We are excited to announce a significant enhancement to our capacity matching solution with the introduction of Smart Stack Continuous Move Planning. Securing reliable freight capacity can be difficult, even when the transportation market is loose. Tight timeframes, volatile rates, and the rise of fraud and cargo theft mean the current methods for booking carriers aren’t always enough. Efficiency is critical, and with our newest smart stack capabilities, brokers can cover more loads with the same amount of effort.
What is Descartes MacroPoint Capacity?
Descartes MacroPoint’s AI-driven carrier capacity matching solution helps brokers identify trusted carriers (who are already hauling freight within the Descartes network) that are the best fit for their loads based on historical lane data, equipment requirements, and forward-looking capacity insights.
With 350,000+ carriers across our network, and 99% coverage of North American lanes, we provide brokers easier access to high-quality capacity.
How do Smart Stack Continuous Move Offers Work?
Our latest smart stack enhancement is designed to help brokers quickly find and secure ideal-fit carriers, then seamlessly offer continuous moves in a win-win scenario for both the broker and carrier.
These continuous move offers are powered by Descartes MacroPoint’s AI that is trained to logically bundle together loads into a single trip sheet to reduce empty miles and cover more loads in less time. By leveraging AI algorithms, we maximize resource utilization and reduce transportation costs.
Imagine discussing a load with a carrier and being able to tell them you not only have a load to offer, but have 3 loads to offer them to keep their driver busy all week. Deadhead miles are minimized between loads and legal driver hours are also used for planning purposes to make the most of the driver’s week.
Additional Benefits of Smart Stack Continuous Move Planning:
- Easily cover traditionally “difficult-to-cover” lanes
Smart stacking is a useful strategy for difficult-to-cover lanes. Brokers can offer the carrier additional loads to get them out of “bad” destinations or incentivize them to accept a tender with a bundle of lanes vs. offering just the single “bad” lane.
- Improved Load Visualization: The new feature enables brokers to visualize the location of available capacity, identify optimal carrier matches, then quickly build smart stack offers for each carrier.
- Data-Driven Decisions: With access to historical lane data and real-time market conditions, our smart stacking capabilities provide actionable insights for better decision-making. This data-driven approach allows brokers to work with confidence and improve overall performance by covering multiple loads in one call or one digital offer.
What else is new with Descartes MacroPoint Capacity?
Here’s a look at a few more of the latest enhancements focusing on streamlining the processes for covering loads with the right carriers.
- Streamlined Communication: With system-generated emails and intelligent email ingestion, brokers can easily send offers to multiple trusted carriers simultaneously or send multiple loads to a single carrier. Carriers can confirm the loads and negotiate rates via the website or via email (carrier mobile app offers coming soon!). This speeds up the entire process to cover loads and increase sales.
- RFP Enhancements: When a broker is looking to secure capacity over a broad set of lanes, they may want to launch an RFP, but the process of inviting the right carriers and then parsing through responses can be time consuming. With Descartes MacroPoint, brokers can upload any number of lanes in bulk into Capacity Sourcing and instantly receive the top 50 carrier matches for each lane. This process allows users to focus efforts on the carriers mostly likely to be interested in the freight vs. casting a wide net (with added time and effort) and cuts down hours of labor when sourcing capacity and expanding options for covering new lanes and regions.
- Know Your Carrier Insights: In addition to showing matched carriers’ FMCSA information, authority, fleet profile, and contact information, users can now see their own history with the carrier and the carriers’ operating history across the network (loads hauled by lane), plus users can now see if the carriers are connected to Descartes MacroPoint Visibility and the method of tracking (Telematics/ELD, TMS, mobile). Ensuring that you are selecting carriers that will deliver the service your customers demand. Note that the ability to view the carriers’ tracking compliance scores will soon be available as well.
By combining the coverage of our carrier network along with the solution’s capabilities makes it easier than ever for brokers to secure the right capacity, deliver great service, and focus on growth. Whether you’re a current customer or exploring capacity sourcing solutions, the new capabilities Descartes MacroPoint Capacity provide a comprehensive approach to securing carriers intelligently and effectively.
