Article written by Vishnu Rajamanickam
Convoy has a nationwide digital freight network with tens of thousands of carriers
Digital freight broker Convoy has partnered with fleet management company KeepTruckin to help fleets simplify their daily operations and scale up businesses. Convoy will now integrate KeepTruckin’s freight visibility API with its platform, which will allow customers to access location data for en-route shipments. This location data would be generated by consenting carriers within Convoy’s network who use KeepTruckin’s electronic logging devices (ELDs).
FreightWaves spoke with Brooks McMahon, the vice president of partnerships at Convoy, to understand the impact of this partnership with KeepTruckin.
“We regularly engage with our carrier base to understand the programs and services that are most important to them and would benefit them the most, and work to deliver them through our own or third-party offerings,” said McMahon. “In this case, we found that roughly one-third of our carriers use KeepTruckin ELDs, and so integrating our systems to augment our tracking capabilities made a lot of sense.”
In addition to this, carriers that do not use KeepTruckin products but are within the Convoy network can get a 15% discount on essential products like KeepTruckin’s ELDs and other fleet management technology. In essence, this can help extend the tracking benefits to more carriers, which McMahon described as a “win-win” situation.
KeepTruckin’s Electronic Logbook App and ELDs have more than half a million users worldwide. By availing the discount, Convoy’s users can save up to $1,000 per year on each truck in their fleet. Convoy has built up a nationwide digital freight network with tens of thousands of carriers that may benefit from this partnership.
The API integration allows willing carriers to share data between Convoy and KeepTruckin, which will provide Convoy with a secondary signal on shipments that are in process. McMahon explained that this creates a more robust combined tracking capability, regardless of where a carrier is located – be it a dead zone or an area with a strong cell network.
Before this integration with KeepTruckin, Convoy’s customers depended on the carriers to turn on their mobile application prior to pick up, enabling GPS to identify their location through the haul. But connections can get disrupted due to poor cell reception or even when the carrier’s phone is not charged. KeepTruckin’s freight visibility integration will give customers a secondary location proof point set against Convoy’s own shipment tracking capabilities.
“We are excited to provide carriers with the opportunity to proactively opt in. They choose whether they want to establish a secondary location point to reduce check-in calls to determine the estimated arrival time. It’s a win for carriers as it reduces hassle, and also for shippers who are managing their supply chain and determining if their shipments will arrive on time,” said McMahon.
Jairam Ranganathan, senior vice president of product at KeepTruckin, commented that KeepTruckin has a “relentless focus on driver experience” and that it is in the company’s DNA. “We’re excited to create a best-in-class experience for carriers in Convoy’s network that gives them complete control over their data. Now drivers can use that data for a competitive advantage – without any additional work besides opting in – to eliminate headaches, access more load opportunities, and make more money.”
Original Source: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/convoy-integrates-with-keeptruckin-to-improve-shipment-tracking