DriveLine Load Exchange, a web-based load board service, is the latest addition to Flying J Enterprise Solutions' DriveLine suite of business tools.
“It was developed completely by Flying J and is hosted on our own servers,” said Cade Mund, product manager for DriveLine. “All the data is backed up here and all the support staff are here to help users.
“Load Exchange subscribers will be able to access the service from any computer, including the web stations at our travel plazas,” he said. “At each travel plaza, monitors will scroll through available loads within a 300-mi. radius of that location so that customers don't have to read through the entire database to find good loads nearby.”
Owner-operators and fleets can also request loads from the system. “A driver can tell our system that he or she wants a load. For instance, if I am headed to Houston, I can tell the system that I will be in Houston on X date and define the type of load I am seeking in general or very specific terms,” he says. “When a match comes in, the system will send information about that load directly by e-mail, via a text message to my cell phone or by a recorded voice message.
“Drivers can also post information about the equipment they operate and any specialized authorizations they have, such as a haz-mat rating,” continued Mund. “Then brokers and shippers who are looking for a particular type of service — say a flatbed carrier that can handle oversized loads — can contact the carrier as well.”
According to Mund, delivering a high volume of good quality loads, along with the information needed to help both shippers and carriers make appropriate choices, was one of the goals in developing the new service. “Our notification system is designed to deliver virtually instant match results. We want loads to be posted and moved the same day, if desired. To help enable that, the system provides access to current broker credit scores and to carrier safety ratings. The goal is to facilitate a speedy transaction and also reduce risk for both parties.”
One thing that Flying J will not do is get involved in the load transaction process. “We do not ever recommend that someone do business or not do business with another party,” Mund said. “If a driver wants to accept a load, we provide the contact name and telephone number to do that — and the rest is up to the parties involved.”
Information about Load Exchange is available at www.fjdriveline.com or by calling 800-954-2020.
