Technology has come a long way in just 20 or 30 years. If you’re not using technology to your advantage, it’s time. Many of today’s technological advancements can help trucking companies run efficiently and effectively. Look at all of the options you have for growing your trucking company and becoming a big success.
You Always Know Where Your Drivers Are
Have you ever had a client calling to find out why your driver is late? You can’t reach your driver, either due to sporadic cell phone service, so you don’t have an immediate answer.
Technology allows you to track loads. You’ll know exactly where your drivers are. You can get an email every 15 minutes updating you on their location. If they’re stuck in a traffic jam caused by an accident or sudden storm, you’ll have the information you need. You can update your clients, which is an important part of customer service.
In addition, you can assign loads to your drivers when they’re on the road. If a job appears that is too tempting to pass up, you can track where your drivers are, assign the closest driver with an empty or partially empty trailer, and take the job.
Tracking loads also makes it easy to get a copy of a bill of lading immediately when a load is picked up or dropped off. You can also make sure settings send a copy to your client at the same time.
Load Finding Boards Make It Easy to Avoid Empty Runs
According to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, 21% of the miles logged by owner-operators in 2018 about 22% were empty runs. That’s just owner-operator trucking companies. In the state. The American Transportation Research Institute reports that the percentage of deadhead miles in the trucking industry rose to 20.1% in 2020. There is a lot of range though, as there are different types of trucking companies.
It’s believed that shorter trip lengths are to blame for the increase, and it’s said that for that reason, return trips without a load may simply become standard procedure. Empty runs, also known as deadheads, are wasted opportunities. Not only are you wasting gas by trailing with an empty trailer, but you’re also losing out on the chance to make money on both the outbound and inbound trips. It does not have to become standard procedure if you use technology to your benefit.
Freight factoring companies often have add-on services that make a lot of sense. One of these is an online load board. If you’re not using this technology, it’s long overdue. Instead of having your drivers return home with an empty trailer, look at load boards to find more work. It’s handy, even if your drivers are driving short trips. Here’s how it works.
- Look at your driver’s drop-off point and see how full the load is expected to be.
- Access load postings on your app and look for work in the area where your driver is going.
- Fill the trailer on the trip out. If the job is only going to fill the trailer halfway, look for a second job that will fill the other half of the trailer.
- Use the app to find jobs in the destination city. You want to fill the truck for the return.
- Take enough loads to fill the truck for the return trip.
When you do this, you’re going to be paid by two clients for the trip down. On the return, you’ll also get paid for as many loads as your driver fits into the truck. You make more money for the trip there and back.
The other benefit to apps with “find loads” features is that you can sort and search for jobs with the highest pay rates. If you’ve been working for one broker or shipper that’s at the low end of your desired pay scale, expand your options and look for higher-paying loads.
Use GPS to Plan the Best Routes
Most trucking companies used to plan routes using maps in atlases and folding maps purchased in gas stations or area stores. It took a lot of studying and planning to find the best routes. You can still get maps, but they’re cumbersome and may not have the latest information if there are new roads or on-ramps.
GPS makes trip planning easier than ever, and technology keeps improving. GPS tracks your location, tracked using a device like a cellphone and satellites. While many systems and apps like Google Maps offer driving directions, you can also set filters that help avoid tolls, dodge construction areas, or maneuver off the interstate if there’s an accident ahead. You can narrow it to the routes for optimal gas savings or with the shortest physical distance. Add additional stops into your calculations to calculate where fuel-ups are needed.
Run Business Credit Checks for Free
To run credit checks in the past, you had to fill out forms and fax or mail them to the reporting agency. You may have needed to make a call and sit on the phone with an agent to get the information you need. For trucking companies, waiting wasn’t an option. Accepting work from a broker or shipper without knowing their credit rating was a risk you took.
Business credit checks are a free service with Saint John Capital. Use the app to look up a broker or shipper’s credit history before you accept a job. You’re able to avoid the frustration of hiring a company with a history of non-payment or late payments.
Replace Expensive Bookkeeping Staff
Do you have an in-house bookkeeper and struggle to afford that worker’s salary and benefits? When you factor your invoices with Saint John, our system generates an invoice that you can upload to your accounting software. You can reduce your bookkeeper to part-time hours and save money, if you want or free up time for your existing bookkeeper to give that worker more time to focus on other job responsibilities.
Same-Day Payments Are Essential
As a trucking company owner or independent truck driver, you need to be paid on time to keep up with expenses like your business rent, truck payments, fill-ups, taxes, licensing fees, etc. If you’re waiting weeks or months to get paid and have bills that are due, the late fees add up and it can damage your business credit score.
Same-day payments offer the opportunity to get paid on time. Click & Pay API from a freight factoring company makes it easy to complete this. With Click & Pay API from Saint John Capital, upload your bill of lading into the app and request payment. Our system processes the payment and submits payment to your Saint John Capital Visa for same-day payment, as long as you submit the bill of lading by the daily deadline.
Even if you miss the deadline or don’t have our VISA, your payment is sent to your bank, and you’ll have the payment within a couple of days. The days of waiting until the end of the month or longer are over.
Partner with an expert in trucking factoring. Saint John Capital offers extremely competitive rates and provides 100% factoring options, which is not common. Why settle for getting 90% of the money you’re due when you could get all of it? Sign up for free and get immediate payment for the jobs you complete.
