct freight into the system, Kulp says. "We started telling them, 'We have thousands of drivers, we're building features that will continue their searching for loads, but rather than calling brokers, they can be connecting directly to you. You don't have to negotiate with the carriers. We'll handle the paperwork, direct-deposit payment, we have GPS tracking enabled' and such." By the end of three weeks, they were talking with more shippers than they could handle. "We had to tone it down because we still needed independents using the app to provide capacity," Kulp says. The shipper side now is on an invite-only basis, and the company is adding freight into the system as fast as it can. Meanwhile, 10,000 drivers use the app to search loads to con- nect with exterior brokers or internal shippers. Only 10 to 20 new daily active movements of shippers' freight are happening today. Search "Keychain Logistics" at OverdriveOnline.com for a full report, with more on rate methodology and future plans. TRUCKERPATH.COM Since its launch, the TruckerPath app has made big inroads with drivers as a truck-spe- cifi c trip-planning mobile application that serves up points of interest in a sophisticated manner. With 140,000 active users and grow- ing 20 percent monthly of late, says company head Ivan Tsyb- aev, "we have many companies looking to partner up" to reach those users. "Initially we had an idea for a marketplace, but you can't get carriers to use it because you don't have shippers," Tsybaev says. "We decided to make an app for carriers first, and now we're connecting other parties like shippers and brokers. Currently we have more than 300 brokers with 30,000 truckloads a day. It's still invite-only – we don't want too many users, because the project is not finished." About 2,500 reg- istered carriers are part of the beta phase of the freight marketplace rollout. As with other new freight players, Tsybaev, 28, and the TruckerPath team hope to deliver efficiencies that are helpful to both sides of the freight transaction. But significantly, TruckerPath's approach is unlike others in that it will be a marketplace, not a brokerage itself. "We don't want to become brokers," says Tsybaev. He believes that TruckerPath and mobile technology in general will deliver greater earnings to truckers with less hassle, in turn helping "to make trucking more appealing for the younger generation."