Freight brokerage and third-party logistics giant C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. has unveiled a mobile-device app that the company said is designed to improve the way it interacts with its network of smaller contract carriers, which account for about 85 percent of the freight booked by Robinson.

The app, called "Navisphere Carrier," replaces Robinson's former app for its contract carriers, called "CHRWTrucks." Navisphere Carrier will serve Robinson's network of more than 50,000 small contract carriers. About 85 percent of its freight is booked with carriers with fewer than 100 trucks

The new app will streamline connectivity among Robinson, drivers, and their dispatchers, the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based company said. It will give dispatchers more control and flexibility in helping drivers secure loads and provide status updates. It will minimize the amount of back-and-forth text messaging between parties, and ultimately offer wider and more cost-effective access to move Robinson's loads, the company said.