How do you determine which freight management software is the best for you?
It’s not a choice you want to make without due consideration. Who wants to buy multiple software packages? Who’s got the money or the time to learn different programs? Nobody’s got time for that.
Boosting your business means making the most of your time. The software you pick has to give back more in value than you spend in time and money to purchase and use it. Using multiple programs or entering the same data into different programs is not giving you more value – it’s stealing from you!
Boosting your business is freeing you from the time at your desk. You don’t make money at your desk – you make money on the road. Unless your software is accessible and useable in your cab, it’s not boosting your business – it’s holding you back!
Boosting your business is making you money by showing you where your trucking business the most profitable and where you need to improve. If your freight management software hasn’t been developed by a trucker for the trucking industry, it’s never going to fit – you’re giving up your precious time trying to make it work!
When considering a freight management software, you’ll need to consider these four things first:
1. Dispatch tracking
When and where a load needs to be picked up, by whom, and where it’s headed – that’s basic Trucking 101. How many times does that information get lost with paper dispatches? Spilled coffee or a strong breeze can wipe out a document. Having that information available online instead of waiting for the clerk back at the customer’s office to track it down again reduces expenses. With TruckingOffice in your corner, you’ll never again worry about finding information for a delivery or pickup.
2. Invoicing features
The old way of managing a trucking business’ s billing was based on the End Of The Month. Maybe you’re too young to remember back when all the invoices were sent out at one time because it would take time off the road to prepare the physical, paper invoices, get them mailed, and then wait for 30-60-90 days for payments. Thanks to modern computers and the Internet, we don’t have to wait and go into an office to manage the bills of lading and invoices. Now an image of the bill of lading is proof of delivery and an invoice can go out on the same day as the cargo gets dropped on the dock. We can’t do much about the 30-60-90 day payments, but we can keep close track of them. But keeping a steady income flow, you can reduce your dependence on factoring services or high-interest credit cards.
3. Driver compensation programs
Non-truckers are always shocked when they hear the turn-over rate in trucking. More than 80% of truckers change jobs in a year. The retraining costs alone are staggering. That’s why you’ll want software that will enable you to pay your people with to-the-penny accuracy in a timely fashion. After all, it only takes one mistake to cause an uproar among your drivers. You don’t want to be the boss that has a reputation for being unfair to the drivers, you want to be the boss that truckers want to work for.
4. Maintenance systems and record-keeping
The annual CVSA inspection doesn’t have to slow you down if your equipment is in good shape to start with. But that’s not the real problem you’re facing. It’s the unexpected and high costs of a roadside repair. It’s one thing when I have to tell a customer I’m going to be late because of an accident or an unexpected detour or road construction delay; it’s entirely another if I have a breakdown because simple maintenance scheduling was ignored. Having a reminder system that works on dates and mileage can prevent you from huge losses in repair costs and customer good will.
Is that All a Freight Management Software Should Do?
If all you’re going to get from a freight management software program – then you’re missing out on several key benefits.
- IFTA computation – do you really want to buy a different program or hire someone else to handle that?
- IRP registration – how can you make it easier and simpler?
- Trucking business reports – banks want Profit and Loss Statements, but what do truckers need to be sure their unique accounting problems have clear solutions?
That’s what you want in a trucking management software. The full package, not just parts that will leave you hanging.
TruckingOffice freight management software make the task easier with some handy features – you’ll wonder how you ever did without them. We’re so sure you’ll love our freight management software we’re willing to let you take it for a free 30-day test drive. What’s more, we won’t ask for credit card or checking account information unless you decide to stick with us for the long haul. So go ahead and give us a shot. You’ll soon agree that we have the best freight management software on the market.
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