FreightTech Friday: Dock scheduling provider focuses on end-user experience

Prioritizing driver experience in dock scheduling tools

Investment in dock scheduling software has recently gained significant traction, with market projections indicating an annual growth rate of 11.34% until 2029, culminating in a $10.2 billion market.

In a recent interview with FreightWaves, dock scheduling and yard management software provider C3 Solutions spoke on this burgeoning market. The company highlighted a greater potential return on these technology investments — particularly through integration of AI — if you consider the end-user experience.

Chief Revenue Officer Greg Braun stressed that being driver-centric is important for building these products.

“If a shipper is setting up what we call a strategic capacity plan, you’re going to be maximizing the throughput of your facility, avoiding drivers waiting for no reason,” he said. “That plan has a major impact on carriers. If a driver has to wait, they are wasting hours and it’s not efficient for the shipper. The shipper is going to end up paying for wait time, and the frustrated driver is not going to want to deliver at your facility, which will affect shipper costs over time.”

He stressed that drivers are the end users interacting with tools that affect a company’s reputation in the supply chain. Carriers will make more money by turning drivers around quicker and minimizing dead time spent waiting.

Braun explained that drivers are finding ways to share dock and yard feedback through review sites, and not having up-to-date technology is giving companies poor reputations among their fellow local delivery points.

“If you make these investments, drivers will want to deliver at your location, which means shipments and deliveries are not going to cost you as much. Drivers will be more open to take your desired rate if they know they won’t waste time servicing you,” he said.

To ensure the driver experience is up to par, Braun pointed to a well-designed user interface and the ability of drivers to provide feedback as two ways to secure that better experience.

“We have user experience guys that all they do is think about improving our hybrid screens and finding constant feedback from drivers who use our systems,” he said. “These guys are constantly A/B testing, meaning if we change this then what will the reaction be from drivers? We have a vision of how we want them to use these tools, but we compare that to how they are actually using it in real time.”

C3 Solutions also thinks AI innovation will improve driver experience. A recent blog post by the company discusses these dock problems and how the next generation of AI could revolutionize in-house efficiencies including predictive scheduling, connectivity to driver availability, automated communication and optimized real-time schedules.

Gather AI raises $17M, led by Bain Capital Ventures

Inventory management solutions provider Gather AI announced Wednesday it has closed on a $17 million Series A-1 round led by Bain Capital Ventures. Participation in the round included Tribeca Venture Partners, Dundee Venture Capital, Expa and Bling Capital.

The company has raised $34 million since being founded in 2017.

“Gather AI’s cutting-edge computer vision and workflow software, purpose-built for inventory monitoring, has seen significant commercial adoption and rapid growth separating them from the field of other venture-backed startups. … We are excited to welcome Gather AI to our portfolio of companies such as Kiva, ShipBob, FourKites, and Vention that are leveraging AI and software in the physical world,” said Bain Capital Ventures partner Ajay Agarwal in the release.

Using AI, computer vision and autonomous drones, the company provides real-time inventory visibility for clients. Gather AI drones fly through warehouses, scan operations and report back to warehouse management systems what is available in the warehouse.

According to the company, this leads to a 66% reduction in inventory database errors.
The company currently works with companies including Geodis, NFI Industries, Barrett Distribution and DPI Specialty Foods. With its latest raise, Gather AI is looking to expand its sales and operations teams to reach new customers.

“We’re already seeing the positive impact of Gather AI on customers spanning third-party logistics, retail, food and beverage, and manufacturing,” said Sankalp Arora, co-founder and CEO of Gather AI. “AI-powered cameras will transform supply-chain traceability to have a similar impact that barcodes did in the 1980s, and our technology is at the forefront of this transformation.”

Brief Bytes

Bestpass, the toll management solutions provider, named Shay Demmons chief product officer and Scott Chao chief marketing officer on Monday. CEO Tom Fogarty emphasized their extensive industry experience. Chao brings expertise in company growth, having served at Appspace. Demmons, with over 25 years in product development, joins from GPS Insight.

Visibility solutions provider Overhaul introduced CompliTrack, a deviceless tracking solution for over-the-road logistics, on Wednesday. Integrated with ELD providers, the solution offers shipment tracking while enhancing compliance and security without embedded Internet-of-Things devices. Leveraging carrier ELD data, it enables instant insights, advanced alerts and detailed reporting tools to avoid fraud. Customers can also integrate with LE Connect for enhanced security measures.

Mobile robotics technology provider Geekplus, in partnership with consultancy Hy-Tek Intralogistics, on Wednesday completed the installation of a Shelf-to-Person solution for a rural lifestyle retailer, streamlining e-commerce operations by 45%, according to the companies. This type of solution uses mobile robots to move inventory shelving and pallets to pick stations, limiting the number of steps a picker needs to take. Hy-Tek is actively showcasing Geekplus robots at its Innovation Lab, with plans for further collaborations.