Improving safety for women drivers, automated payment solutions and telematics

00:00Today’s CCJ tech shorts will look at two new automated payment solutions for brokers and carriers, a partnership that aims to improve safety for women drivers and a safety platform’s integration of core telematics.

00:26 Relay, a digital payment network serving the logistics and trucking industries, has unveiled a new way for brokers to pay their carrier customers with RelayDirect.

With RelayDirect, brokers no longer have to rely on spreadsheets to keep track of their payments to carriers. This solution allows them to automate their carrier and factor payments, which gives them greater control of their cash flow and the ability to offer flexible payment terms. The solution allows brokers to work with their existing factoring companies, partner with Relay or build their own payment terms.

Carriers also benefit from instant payments and the ability to immediately use those payments within Relay’s network.

Relay is already working with several customers, representing more than $1.5 billion in annual freight payments. One early customer is TransLoop.

TransLoop CEO Nicholas Reasoner said “prior to RelayDirect, the payment process for our carriers and factors was dated and outgrown due to our rapid growth and became a cumbersome and time-intensive process for our accounting team. By automating our payment workflow, we now have greater transparency over projected cash flow and improved our carrier experience, which enhances our customer service and leads to repeat business.”

01:47 Trucker Path, a technology provider for the trucking industry, has partnered with American Trucking Associations' Women in Motion to address and improve the concerns of women drivers while on the road.

Through this new partnership, Trucker Path will be adding a number of features to its existing mobile app that will help women identify and locate facilities that have seven specific safety features including:

·     Lighted parking

·      Lighted bathroom access

·      Lighted lounge areas

·      Lighted shower facilities with 24/7 access

·      Lighted laundry facilities with 24/7 access

·      Round-the-clock maintenance 

·      Onsite security

Facilities with all seven will be marked with the Women in Motion logo. Drivers will be able to provide updates on the condition of these amenities through the Trucker Path mobile app.

ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said, “ATA is committed to bringing more women into our industry and addressing their concerns. This partnership between Women in Motion and Trucker Path is a way to address one of the persistent concerns women in trucking express: safety. Helping women drivers identify truck parking facilities with essential amenities like lighted parking, bathroom access and on-site security will play a role in addressing this longtime challenge for our industry.”

03:06 Digital payment platform RoadSync has introduced its new solution RoadSync Pay, designed to modernize, streamline and expedite payments for brokers and carriers by allowing brokers to schedule and automate payments to their carriers and factoring companies.

RoadSync Pay enables brokers to make swift payments to carriers and factoring companies at their convenience, using preferred methods like instant real-time payments. This allows payments to be made between bank accounts that are initiated, cleared and settled within seconds, at any time of the day or week, holidays and weekends included.

Additionally, RoadSync Pay offers carriers and factoring companies access to a complimentary carrier portal and automated remittance emails, providing real-time and historical insights into payment statuses, reducing the back-office burden of communicating critical information to broker’s carriers.

This improved efficiency aims to enhance carrier satisfaction and facilitate the attraction and retention of top carriers while lightening the load on back-office tasks.

04:11 Nauto, a provider of AI software for driver and fleet safety for commercial vehicles, has integrated core telematics capabilities into its safety platform, offering visibility into vehicle tracking, utilization, misuse and maintenance planning.

Nauto's latest offering delivers telematics alongside AI-powered driver and vehicle safety capabilities, all on a single device and a single software platform. This streamlined solution curbs the proliferation of devices within already-crowded commercial vehicle cabs, helping fleet operators trim costs and maximize efficiencies.

Nauto has also further enhanced its safety capabilities with new detectors that are designed to provide distinct alerts that differentiate between pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists when there is a risk detected of colliding with one of these vulnerable road users (VRUs).

Nauto’s chief product officer (Yoav Banin) said, "with this enhancement, we're streamlining the fleet management experience, offering a comprehensive solution that simplifies the complex landscape of multiple technologies. Our goal is to provide fleets with a single, powerful solution that not only enhances driver and road safety, but also optimizes day-to-day operations and reduces cost. Furthermore, the new detector for vulnerable road users represents a significant milestone on the Road to Zero fatalities."