McLeod Software — a provider of dispatch, accounting and operations fleet management software — announced Sunday, Oct. 5, at the American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition the newest and most advanced versions of its enterprise transportation management systems.
LoadMaster IX Version 9.1 and PowerBroker II Version 9.1 are designed with a series of enhancements to improve a carrier’s or freight broker’s ability to manage business processes for optimum efficiency and profitability.
“Our entire product line takes advantage of third-generation client-server architecture so we can offer our carrier and broker clients new, more robust features,” says Tom McLeod, president and chief executive officer of Birmingham, Ala.-based McLeod Software. “As a result, LoadMaster IX and PowerBroker II users benefit from new features and more capabilities that provide them with a streamlined process for gathering and using real-time information.”
LoadMaster IX
LoadMaster IX now features an exclusive Quick-find capability designed to allow a “Google-like” search of the LoadMaster database for easy access to needed information. Working similarly to Internet search engines, data is indexed for optimal performance and rapid return of the right record based on user-defined search parameters.
Other enhancements to LoadMaster IX are designed to address the needs of multi-company operations, including Multi-Company Copy Order, which allows a LoadMaster user operating multiple companies to copy an order from one company to another using special control file and user-defined options. Additionally, Cross-Company Planning Screens allow companies to view a sister company’s orders and tractors available to facilitate scheduling.
According to the company, several new features have been incorporated into LoadMaster IX, including:
McLeod Software says several new EDI features also have been incorporated into LoadMaster IX, including an Interactive Load Tender screen that allows users to see a group of tenders rather than one at a time and makes it possible to accept multiple tenders at once; this feature also enables users to easily prioritize tenders by their nearest must-respond-by times. Also, a new capability for processing an EDI 820 payment/remittance transaction set is integrated with LoadMaster’s cash receipts program to help save time and provide greater accuracy in processing cash transactions.
PowerBroker II
New operational capabilities have been incorporated into McLeod’s PowerBroker II product, a software solution for transportation brokerage and third-party logistics providers. The advanced system introduced earlier this year with more than 100 new and enhanced capabilities is designed to increase workflow speed and enable brokers to access the real-time data necessary to make informed decisions.
A key enhancement to PowerBroker II is availability of a new Brokerage Web Portal incorporated into the system’s Internet Module. With this enhanced Internet capability, when brokers offer an available load to their private network of carriers or to those that have moved a load in a particular lane in the past, the carriers will be able to accept, decline or counter the offer directly from the broker’s website, according to the company; carriers also can access information on their past offered orders, settlements and profiles. McLeod Software says using the new portal will streamline and speed the load-matching process for brokers and carriers alike.
