Trucker Tools adds detention alert feature to mobile app

Logistics technology firm Trucker Tools LLC on Thursday introduced a feature on its smartphone app that lets truck drivers use feedback notes and location time-stamps to measure and rank shipper-caused delays.

Reston, Va.-basedTrucker Tools said the "Detention Alerts" feature is a notification and rating system that uses global positioning system (GPS-enabled) markers to measure shippers' impacts on detention time.

The feature could be an aid for drivers, carriers, and brokers who want to minimize detention time, which is unpaid time spent waiting for loading or unloading services at a shipper's facility, the firm said in an announcement at the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) annual conference in Orlando, Fla.

"The moment the carrier arrives and stops at the shipper's facility, a time-stamp is issued, and a clock starts tracking wait time," Murali Yellepeddy, Trucker Tools chief technology officer, said in a release. "This can be configured for whatever time period the broker wants, typically one or two hours. Once the wait time reaches the trigger, an alert is issued to the broker, so the broker can call the shipper and help expedite getting the driver loaded or unloaded and released."

The release follows a similar feature from freight matching app provider Uber Freight that allows carriers and drivers to rate the cargo facilities they visit, compiling data that could helpdrivers decide whether or not to book loads with certain shippers.

Trucker Tools is also planning "Detention Scorecards," an extension of the feature set to launch in June that will let drivers assess and grade their interactions and experience with a shipper, integrating other driver reviews, comments, and even photos of the shipper's facility and loading docks.

"Detention history and grades will be available to anyone on the platform," said Yellepeddy. "So, someone tracking a load, or considering an available load, can look up a current review on that shipper's location. Drivers and dispatchers to make better informed decisions on which loads to take - avoiding those shippers who make drivers wait excessively. It also will help brokers educate shippers on where they need to improve to get a better grade and make themselves more attractive to carriers."

Pleased to announce this milestone at #TIA2019con: Trucker Tools Mobile Driver App surpasses 600,000 downloads! https://t.co/MVEpij7lFu

— Trucker Tools (@trucker_tools) April 11, 2019