FreightExchange is an award-winning digital platform that connects business shippers and carriers instantly and seamlessly. It’s a free service that can offer greater efficiencies, transparency and control.
Moving long-haul freight usually involves a multitude of hand-offs, so it can be difficult to keep sight of the goods and ensure a timely delivery, says FreightExchange CEO Cate Hull.
“This technology has been developed specifically to create transparency about what happens when things change hands.
“Take the example of a container of goods to be distributed around Australia. The goods come by sea to the port, then onto a truck or train that might take it to a distribution centre, where it’s unpacked and put on another truck, until it ends up in a store or warehouse.
“With so many links in the chain and hand-offs at each point, the process is complex. Until now, much of the work at each stage was not visible and it was easy to lose track of where things were.”
How does FreightExchange work?
The system works by matching shippers with suppliers.
“Whether you have a full load, crate or pallet, jump online and tell us the weight and dimensions of the freight, where it’s going from and to, and we’ll give you a price,” Hull says. “You make a booking, the driver comes and away it goes.”
For carriers, the process is similar, though more demanding due to Chain of Responsibility and other regulatory requirements: they create a login, load up fleet information, prices, and where and what kind of freight they carry, then undergo a verification process to ensure they are licensed and insured. A carrier can advertise regular or last-minute availability.
Who can use FreightExchange?
FreightExchange works for carriers who have spare capacity at any time, by allowing them to fill gaps in their trucks with smaller loads.
It can help carriers with fleets to find an appropriate subcontractor during peaks and troughs in demand. The FreightExchange platform is designed to help them out at short notice. “When owner drivers sign up to FreightExchange, they have to fulfil all the compliance requirements, so finding an extra semitrailer is much simpler. Also, the system allows the suppliers full visibility over their goods in transit, as if the trucks were their own.”
The system can work for anyone who ships goods, but particularly for businesses with complex supply chains because it has been designed to connect up all of the partners in the chain. “We are developing the technology to provide visibility of the freight when it changes hands, making it easier to see where it is and what the costs are at each point.” Hull says.
The way to an efficient future
Viva Energy’s Business Development Manager Ashley Backman says the FreightExchange system makes a lot of sense.
“It’s providing a service to the transport industry, which can generate huge efficiencies, and supports both customers and carriers. Owner-drivers can fill up their loads with additional freight instead of running half-empty, so it supports them and can help drive their costs down.
“From the customers’ point of view, they can get exceptionally good rates with a quick turnaround, due to the sheer number of carriers FreightExchange offers. It can work for all parties.”
It also works for regional hubs. Previously, it could take weeks to get a delivery out to the country area because trucks didn’t have sufficient loads to make it viable; FreightExchange is changing the game by enabling carriers to find multiple loads for the same trip.
Backman says it’s a positive development for transport, supporting the industry and making it better.
“No matter what the industry, a digital marketplace is the way of the future, and FreightExchange is leading the way for the transport industry by providing that.”
Want to learn more about how Viva Energy can customise a refuelling solution for your business through Shell Card and bulk fuel delivery? Call Ash on 03 8823 3692.