a driver into a facility where we know it might take them six hours to get loaded and not give them a heads up,” Gustafson says. TECHNOLOGY REDUCES FRICTION Shippers can’t rely on having refreshments and a restroom for drivers and call that relationship building. Today, companies must invest in technology to be considered a shipper of choice. “To be a shipper of choice, companies have to go beyond the Golden Rule to the Platinum Rule, which is to treat others how they want to be treated,” says Dan Cicerchi, general manager and vice president of transportation management at Descartes, a software-as-a-service provider of logistics solutions. The same information systems that enable shippers to provide updates to their customers make life easier for carriers with mobile apps to take photos for proof of delivery, which also speeds payment of invoices. “Connecting all the capabilities that shippers need are also things that are good for carriers,” Cicerchi says. With real-time tracking technology, receivers can know if an inbound shipment will be late and change dock schedules accordingly. When the shipment does arrive, there’s an open door and labor available to unload. “Technology doesn’t solve everything, but it gives a business the ability to make better decisions to accommodate the drivers,” Cicerchi says. As technology matures and more companies plug into the potential of data analysis, deeper relationships support more data sharing. These links can help organizations grow closer while operating more ef ciently. “Elevating visibility and communication among parties ultimately strengthens the relationship because there are fewer black boxes that make it hard to know where a parcel is or where the shipment records are,” Lowe says. Schneider’s tech solutions use APIs to plug into shippers’ transportation management systems to help nd competitive carriers and rates.
While freight matching apps and load boards make it easier to pair shippers and carriers, do relationships get disconnected? Is it easier to ghost on pickups or delay trucks at the dock when you don’t know the people behind the loads? After all, you may never encounter the other party again. Does the efficiency and anonymity of technology get in the way of relationships? Technology may help connect carriers and shippers, but both parties are often interested in building ongoing relationships beyond the transactional. Schneider serves as a broker to carriers and has its own freight marketplace, Schneider FreightPower. “We don’t intend to stay transactional with a carrier that starts interacting with us that way; it’s just our chance to get a look at them after they’re contracted with us so that we can determine who we want to be involved with strategically,” says Erin Van Zeeland, senior vice president and general manager of logistics services at Schneider. E-commerce services provider PFS recently increased its use of load boards to find availability, but it works in a hybrid model to build relationships with carriers. “We try not to be the one who uses a carrier once and walks away, and then calls again six months later,” says Patrick Lowe, area vice president of business management for PFS. But sometimes, a one-and-done interaction is good enough for both parties when there are specific requirements. When there’s a particular need for goods to go from A to B by a specific date cost-effectively and securely, going to the marketplace can connect with otherwise unknown opportunities. “Load boards open up the competition in the market, where other regional and smaller carriers are able to regularly compete for smaller loads,” Lowe says. “We can serve our clients better because we’re not beholden to one carrier.” DOES UBERIZATION OF CARRIER RELATIONSHIPS WORK?
208 Inbound Logistics • January 2022
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