PORTLAND, Ore. – DAT launched the first of a series of products and services intended to expedite transactions between brokers and carriers on the spot market, and enhance the capacity brokers can offer their shipper customers. DAT OnBoard is the first commercial product for brokers that provides carriers with a fast, easy, thorough, onboarding tool that carriers can use on their smart phones, tablets, or laptops and brokers can use to rapidly expand their carrier base.
According to Chad Boblett, owner operator and founder of the 8,500 member Rate Per Mile Masters Facebook Group, paper-based onboarding is a painful process for carriers and inefficient for brokers and actually limits brokers’ capacity.
“Asking a carrier to fill out a 20-page contract and fax it back at $2 per page from a truck stop is like asking him to do his taxes in the cab,” said Boblett. “Carriers will stick with who they’ve already onboarded with rather than sign up with a new broker because the process is so awkward.”
DAT OnBoard prompts carriers to fill out a profile in a step-by-step process designed to gather complete and accurate information. Data collected includes DOT number, insurance agent information, equipment type, preferred lanes, fleet size, etc. The initial profile takes about ten minutes to fill out, and setting up a profile is free of charge for carriers. Profiles can be updated, in seconds, at any time. Carriers do not have to be load board customers to use DAT OnBoard.
“We have integrated DAT OnBoard as part of Landstar’s growing digital and mobile-enabled processes,” said Sandi Edwards, vice president of capacity qualifications at Landstar. “Through this tool, carriers connect with us immediately with completed digital documents from wherever they are, using whatever device they choose. The technology makes it easy for Landstar and carriers to do business together right away.”
More than 50,000 carriers have already set up their profile in DAT’s onboarding system. DAT OnBoard is completely paperless.
“DAT OnBoard is an inexpensive alternative to custom-built onboarding software that can cost thousands of dollars to design, plus monthly fees,” said Don Thornton, SVP Marketing & Sales. “This is a big step in expediting the millions of freight matches on the DAT Network where neither party knows each other initially, yet keep essential elements, such as the first call where long-term relationships can begin.”
Pricing is based on the number of carriers a broker needs to onboard each month. Packages start at $50/month for onboarding up to 50 carriers per month.
For more information about DAT OnBoard, call 800-547-5417.