Axele TMS and DAT collaborated on a webinar recently to demonstrate how carriers may utilize integrated solutions to locate the optimal loads quickly. You might view the tape here and access the slides here if you missed it.
The following is a summary of the webinar, along with methods and approaches that you may implement in your carrier business.
The most important factors towards achieving success
Exploring methods to use Axele and DAT to leverage both sides of the DAT Load Board network was a constant theme throughout the webinar.
- Advertise Yourself – Post your trucks on the internet and wait for brokers to contact you.
- There are three ways to search for available loads: Active Search, Smart Search, LaneMakers
- Set Alarms – Set alarms to be notified when new loads matching your criteria are uploaded. Any of the DAT Load Board models have alarms that will warn you.
- Become a member of Trendlines – Get weekly updates on national average rates, as well as information on supply and demand for each major trailer type (van, reefer, and flatbed)
- Monitor Market Conditions — The Market Conditions map shows you where your trucks are in the most demand and where you can get the greatest prices in real-time.
- Plan Your Trip — You can get automatic ideas for triangle routes depending on the loads you’re looking for with routing tools like TriHaul. These routes can help you increase your per-mile rate while avoiding lower-paying lanes.
- Find new business partners – The DAT Directory on the load board allows you to conduct preliminary research on anyone with whom you are considering doing business, including address, phone number, DOT number, company reviews, and more.
- Negotiate Rates — With these DAT tools at your disposal, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to strike the greatest, most profitable deals.
What’s next now that you’ve got the load?
This is where the DAT/Axele collaboration shines, allowing you to manage your company like a well-oiled machine.
Axele TMS assists you in managing loads, dispatching vehicles, settling accounts, and more. Axele allows you to drag and drop your rate confirmation, auto-populate the load data after receiving the load, and enter the specifics into your Excel sheet, Google Doc, or send a rate confirmation text. After that, you can either assign a driver or see the dispatch system as a Gantt chart. Axele also provides load tracking sharing links for internal and external users, minimizing check calls and providing visibility into more precise load arrival ETAs.
Axele also provides you a better understanding of the revenue generated by each load by taking in all load data via Axele’s DAT connection and applying all costs to calculate the profit per load.
This is a time-consuming operation, but Axele has mechanized it. You can invoice in near real-time, which helps with cash flow. Settlements for drivers can be set up to pay a flat price, per mile, or a percentage of topline revenue, among other options. It does all the math for you, so you know exactly how much to pay. Axele also offers comprehensive data that track in and out times, loaded miles, empty miles, and detention periods in an executive dashboard format, allowing you to keep a close eye on your weekly performance. They make it simple to upload documents and provide a searchable document repository to help you find the papers you need quickly.
