The trucking industry represents one of the most important sectors of the economy, working in partnership with the country’s ports to distribute goods nationwide on a very tight schedule. Those in the industry require a few great resources to do their job effectively, from insurance and liability products to logistics services and more. For many in commercial trucking, there are at least six such resources that are the most professional, affordable, and useful overall.
1. TruckersB2B
The most effective way to save money in the trucking industry is to engage in business-to-business transactions that secure supplies without high overhead. That’s the focus of TruckersB2B, a company that arranges connections between truckers, dispatchers, suppliers, and equipment companies, all while reducing overhead and increasing access to essential supplies, trucks, trailers, and more. From paperclips to spare tires, TruckersB2B can help make it possible and more affordable.
The key to a successful trip and a perfect, on-time delivery is matching the right load with the right truck and other equipment. That’s where Transportation.com excels. Designed to handle a vast number of logistical needs that often impact dispatchers and drivers, the website’s applications are a great way to match drivers and trucks with trailers and specific load weights. By matching these ahead of time, dispatchers can reduce maintenance costs, reduce the likelihood of mechanical problems on the road, and more quickly dispatch their drivers to make a quick, lucrative delivery of any size to any location.
The paperwork associated with each trucking trip or cargo delivery can be extensive, and its time in transit can slow down the process of an otherwise efficient trip cross-country. TripPak is designed to prevent this slow-down from seriously impacting drivers and their dispatchers. The company’s overnight delivery services are among the most widely used in the industry, and their lineup of paper products and resources is among the best. With a growing team that’s increasingly servicing a robust combination of large dispatchers and small businesses nationwide, TripPak is easily the industry standard for transmission of trip, cargo, and other information between dispatchers, distributors, and drivers.
4. Logistics.com
Logistics.com understands the expense-based concerns of the commercial trucking industry and has leveraged tools to reduce those expenses rather dramatically. Using tools found at the company’s website, truck drivers can find the most efficient route for their next drive and they can plot out each refueling stop to take advantage of the lowest possible gas prices. Considering many dispatching companies currently require drivers to pay for their own fuel expenses on a trip of any length, this is a great way to make money by saving money. It’s a resource that every trucker should have on his or her shortlist of must-use applications.
Of course, Logistics.com is also good for trucking dispatchers and others in the industry. Operated by Manhattan Associates, the site is home to the Logistics.com software that can help plot routes, lower overhead, reduce company expenses, and indicate areas of greater loss. With the help of the company’s software tools and websites, trucking companies can reduce expenses, boost profits, and give their drivers what they need for financial and practical success.
5. Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA)
Successfully earning a commercial driver’s license is no small task, with drivers quizzed about road theory and tested extensively on their driving skills. Even so, these tests are administered on a state-by-state basis and it is certainly possible for truck drivers to run afoul of laws in states outside their own. Whether it’s to educate truck drivers on the laws of the road in all 50 states, or to defend drivers when they’ve run into significant legal problems, the Trucking Industry Defense Association is typically on the scene.
The group of lawyers and legal resources has a long history of defending commercial trucking companies and their drivers, helping them navigate state legal systems and minimize or eliminate punishments for violations. Their educational resources makes it easy for commercial drivers to learn and obey state laws nationwide as well, reducing the likelihood that their actual legal defense services will ever be needed in the first place.
6. Baldwin & Lyons
Insuring commercial truck fleets is no small task, and it’s one that typically isn’t handled by mainstream insurance companies serving consumer automobiles. Baldwin & Lyons is an insurance agency that works exclusively with commercial trucking operators and public transportation companies, providing liability coverage the covers the driver, their vehicle, the cargo being hauled at any given time, and any bodily injury or property damage that might occur as a result of an accident. It’s easily the leading liability resource for the broader commercial shipping industry.
A Vast Industry of Help, Support, and Cost-Cutting Improvements
From business-to-business transactions to things like efficient trip planning, remote logistics management and more, the trucking industry has some really great tools at its fingertips. By leveraging these resources, drivers and dispatchers can save time, improve productivity, and elevate earnings levels in a very significant way.
