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Real-time Freight Visibility Strengthens Carrier & Customer Relationships
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Fleet Management Systems (FMS)
- Networks & Connectivity - Cellular
- Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software
Applicable Industries
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Fleet Management
- Remote Asset Management
- Supply Chain Visibility
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
Handling delivery of temperature-controlled food and beverage products, time-sensitive shipments to job sites, and emergency supplies for FEMA, ENERGY depends on real-time freight visibility to optimize on-time delivery performance while keeping customers informed of the status and location of their shipments. After moving to a low-cost visibility solution, the 3PL faced carrier connection and compliance issues. With only one core carrier successfully using electronic logging device (ELD) connectivity and the mobile application not widely adopted by drivers, freight visibility was compromised; drivers also experienced cellular coverage limitations with the app, further reducing visibility. Plus, solution stability was an issue, creating blind spots and forcing ENERGY to manually track loads when the system crashed.
About The Customer
ENERGY Transportation Group is a Canadian-based third-party logistics provider (3PL) with trucking assets on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. The company is an asset-based 3PL serving diverse industries across the U.S. and Canada via four divisions: ENERGY Logistics, ENERGY Fresh Express, ENERGY Express, and ENERGY Transport USA. As a FEMA-Approved Transportation Service Provider (TSP), ENERGY handles the delivery of temperature-controlled food and beverage products, time-sensitive shipments to job sites, and emergency supplies for FEMA. The company aims to improve carrier compliance and system stability to build stronger carrier partnerships, ensure more reliable freight visibility, and elevate the customer experience.
The Solution
Although initially a Descartes MacroPoint user, ENERGY decided to switch to a less expensive load visibility solution in an effort to reduce operating expenses. However, the legacy system crashed frequently, creating problematic gaps in visibility that compromised performance and customer service. Carriers who had previously connected easily to Descartes MacroPoint via ELD struggled with the new solution, and drivers were not eager to use the mobile app. As a result, carrier compliance became a serious challenge. Faced with ongoing connectivity and visibility shortfalls, ENERGY transitioned back to Descartes MacroPoint. The Descartes solution enables ENERGY to view, analyze, predict, and communicate the status of any shipment in real-time, dramatically improving its ability to manage supply chain disruptions, increase on-time delivery performance, and minimize carrier detention fees. Carriers can easily connect via ELD, transportation management systems, mobile phone applications, or EDI. The biggest drivers for returning to Descartes MacroPoint were system stability and carrier buy-in, as the solution already had ELD connections to most of the carriers that ENERGY depends on.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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