Depending on your perspective, 10 years – an entire decade – can be a really, really long time. In the tech space, however, entire industries are born and collapse in even less time. For apps and services to stand the test of time, they need to solve real problems in the marketplace, be laser-focused on the user, and constantly be innovating to stay competitive. With Transflo Mobile+ marking its 10-year anniversary in the supply chain mobile technology space, it’s safe to say the odds have been beaten.  Since its launch on June 20, 2014, Transflo Mobile+ has simplified the lives of millions of professional truck drivers by putting all their essential on-the-road tasks into a single, easy-to-use application. From document scanning and Hours of Service to navigation, load management, and more, Transflo Mobile+ has helped keep drivers safe by reducing app switching and keeping focus where it belongs: on the road.   With over 3.2 million downloads across the iOS and Android app stores, Transflo Mobile+ has proven to be a timesaving and profit-driving asset, both in and out of the cab, for thousands of carriers across North America. Mobile+ has been a driving contributor to annual Transflo averages of nearly 1 billion scanned documents, 65 million+ loads processed, and well over $100 billion in freight spend.  To celebrate 10 years of in-cab transportation innovation, let’s dive into the history of Transflo Mobile+, explore origins, major milestones, and where the app is going in its second decade.   Origins and launch  In 1991, Transflo entered the transportation technology space as Pegasus Imaging (later: Pegasus TransTech) with a focus on document management systems and truck stop document scanning solutions. While it would take another six years for the Transflo brand to be introduced, that delay was practically nothing for an industry chronically stuck on an endless supply of paper, manually processing every analog page and task.  Modern (and mobile) computing, full digitization, and advanced processing technology would come to most of the transportation industry later than other sectors of the economy. To help with that initial wave of supply chain modernization, Transflo Mobile was launched in 2011 as a scanning application, dedicated solely to capturing trip documents.  In 2014, after developing the app further and acquiring document shipping and scanning service TripPak, Transflo Mobile rebranded to Transflo Mobile+ to better reflect its burgeoning additional capabilities.  In 2014, after incremental app developments, and the acquisition of TripPak, Transflo Mobile finally earned its “+” badge. Transflo Mobile+ was born, and this new branding better reflected its growing capabilities and marketplace value as the everything app for truck drivers.  The first years   Between bill of ladings, proof of deliveries, invoices, and fuel and toll receipts – the trucking industry is so paper-dependent, it’s no wonder it was slow to adopt new technologies. With a critical focus on document scanning, Transflo Mobile+ carved out a clear path of innovation by solving a specific problem for drivers and carriers: document digitization.   Before the widespread adoption of smartphones, clunky and expensive in-cab computer systems were used for dispatch and communications with carriers. Transflo Mobile+ consolidated two-way communications, load workflows, and document scanning and processing all into a single app on a single device. This modernization of communication standards delivered dramatic efficiency gains to carriers and brokers. Drivers were able to spend less time processing paperwork and more time with their families.  “Communication is communication, whether it’s on a $3,000 in-cab computer, or whether it’s on a phone, and we knew it was inevitable that we were going to strip the utility out of the in-cab unit related to communication and put it on the phone,” said Frank Adelman, Transflo CEO and President from 2013 to 2022. “The economics just weren’t even close.” Transflo Mobile+ saw its first major update in October 2014, rolling out safety tools, enhanced communication features, and improved load management capabilities. By the time Mobile+ turned a year old, it had already reached version 1.5, boasting fully customizable workflows, improved messaging, and carrier-specific communications.  Milestones and integrations  In its early years (as it is today), Transflo Mobile+ was a powerful app that helped millions of drivers and carriers streamline and simplify day-to-day workflows, but it truly became a one-stop shop for professional truck drivers when it integrated essential telematics and other critical services used across the industry.  A crucial date in this process was Sept. 29, 2016, when Transflo entered the telematics market more than a year in advance of the electronic logging device (ELD) government mandate in December 2017. This telematics solution integrated directly inside Transflo Mobile+, meaning that drivers could easily log hours without switching apps or distracted driving.  With the new ELD hardware paired with Transflo Mobile+, fleet managers could gain insights on truck maintenance, driving behavior, location status, and more.    In March 2018, Transflo announced Mobile+ integration with Drivewyze, enabling drivers to bypass hundreds of weigh stations across North America and receive vital in-cab safety alerts. By this time, Mobile+ had surpassed 1 million downloads across iOS and Android app stores. Also in 2018, Transflo announced a partnership with CoPilot Truck, integrating truck-friendly routing, navigation, scheduling, and loads compatibility.  Relaunch and growth  Although users didn’t know it at the time, 2018 was a massive year for Transflo Mobile+ behind the scenes. Despite a significant user base, the app was still missing out on a majority of the 4.1 million professional truck drivers in North America. That year, a UI designer – and Transflo’s current Director of Product Experience, John Karl – was brought onboard to to redesign Transflo Mobile+.   “It took about three months to completely redesign Mobile+, from the top down. I did a small amount of competitive analysis with existing apps, but it was important to me that I approached the project with fresh eyes,” said Karl.    In those three months, Karl developed five different prototypes to present to the executive team in the first half of 2018. When walking the executives through his designs, Karl got only as far as the second concept before the company had found the new look – and guiding philosophy – for the future of Transflo Mobile+. Not long after, the company ran an ad in Transport Topics to showcase the new prototype – a revolutionary design language complete with the core “dial” elements that exist to this day.  By late 2019, the redesigned Transflo Mobile+ launched, setting the stage for tremendous growth in the following years.   Recent years and what’s next  Since the redesign, Transflo Mobile+ has continued to add new features that build on the app’s core philosophy as a “mobile operating system for professional truck drivers.” Recent additions include:  Fully digitized electronic Bill of Lading (eBOL) and electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD) workflows.  Improved app security, multiple fleet profiles, and enhanced user experience.  A next-generation scanning engine and offline document uploads.  Improved route optimizations and telematics integrations.  In the coming months and years, the product team behind Transflo Mobile+ will continue to focus on customer input to refine the user experience, enhance functionality, and emphasize user-friendly, “outside the box” design. For more information on how Transflo Mobile+ can streamline and simplify your drivers’ workday, contact us here. 

During the past four years, the freight market has gone on a journey like that of a sky-piercing rollercoaster that won’t come to a complete stop.  As the COVID pandemic endured from 2020 to 2022, the freight industry ratcheted up the lift hill, spurred by incredible demand from Americans who increasingly relied on e-commerce for both everyday needs and luxury goods. In trucking, thousands of new carriers entered the market to haul loads. Tender rejection rates skyrocketed, and the spot freight market flourished.  As 2022 went on, and everyday life went back to something like normal, demand dried up, shippers had fewer orders to fulfill, and many of those new carriers became surplus capacity. Along with increased fuel costs and lackluster conditions in the economy at large, the freight market plunged downward. The resulting freight recession continues into the middle of 2024.  However, the thing about recessions is that they are inherently cyclical and don’t last forever. While the recession has touched every company in freight, it doesn’t have to handicap the way an organization employs technology.   In fact, when the market recovers – which could be as soon the third quarter of this year – companies who have invested in solutions that make the day-to-day business of freight easier will prosper faster than those who have sat by during the downturn.  But what should a company in freight look for when evaluating a tech partner? Let’s find out.  Solutions that incorporate real-time data  We all know the saying, “time is money.” But when transporting freight or financing or brokering loads, that statement rings especially true. Reliable and effective tech partners in today’s transportation climate provide mountains of real-time data to everyone who needs to know.  For example, drivers need to be apprised of current road conditions, weather warnings, and any possible detours on their routes. Additionally, those hauling freight on the road need to know the status of their drop-off point. If information is lacking or out of date, it can significantly affect on-time deliveries and jeopardize carrier and owner-operator reputations with shippers and brokers.  Carriers need to know about the status of their trucks, trailers, and other assets, especially as cargo theft rises. Even if everything is safe and accounted for, carriers still have to make sure their drivers are maintaining satisfactory safety standards behind the wheel and complying with Hours of Service rules. Real-time data helps carriers make sure nothing gets through the cracks.  On the broker side, real-time knowledge about loads and documents ensures optimal communication with partners and prompt payments.   Innovation and utilizing the latest tech  Software solutions in transportation are constantly changing and evolving. Meanwhile, the freight industry isn’t always known for being an early adopter to the newest tech.  As a company in freight, committing to the newest tech solutions can help deliver cost savings, minimize time spent on manual processes, and provide important insights that improve business outcomes. They can also help you gain an advantage over fellow industry players that aren’t as forward-thinking.  But just investing in tech isn’t the be-all and end-all for carriers, brokers, and even factors. A tech partner’s software can be a great fit for a freight business one year but be frustratingly out of date the next. In a freight market that doesn’t have a definitive or even likely turnaround date, a partner that is constantly developing and incorporating new ideas into its solutions is a must.  Customization  Suppose a drayage-focused carrier is constantly transporting loads in and out of port yards. It needs a solution that’s going to account for the unique circumstances related to that kind of freight. For example, a telematics platform that’s designed for traditional over-the-road trucking may unnecessarily alert a carrier at specific locations or speeds.  With a more customizable solution, that same carrier can set its notifications and exceptions in the way that makes the most sense for its usual type of freight. A configurable platform can potentially set up geofences for specific locations and take advantage of specially designed reports and modules.  Likewise, for brokers and 3PLs, not all loads, carriers, and shippers are created equal. The documents needed to resolve payments and billing may also be structured differently and require varied data. Furthermore, customizations can help integrate data from TMS systems.   Products that address various business challenges  Most businesses – and especially those in transportation – don’t have one solitary pain point or challenge that needs to be addressed; they have a handful or more. The most worthwhile tech partners will not only offer solutions that address those myriad sources of concern, but they’ll also have solutions available for various roles, responsibilities, and personas throughout the industry. In turn, that tech organization will have a greater grasp of everything going on in freight than if it just made products for a very specific use case or role.  Additionally, an organization who buys into tech from a well-rounded vendor won’t have to rely on several disparate solutions in its tech stack. That helps both save money and means employees using the solutions don’t have to constantly switch between platforms.  Customer service  Every B2B organization wants to close as many deals as it can and acquire all the new customers possible. But not every tech provider in logistics and freight shows the same commitment to its partners once the products are being used.   A partner who will deliver the best results for a company in freight pays special attention to making sure that the necessary tech solutions are implemented correctly and in a way that works the best for the business. No 3PL, carrier, shipper, or factor operates in the exact same way as its counterparts, and tech implementation takes account of that fact when done right.  Additionally, a tech provider that cares about its partners’ success will want to help if there are any issues with operating the solutions or employing them to maximum benefit.  A history in the industry  In both technology and freight, companies come and go – but they can also quickly turn from non-existent to household names or industry giants in the span of a few short years. But while highly funded startup operations may make the biggest splashes, it’s worth reflecting on if a tech partner truly knows the ins and outs of the freight world.  For instance, a transportation tech provider that has been around for multiple decades has seen at least a few recession cycles and has navigated several eras of digital transformation. That level of change during a company’s history indicates that it both knows how to adapt and has an extensive history of creating useful solutions for the market.  Partner with Transflo to ride out the rollercoaster  Not all tech partners or solutions are created equal. Choosing the right partner and making the decision to invest in customer-focused solutions before the market has fully rebounded can help your business flourish once business conditions are more positive.  By partnering with Transflo, your company can take advantage of all the attributes and benefits included in this guide. No matter if you’re looking for fleet management help, an app for drivers, workflow automation, or even fuel discounts, Transflo is a trusted industry leader you can count on. 

About Stevens Trucking  Stevens Trucking is a family-owned, Oklahoma-based carrier that has operated since 1979. It runs approximately 350 trucks and has 1,600 trailers. Started by President & CEO Kenney Stevens at the age of 18 with just one truck, the company specializes in oilfield delivery and the dry freight sector. It uses a 99% drop-and-hook model, which keeps freight moving and drivers on the road. The company has been able to grow immensely during its 45-year history by focusing on strong values and putting employees and customers first.  The challenge  Stevens Trucking’s drop-and-hook approach to most loads means that drivers can get a lot of miles driven each day and week and don’t have to worry about detention time. For Stevens’ drivers, about half of which are company drivers and half of which are owner-operators, unnecessary time managing and scanning documents for loads was eating into driving time. For the back office at Stevens, which had grown rapidly over a three-year period, billing speed was suffering due to issues with document scans being unclear and needing further clarification.  The solution  Jessi Maschino, Chief Revenue Officer and Office Manager for Stevens Trucking was looking for a document scanning solution that would minimize the roadblocks drivers and the office were facing with document quality and billing. She knew Stevens needed a solution that would be intuitive and easy for drivers and would keep the business side moving along as quickly as their trucks.  Transflo Mobile+ was just the tool that Stevens Trucking needed, thanks to its advanced, accurate document scanning capabilities and simplicity for drivers. Additionally, offline document capture in Mobile+ meant Stevens’ drivers and owner-operator partners could keep their workflow going without a cellular connection, as the documents would send whenever a driver’s device is back online.  “We had been using another mobile upload app, but the quality of scans was not good at all and actually created more work for our billing team,” Maschino said. “From the time we first saw Mobile+ in action, we were sure that it was going to make a world of difference.”  While document scanning was the biggest reason Maschino and her team at Stevens Trucking chose Transflo Mobile+, it wasn’t the only selling point. Mobile+ also integrated seamlessly with Stevens’ transportation management system (TMS) preference, as it does with every other major TMS platform.   The results  Transflo Mobile+ document scanning has provided immense benefits to the drivers and office team at Stevens Trucking. Maschino and her team have reported that the image quality for scanned documents like Bills of Lading has improved, which has dramatically reduced issues like delayed billing.  “Using Transflo Mobile+ has helped out our billing so much,” Maschino said. “We can bill out all of our invoices faster now.” Furthermore, Maschino pointed out that the Transflo team provided great support while the app was being implemented and used. Overall, the Stevens Trucking team gave Transflo Mobile+ and its document scanning their highest approval.  About Transflo  Transflo is the trusted industry leader in mobile, telematics, and business process automation solutions for the transportation industry in North America. Transflo’s customer-focused mobile and cloud-based technologies deliver real-time communications to fleets, brokers, factors, shippers, and commercial vehicle drivers, and digitize 800 million shipping documents a year, representing approximately $115 billion in freight bills and 3.2 million downloads of the Mobile+ app.  

Recent headlines in the freight brokerage sector have been curious at best and quite concerning at worst. With the overall freight market still in an extended downturn, the total number of freight brokers registered may have hit its peak for the foreseeable future.  According to Brush Pass Research, which gathers information and sales intelligence for the freight broker space, there are 11.6% fewer brokerages in July 2024 compared to July 2023. Since November 2022, nearly 5,000 brokerages in the U.S. have ceased operating.  Such news isn’t confined to fly-by-night shops. Coyote Logistics, once a company considered to be on the front lines of innovation in the industry, will be acquired by XPO spinoff RXO after owner UPS had been looking to sell Coyote. Per Transport Topics’ list of top brokerages by revenue, that means Coyote is being acquired by a company that was $2 billion smaller by revenue in 2023.  Additionally, C.H. Robinson, the top freight brokerage in the U.S. by a significant margin per the Transport Topics list, reportedly laid off a significant number of sales representatives at the end of June.  There’s no clear consensus on when the post-COVID freight recession will be over, either. According to some observers, a rebound is unlikely until at least 2025, while other reputable industry sources say there are “definitive signs of the market turning.” If you own a brokerage or play a significant role in its day-to-day operations, you are likely looking for ways to make business run more smoothly and successfully during an uncertain era. While there’s no magic solution that will fix all of what currently ails the industry, automation powered by artificial intelligence can help brokers and 3PLs immensely in the current freight market.  Why should brokers and 3PLs invest in automation and AI?  An extended downturn that’s affecting every brokerage in North America and causing many to cut costs may seem like a curious time to spend on new technologies like automation and AI. However, there are several benefits to taking the leap now.  To begin, a vast majority of companies across the supply chain ecosystem have not yet deployed AI tools, with recent surveys indicating that 77% of supply chain professionals have not yet fully integrated AI into their processes. This is despite 82% of the same respondents saying that AI will have a significant effect on the industry in the next five years. If your company can take advantage of the adoption gap now, it could give you a competitive advantage and pay huge dividends.  By going live with an automation and AI solution that gathers data from multiple ingestion points, classifies and transcribes documents, handles duplicates, and processes exceptions hands-free, your brokerage can become much more efficient without having to increase headcount. This means that your existing team can focus on the most pressing tasks that add value and require human brainpower.  Using AI can also help a broker or 3PL simplify its operations with actionable insights and create a more agile culture that emphasizes improving the numbers that matter.  Last but certainly not least, automation and AI can help brokerages become more attractive to shippers and carriers because of prompt and streamlined invoicing and payments, respectively. With fraud in logistics a crucial topic that has required recent Congressional attention, a broker or 3PL’s partners need assurance that the rug won’t be pulled out from under them when running their businesses. In turn, the automation that helps brokers convey dependability can also improve cash flow to help fund the original investment in AI and related tools.  Learn more about how to automate and adapt during our webinar with TIA  If you’re interested in discovering how automation can help your brokerage or 3PL during a changing and uncertain freight market, look no further than our July 24 webinar with TIA as part of their Lunch & Learn education series.   During this 45-minute session, Emily Stratton, Transflo’s Vice President of Customer Solutions, and Justin King, Transflo’s Chief Product Officer, as they tackle the ways freight brokers use automation to boost operational efficiency, the bottom line, and more. Click here to register.  If you’d like to hear more about how Transflo solutions like Workflow AI can be utilized and customized for your brokerage’s needs, reach out to a member of our sales team today. 

TAMPA – July 17, 2024 – Transflo, an innovator and preeminent name in transportation technology, is thrilled to announce a formal strategic partnership with Predictive Coach.  The alliance allows Transflo to offer telematics-based coaching, driven by real data, to its trusted customers.    Predictive Coach provides game-changing behavior-based driver training to coach drivers and automate safety programs with the use of a fleet’s existing telematics data. Unlike many comparable driver education programs, Predictive Coach automatically assigns driver training based on the tendencies captured by GPS and video telematics.   Predictive Coach provides concise, interactive micro-training lessons that are accessible on any device, significantly reducing the training workload for management. The company effectively addresses three major pain points often faced by fleets of all sizes:  Tailored Coaching: Unlike traditional one-size-fits-all approaches, Predictive Coach customizes training based on individual driver behavior and existing data.  Efficiency: Courses are designed for swift completion, easy assignment, and streamlined documentation, saving valuable time and resources.  Measurable Impact: Predictive Coach ensures clear and demonstrable ROI and results from driver safety programs, giving fleets the insights they need to drive continuous improvement.  “As Predictive Coach continues to innovate and refine its proprietary technology, we have sought a partner to elevate our business to unprecedented heights,” said Jerome Toliver, CEO of Predictive Coach. “Transflo’s unwavering dedication to enhancing customer value has shown that they are the ideal collaborator to help us achieve our ambitious objectives.”  “Transflo is thrilled that its customers will now have the ability to take advantage of Predictive Coach’s trailblazing driver coaching for significant fleet safety improvements and cost savings,” said Renee Krug, CEO of Transflo.   About Transflo     Transflo is the trusted industry leader in mobile, telematics, and business process automation solutions for the transportation industry in North America. Transflo’s customer-focused mobile and cloud-based technologies deliver real-time communications to fleets, brokers, factors, shippers, and commercial vehicle drivers, and digitize 800 million shipping documents a year, representing approximately $115 billion in freight bills and 3.2 million downloads of the Mobile+ app.   About Predictive Coach   Predictive Coach is a company that conducts automated driver safety programs for fleets of all sizes. By utilizing existing telematics data, including video telematics, Predictive Coach assigns driver training programs to ensure safety efforts are being directed in the areas to benefit fleets the most. In a third-party study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Predictive Coach programs were found to reduce risky driving behaviors by 73%.  

For drivers and fleets, though, the most succinct and relevant top-line takeaway is that roughly 25% or more of long-haul trucks sold in the 2032 model year must be zero-emissions vehicles. For context, in 2023, a miniscule 0.3% of new heavy-duty trucks sold in the United States were estimated to be zero-emissions vehicles.  The government believes that the new regulations will prevent up to 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and benefit overall health outcomes. It also doesn’t prescribe a certain technology for trucks to reach the standards, meaning that zero-emissions vehicles aren’t necessarily synonymous with electric vehicles. Observers have also made a point to recognize that the EPA rules don’t ban diesel engines.  Trucking industry groups weren’t as optimistic, with the American Trucking Associations calling the rules “entirely unachievable” due to a lack of charging infrastructure and demands that thousands of zero-emission, battery-powered trucks would put on the electric grid. Truckload Carriers Association President Jim Ward noted the trucking industry’s track record of reducing harmful pollutants over the years without sweeping federal mandates.  If you help operate or manage a fleet or are a driver, you may be wondering how the rules will affect your business today and in the coming years.  The EPA Final Rule technically applies to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and not carriers or shippers with private fleets. However, the implications are massive should the rules come into full enforcement.  Most important to fleets will be costs. Currently, costs of a new Class 8 truck are in the $180,000 to $200,000 range, on average. Estimated costs for a new, fully electric Class 8 truck are about double or more, at $350,000 to $500,000. Other zero-emission technologies, like hydrogen power, are just now being prototyped by European OEMs. The federal government offers programs to help fund the purchase of zero-emissions vehicles, but it’s unclear if the grants or subsidies can help make up a significant amount of the current price gap.  Even before the zero-emissions rule, OEM experts estimated that the price of a 2027 model year diesel truck will jump about $20,000 to $40,000 over the current price to comply with 2027 clean air standards that the EPA finalized in 2022. If fleets know they’ll need new tractors before the 2027 model year, time could be running out to pre-buy for 2026.  Additionally, the prospect of thousands of electric or hydrogen trucks on the road for the 2032 model year means that additional training and skills will be required for fleets to maintain their trucks. Electric truck OEMs will also need to significantly ramp up production in the intervening years.  Make no mistake, it’s worth preparing for the rules today, whether you have five trucks or 5,000. But while the EPA rules are “Final,” they are not set in stone.  Before the rules are fully enforced, industry stakeholders and those who stand to be economically impacted by regulations can seek clarification on anything in the Final Rule from the EPA. The Final Rule must also be reviewed by Congress and can be litigated in the court system.  About a month after the rules were released, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on the EPA regulations. Testimony – even from proponents of the Final Rule – conceded that a significant amount of charging infrastructure is needed to support zero-emissions standards, even if OEMs can get enough trucks built.  On May 1, Senate and House Republicans submitted a resolution to disapprove of the emissions rule, but it stalled before coming to a full vote and missed a June 21 deadline.  Also in May, a group of 24 state attorneys general, led by Nebraska AG Mike Hilgers, filed suit against the EPA rule in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Keen regulatory observers in the industry may be interested to know that another group led by Hilgers concurrently filed suit against the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Advanced Clean Fleets rule, which mandates that all heavy-duty vehicles manufactured in California are to be zero-emission vehicles in the 2036 model year.  “This effort … will devastate the trucking and logistics industry, raise prices for customers, and impact untold number of jobs across Nebraska and the country. Neither California nor the EPA has the constitutional power to dictate these nationwide rules to Americans. I am proud to lead our efforts to stop these unconstitutional attempts to remake our economy and am grateful to our sister states for joining our coalitions,” said Hilgers.  Last month, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) filed a separate suit with three other trade associations in the D.C. Circuit to halt the emissions rules. Most recently, on July 2, 157 members of Congress sent a letter to the EPA and the White House urging the executive branch to rescind the rule. That seems unlikely, given that the rule is consistent with the EPA’s recent actions of moving away from traditional fuels and power plant sources.  For now, the best chance for the rules to be reversed may be in the federal court system, which could take a while, especially if litigated up to the Supreme Court. Additionally, the rule could be reversed should a new president take office in January 2025, as was the case with some EPA rules from 2017-21. That, too, could be a lengthy process.  Transflo can help you manage a fleet, no matter what powers your truck  Transflo has helped fleets for over 30 years and has seen many regulatory battles take place in the industry. We can’t guarantee what kind of engine or power source your trucks will use in 2027 or 2032. But we’re confident that when that time comes, we’ll offer a mobile app that simplifies work for drivers, intuitive and insightful telematics services to help manage fleets, and a range of dash cams that put safety and driver performance at the forefront.