Electronic Matchmakers Boost Hauling Opportunities

With roughly $31 billion left on the table annually because of supply chain inefficiencies, a number of companies are hungry to match empty returning trucks with shippers’ pallets.

From load-matching services at truck stops to pre-arranged backhaul services, companies are going to great lengths to make the most of — and profit from — the 30% to 50% of truck capacity going unused in the United States.

The most basic services for matching surplus capacity with cargo that needs to be moved now post a load on Internet sites or at truck stop kiosks. Load-matching companies charge $40 to $300 a month to provide shippers and truckers a way to exchange information about available loads.

In the old days, freight matches were made by word of mouth or notices pinned on bulletin boards at truck stops or other places frequented by truckers. Now, electronic systems have improved the likelihood and efficiency of finding a match.

DAT Services of Beaverton, Ore., has offered load matching since 1978. The company has monitors at more than 1,000 truck stops nationwide and a network of 9,000 shippers and carriers.

Susan Little, marketing manager at DAT Services, said the company’s network of shippers and carriers allows it to provide matches of all types, at any time, throughout the country, by posting them on an electronic bulletin board.

The network includes 56 equipment types, so it appeals to a variety of shippers, Little said. The system can be accessed via telephone, satellite or computer software, she said.

For the full story, see the July 19 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.