Technology news and briefs for the week of April 2, 2023:
New app automates cash advances for carriers
Global logistics company C.H. Robinson has automated the process for carriers requesting cash advances, making it more efficient and effective for them to get paid while on the road. With the Navisphere Carrier App, carriers can request 60% of their payment, 24/7, after they’ve confirmed load pick-up.
“We are always looking for new ways to leverage technology to better the carrier experience,” said Cody Griggs, C.H. Robinson’s director of enterprise product management. “We all know that the last few years have been really challenging due to market conditions. By making it easier and faster for our carrier partners to access their money, we are adding another layer of efficiency and convenience for the trucking community.”
Carriers that request a cash advance get a code immediately delivered to their mobile phone, enabling them to receive digital payment within seconds. In addition, C.H. Robinson has also automated the process for signing up for Quick Pay, which previously required filling out a PDF form.
WARP names new chief tech officer
WARP, a tech-enabled network of cross-docks and carriers specializing in middle-mile solutions, has named Diep Nguyen its chief technology officer. Nguyen joins the WARP team from AxleHire where he previously worked closely with WARP co-founders Daniel Sokolovsky and Troy Lester on building their technology.
Throughout his career, Nguyen has leveraged his background in computer arithmetic and parallel programming to build technology platforms from the ground up. His expertise lies in designing proprietary, scalable programs and for the last four years has focused on the logistics industry.
Nguyen will help execute on WARP’s vision to build an extensible, fully-connected supply chain that empowers both shippers and carriers to optimize the middle mile. Unlike other 3PLs or brokerages where the technology is designed for one solution, Nguyen will help WARP to design technology that will allow for the addition of new capabilities and functionality, in addition to other users.
Powerfleet solution helps fleets reduce collision risk
Powerfleet Inc. has launched its safety and security data-powered application to its fleet intelligence platform Unity, which ingests, compiles and enriches data from any IoT device or third-party business system.
This new solution gives businesses improved visibility and insights from real-world safety and security incidents under one comprehensive and highly focused set of dashboards and reporting, helping fleets make better-informed and quicker decisions that reduce the risk of collisions and personal injury, decrease theft, increase asset and vehicle longevity, improve driver retention and maintain brand reputation.
The new application goes beyond accident mitigation. The collision reconstruction tool also provides customers with forensic data to establish cause and potentially mitigate liability. The safety and security solution takes live-streamed data from fleet IoT and telematics devices and dash cam footage, including driver behavior and external environmental conditions, to provide a clear scenario of what happened before, during and after a collision. Triggering alerts through advanced data intelligence, for incidents such as speeding, distracted driving, or danger spots, allows real-time monitoring of driver safety and documentation.
Zonar feature customizes inspections to fleets’ needs
Zonar has launched a new customization feature within EVIR Mobile, its patented electronic verified inspection reporting product.
The new configuration tool, Inspection Builder, provides innovative flexibility for all fleet types – including freight, pupil, transit and construction – tailoring inspection requirements to their specific needs while maintaining Department of Transportation and Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance for standard pre- and post-trip inspections on popular vehicle types.
With Inspection Builder, fleets can edit existing inspections or create new ones from scratch in as much detail as they need, with the ability to utilize the patented map view feature to ease driver workflows and onboarding; modify protocols for tag placements, terminology and vehicle zone numbers and components; name inspections and provide a short description for operators; display the fields to complete, such as odometer, route number, shipping documents and more; determine if assets or certain zone tags need to be scanned; and create standalone deep-dive inspections on specific components such as tires and brakes.
Inspection Builder’s configuration capabilities make it easier for fleets to integrate new components into inspections, such as timecards for payroll, fuel level monitoring, sanitization requirements and other protocols to streamline processes.
Trimble offers industry-specific dwell time metrics
Trimble Fleet Manager, provided as part of Trimble’s Mobility telematics portfolio, is now the first back-office fleet management solution to offer industry-specific average dwell time metrics, helping fleets to make better planning decisions, improve service level agreement (SLA) adherence and utilize their assets and drivers more efficiently.
Powered by the Trimble Transportation Cloud, Trimble's Connected Locations workflow makes this dwell time data directly available within Trimble Fleet Manager, providing driver managers access to actionable information to more effectively manage trips and plan arrival times for their drivers.
Connected Locations provides industry average dwell time metrics using precise polygonal geofences for pick-up and drop-off locations. By combining anonymized live and historical GPS data streams with its millions of geofenced locations, Trimble is bridging the gap to address the disconnect between fleets and their customers, providing transparency around facility dwell times, to reduce unexpected delays while drivers wait to be loaded or unloaded.
New TMS caters to small fleets, owner operators
T3 Tech LLC has launched a transportation management system developed from the ground up for small fleet owners and operators.
Designed for small fleets operating 20 or fewer trucks, which comprises 97% of the more than 500,000 for-hire motor carriers registered with the DOT, TrueTMS has a user-friendly interface and structured workflows that support all steps in the order-to-cash lifecycle of freight transactions. The cloud-native system is purposefully designed to help fleets improve driver, load and asset management to grow revenue and profitability and accelerate cash flow.
These are the core features in the software that enable small fleets to improve operating efficiency:
• Load Management. Users can quickly and easily assign loads to drivers, track their progress and adjust routes as needed to maximize profitability.
• Driver Dispatch Management. Users can optimize routes and have end-to-end visibility of load progress to ensure safe, on-time deliveries.
• ELD Integration. TrueTMS is compatible with more than 30 ELD providers to deliver real-time visibility of assets, driver hours and other status details for planning loads and maintaining compliance.
• On-Demand Reporting. Fleets can access their data from user-friendly dashboards and customized reports to make better and faster decisions.
• TrueTMS is simple to use, quick to implement and integrates easily with existing software systems to fill gaps. Users can access the system anywhere on any device.
