Getting a load from Point A to Point B takes more than a telephone call or an email, and it often involves more than just a trucker. There are a series of touchpoints – both physical and technological – in the lifecycle of a load that ensures that goods reach their final destination.
Transflo used its slot during the MarketWaves 18 Demo Day to showcase how its app’s new user interface, along with the broader Transflo ecosystem can be used effectively to reduce time during the lifecycle of a load.
At FreightWaves’ bi-annual events (Transparency in the spring and MarketWaves in the fall), each popular Demo Day features a series of seven-minute pitches from companies to showcase their products or services. New demos, which aren’t allowed to use PowerPoint slides and must show the product in action, will be featured at Transparency 19 in May.
Transflo’s Doug Schrier, vice president-product and innovation, and Don Mitchell, director of marketing, walked MarketWaves 18 attendees through the initial assignment of a load through delivery.
“We believe the solutions built within our mobile app can save drivers over an hour per day while improving their safety,” Mitchell said.
Showing the new user interface (UI), Mitchell played the role of carrier and Schrier that of the driver. Mitchell initially created the load, filling out the necessary details and assigning it to a driver. He noted that Transflo’s ecosystem is compatible with TMS systems.
On the other end, Schrier received a push notification that there was a load available for him. Entering the app, he scanned the load’s details and then accepted the load. Provided load confirmation, Schrier is now able to begin the process of driving to the pickup location.
The Transflo app not only provides detailed load information, but it also provides hours-of-service (HOS) information. When Schrier accepted the load, he then went to the main screen of the app and pressed the HOS “on-duty” button. He was then provided information on how much time he had available to drive until his next required break. In this case, it was 5.5 hours.
“While [the driver is doing that], all this information is coming up on the command center and the workflow [of the fleet] and the information can be shared with any client simply by sending them that link,” Mitchell said.
On the app, a driver is able to pull up navigation, which provides three available routes for the load, defaulting to the most optimal plan. The driver can add stops along the way, such as lunch or to visit family. Once “go” is pushed, point-by-point navigation along with real-time traffic information is provided to the driver.
At the pickup location, the driver can switch to “map view” and see the location’s layout, including where the specific trailer needed is located, making navigation to the proper asset simple and user-friendly.
This is part of the “new user experience specifically designed for the professional driver. Our goal with the new UI is to lead users to their next activity, helping them reduce frustration and gaining back valuable minutes in their workday,” Mitchell noted.
After the load is delivered, a driver can use the app to scan delivery documents and Transflo’s Docutype functionality will pull the necessary information to streamline the back-office process.
The new app experience also provides Siri-like message retrieval, giving drivers the ability to either see or hear new messages.