With new FreightTech emerging what seems like almost daily, it can be overwhelming for brokers and businesses to navigate which technology options are right for their specific needs. FreightWaves Vice President of Product Marketing Adam Robinson will explore those options by talking to leaders in the tech development world in his podcast, stackd.
This first episode of stackd features Lindsay Watt, head of product at Parade, and Watt and Robinson focus on why digital tools are so crucial to freight brokers. Watt said so many people are focused on FreightTech because the explosion of communication tools has opened up a new frontier of brokering.
He cited the “ubiquitousness of smartphones and the rise of cloud computing” as specific items that have made communication so much easier today.
When it comes to sifting through options for what tech to utilize, Watt said a company needs to identify its specific goals and maybe start with shifting what the company already does to a faster process. From there, a company can venture into using tech products to do things it wasn’t possible to do before.
Watt uses Leaf Logistics building its own contract market as an example of a brand-new concept and his company, Parade, as an example of step changes with moving from capacity management to digital booking.
Robinson said when looking at where a company is spending its cash on digital tools, a company should factor in the true return on investment of that tool. Watt agreed, but also said a broker needs to think about the partnerships between digital tool providers and how all your tools will work together in a stack to create the largest opportunity for success.
You can find more stackd episodes and recaps for all our live podcasts here.
The stackd podcast will air every Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET on FreightWavesTV, LinkedIn and Facebook.