This past summer when AFS Logistics LLC saw its shipper customers struggling to find availability for truckload shipments, the third-party logistics company based in Shreveport, La. launched an innovative program for volume less-than-truckload (LTL) with the assistance of project44. The program was designed to give shippers another option for moving their freight in a trucking market with tight capacity. The Volume LTL shipping program was in addition to the real-time shipment visibility project44 enabled AFS Logistics to provide its shipper clients.
Why AFS Logistics Uses project44
AFS Logistics is a leading third-party logistics company that offers a portfolio of services to more than 350 clients. The third party’s services include less-than-truckload, parcel, audit, and transportation management.
The nationwide 3PL initially selected project44 a year ago when its customers began asking for real-time shipment tracking. After comparing project44’s technology with a competitor, AFS Logistics chose project44 for a number of reasons. Chet Richardson, president, LTL at AFS Logistics, said project44 was selected because it could provide in-transit visibility of shipments, document retrieval, and electronic bill of ladings (eBOLs). Additional reasons for selecting project44 was its logistics expertise, topnotch customer support, and its Application Programming Interface (API) technology that enables one-to-many connections between shippers and carriers.
By using project44 for transportation management, AFS Logistics was able to both streamline both communication and operation workflow. project44’s platform automated the customer redundant and laborious tasks of shipment order recognition, quoting, booking, dispatching, tracking, document retrieval, and shipment reporting. project44 also enabled AFS Logistics to gave its shipper customers shipment status notifications and delivery exception reports electronically so the third party logistics provider didn’t have to use phone calls or emails to keep customers informed of the whereabouts of shipments.
Volume LTL Program
When the truckload capacity crunch hit this summer, AFS Logistics saw its clients having trouble finding carriers for load pickups, especially at competitive rates. To give shippers another alternative for moving freight, AFS decided to put together a Volume LTL program.
Volume LTL is used for shipments that have too many pallets for standard LTL shipping, but not quite enough to require a full truck. It generally consists of shipments anywhere between 6 and 16 pallets and weighing between 6,000 and 20,000 pounds. For shippers who can’t find the services of a truckload carrier, Volume LTL allows them to tender loads by filling a LTL carrier’s underutilized trailer space. It also eliminates the potential for LTL carrier overcharges due to accessorial charged associated with LTL capacity load rules.
project44 provided the API technology to enable electronic communication between AFS Logistics, LTL carriers, and shippers to book Volume LTL pickups and provide real-time tracking of the shipments in transit. “project44’s API gets us carrier quotes in seconds so our clients can book their shipment with a carrier,” said Richardson. “Our clients leverage project44’s API dispatch capabilities for booking, creating the electronic bill of lading, and tracking and tracing from pickup to delivery. They also gain the benefit of utilizing our Freight Audit and Payment capabilities for more accurate invoicing.”
Helping To Solve Shipper Problems
By working with project44 on the Volume LTL program, Richardson said his company was able to help its shipper customers find another way to deal with capacity constraints. “The Volume LTL program gives clients capacity at rates competitive to or better than truckload” said Richardson.