truckstop.com completes "Book it Now" pilot program with Schneider

Freight marketplace and load board service operator Truckstop.com said today it has completed a pilot program of the "Book it Now" functionality of its platform with truckload and logistics provider Schneider Transportation Management, and will offer general availability of the feature by the end of 2019.

The "Book it Now" function allows brokers of any size to offer "click to book" loads with their trusted carriers, instead of cutting out the brokers entirely like some competing vendors in the digital freight matching (DFM) space, according to truckstop.com. As a result, a carrier or broker will no longer have to click a load that they don't know anything about, but rather they can click the load knowing it's a carrier or broker they trust, and the resulting load is awarded within a few seconds.

Completing the pilot program of that functionality with Schneider is significant because it opens access to the large-scale freight market that newer digital freight brokers don't have, New Plymouth, Idaho-based truckstop.com said.

Although the new feature won't be available until the end of the fourth quarter, truckstop.com is encouraging additional partners to reach out now and begin the process of integration. That stage may vary in time depending on new partners' IT environments and on the size and scope of their transportation management system (TMS), the firm said.

The pilot marked Schneider's latest investment in automating the load booking experience for carriers, allowing the company to post, assign, and tender loads directly to approved carriers, truckstop.com said. "Digital technologies have the ability to drastically improve the efficiency of how companies move freight, but relationships will always be a core component of our industry," truckstop.com CEO Paris Cole said in a release."Many of our customers built their businesses on the phone—one call at a time. They want to work with people they know and trust and this technology allows them to do that, but with more efficiency. 'Book it Now' functionality gives carriers the freedom to instantly accept loads from their trusted brokers with the click of a button so they can drive more and search less."

Green Bay, Wisc.-based Schneider said digital freight matching (DFM) tools could benefit both carriers and owner/operators by giving them the chance to instantly accept loads from trusted broker networks, saving the time of searching and allowing more time for driving. "We are constantly innovating to improve the driver (and carrier) experience," Erin Van Zeeland, group senior vice president of Schneider Logistics Services, said in a release. "Truckstop.com creates great visibility of freight options to carriers. We see it as a perfect fit to meet carriers where they are and provide our innovative data science and automated processes on Truckstop.com. Together, we are able to deliver a seamless, transparent load booking experience for carriers, drivers, and owner operators, while increasing capacity for every order."