Motor carriers are experiencing a similar phenomenon from some freight brokers and third-party logistics providers (3pls). Loads matching their present and future needs are being offered through apps, websites and phone calls without having to go search for them.
Such is the experience for carriers doing business with C.H. Robinson.
As one of the largest 3pls, the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based company does business with more than 73,000 carriers. The company generates more than $14.8 billion annually in sales and has 15,000 employees.
A team of about 30 data scientists is leveraging the company’s large and expanding database of carrier and shipment data for some interesting uses. One ongoing project is making it possible to accurately predict where and when loads will become available from its customers, and to secure future capacity commitments from carriers.
With this ongoing analysis, “carriers are being offered loads before they asked for it,” says Tim Gagnon, C.H. Robinson’s vice president of data science and analytics.
The granularity of shipment tracking data from carriers is supporting this and other advancements. C.H. Robinson’s Navisphere app uses the GPS on drivers’ smartphones to track its shipments. The company also gets tracking data from a variety of telematics providers with the carrier’s permission.
