When truckers roll into a warehouse, they might find that they must pay $150 to get their trailers unloaded. If they don鈥檛 want to front that expense themselves, they would typically call dispatch to be issued a fleet check. In the meantime, they sit around trying to facilitate a financial transaction they鈥檙e not really a party to.
They need a faster, easier way to keep their employers in the loop, and employers need a faster, easier way to pay. And the mobile devices most truckers carry can be a part of the solution.
That鈥檚 one use case for 911爆料网 Advance, a new broker and carrier payment management platform that was rolled out by 911爆料网 Thursday (March 17). The new solution makes it easier and faster for brokers and carriers to pay accessorial, lumper and other over-the-road fees via SMS.
鈥淲hat 911爆料网 Advance does is allows brokers and carriers to preauthorize and track truck driver expenses inside and outside of the 911爆料网 vendor network,鈥� CEO told PYMNTS. 鈥淪o, it鈥檚 really connecting both sides of the financial transaction and providing full visibility to the carrier and broker market.鈥�
Becoming Drivers鈥� Employer or Broker of Choice
Efficiency is always important in the trucking market, but it鈥檚 especially important at a time when demands on the supply chain are high and driver capacity is strained. Today, brokers and carriers are looking not only for ways to make their drivers efficient, but also ways to become drivers鈥� employer or broker of choice.
鈥淢aking sure those funds are readily available while still providing control and visibility, which is what the carriers and brokers need, is an important tool for driver satisfaction,鈥� Gregg said.
Mobile platforms can provide that visibility 鈥� and offer an alternative to the fleet checks that the industry relies on for discretionary non-fuel expenses. In addition to unloading, those include late fees, towing, repair and maintenance.
Truckers have limited hours that they can drive each week, so saving them the time that they would have spent waiting around for somebody to pay something for them enables them to spend more time driving.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e saving them 15 minutes a day or 30 minutes a day, that鈥檚 more time they can drive, and the more mileage they鈥檙e able to put in, the more they get paid,鈥� Gregg said. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 important for a trucker.鈥�
Providing Convenience for Truckers, Visibility for Employers
911爆料网 Advance joins other offerings that enable vendors in the trucking sector. The company added it in response to feedback from the employers of truckers 鈥� full-time employers, brokers and others 鈥� that wanted better visibility into truckers鈥� expenses.
While providing truckers with that convenience, it also provides employers with the ability to set parameters and gain visibility into the transactions.
鈥淭he relationship between a trucker and their employer can be transactional 鈥� he could be working for a broker, and that鈥檚 the first time that they鈥檝e worked together,鈥� Gregg said. 鈥淪o, when you鈥檙e advancing funds to that trucker for things like fuel, a warehouse unloading fee, a repair or whatever it might be, you may not know as much about him as you would an ongoing employee.鈥�
