4 Reasons Haulage Companies Can’t Neglect New Technology

There is a simple backbone to transportation. Peel back the skin of all the complicated logistics, scheduling, packaging, vehicle management and route management, and you simply are given goods or cargo and you have to move it.

But even small firms need to go beyond this and adapt to the way new technology has changed the game and opened doors.

Find jobs fast

As haulage companies grow, they need to manage their success. Too many clients, too many routes, and too much cargo can be a burden as much as it can be a blessing. This is why efficiency in finding new jobs is required - and modern technological innovations can make finding new clients and jobs all the more simple. An online transport exchange, for example, connects firms to prospective clients in real-time – creating a disparate marketplace in one online community. With a few clicks of a mouse and a few strokes on the keyboard, you can fill a return load, cover an empty slot in your schedule, or outsource a van at the last minute - and do so efficiently.

Track vehicles efficiently

The majority of haulage companies are based in urban areas quite simply because that is where most people and businesses are based. This, plus the capacity for even SMEs to have multiple vans, bikes or other vehicles on the busy city streets at any given time, has made tracking and managing of vehicles trickier. The technological advent of GPS has taken the transportation world by storm and certainly smoothes out this complexity. Drivers are well advised to make the most of the many innovations in this field - covering kilometre-measurement, route tracking and mobile application technology, for example – in order to keep your vehicles' use cutting edge.

Cut back on paperwork

Computers are hardly an innovation, and in a mere 20 years they have made short work of paperwork. Yet moving from paper to the screen does not immediately mean cutting back on paperwork for haulage companies. The goal of managing invoices, contracts, licenses and other forms is accuracy and simplicity. The use of new technology, such as mobile phone payment methods and cloud storage for spreadsheets, can save a surprising amount of time without compromising on reliability.

Save money on marketing

Many small haulage companies will struggle with effective marketing. Apart from the many avenues and platforms that are deemed essential for inclusion in marketing strategies, there is simply a great deal of competition. Your firm can struggle to stand out even if you have a highly targeted market. However, the simple use of an online exchange or an active social media presence can help you not only use technology to attain a distinctive voice, but can also help you spread your positive feedback and good reputation, which is vital for picking up work in this field.

Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry across the UK and Europe. It provides services for matching haulage companies or drivers with jobs and to buy and sell road transport and haulage work in the domestic and international markets.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.