The LTL market is expanding rapidly as transportation needs change. The current market for LTL is estimated at about $35 billion, and that?s just one part of the entire transportation market. Every year, there are 12 million trucks, rail cars, and other vessels transporting goods all over the country, and about 5.9 million estimated commercial motor vehicle drivers operating in America. The value of moving all this freight is estimated by the Department of Transportation to increase in value from $882 per ton in 2007 to $1,377 per ton by 2040. And it?s trucks that carry the largest share of all this at the under 750 miles distance, whether you count in terms of net value, by tons, or by ton-miles.
That?s a vast market to tap into, and broker systems are essential to any kind of LTL shipment service. Managing LTL shipments requires transportation management software (TMS) that is up-to-date and improved with the latest integrations. If you?re already using freight broker software, you?re likely aware of how much it can improve efficiency and speed things up. But using TMS with load board integrations is the next step to creating the ultra-competitive system.
This is because TMS with load board integrations, among other integrations as well, can save brokers an immersive amount of time. A lot of brokers are losing time using multiple transportation management software applications and various websites where redundancy can wreck efficiency. If you?re putting the same information into various systems–like verifying carrier qualifications–you might be wasting valuable time that can be gained back by integrating your TMS system.
It?s possible to get TMS with load board integrations, to install rate organizers that will let you taken an order and in one click convert it to a posting (with all the essential information automatically inputted) and search for trucks within your transportation management software. The right integrations can also allow you to check insurance certificates and DOT authority on a carrier, or to sign contracts electronically, all within one system.
Retail is driving the freight market, and e-commerce is behind the largest chances. The revenue for e-commerce is already estimated at about $423.3 billion and climbing, and all carriers must adjust to the changes that retail realities are bringing to the transportation market. To keep up, transportation companies need the best transportation broker software available.