Announcing direct-from-shipper loads, enabling carriers to access 10x more spot freight

Convoy has launched direct-from-shipper loads nationwide, a new capability that provides carriers access to 10x the amount of spot freight from America’s largest shippers. 

One of the biggest problems that carriers face is having to call and work with many different brokers to find the best next load to haul. It is very time consuming and often results in waste in the form of empty miles as carriers aren’t always matched to the load that is most ideal for their truck. 

This happens because brokers have traditionally acted as filters between shippers and carriers. A broker will bid on some of the spot loads that they think they can make a profit on and then win a subset of that, often amounting to 10% or less of the total. Carriers, in turn, only see that small subset of loads when working with that broker.  

It doesn’t have to be this way. Because Convoy was built from the ground up as a digital freight network, we enable carriers to bypass these filters. With this launch, our automated systems make every spot shipment available right alongside traditional loads in the Convoy app. This ensures carriers can efficiently find loads to keep their trucks full and shippers’ spot loads are hauled to their destination.

ENSURING COVERAGE AND QUALITY FOR SHIPPERS

Participating shippers are assured of high-quality coverage for their spot freight even in difficult situations like natural disasters or short notice. For example, when Hurricane Dorian struck in August, direct-from-shipper shipments accounted for 75% of the spot loads delivering into Florida through the Convoy network. Additionally, loads are always hauled by high-quality and compliant carriers in the Convoy network who are 15% safer than the industry average.

HOW IT WORKS: ACCESSING MORE LOAD OPTIONS WITH NO PHONE CALLS

For the first time, carriers can see and bid on all the spot loads from shippers within a single app. Because these loads are coming directly from the shippers, they show up as bid only in the Convoy app. Carriers are in control throughout this process, as they can bid on individual loads to set a price for those that match their preferences. Participation requires no additional work and there are no calls or negotiations to handle. Direct-from-shipper maintains the simplicity that carriers have in securing work with Convoy today but with substantially increased reach.

“It’s great seeing all the spot shipments from top shippers with Convoy’s direct-from-shipper loads. This helps us find more work and saves us time.” -Prabhjot Singh of Sigma Transport

Direct-from-shipper loads show up as “Bid Only” jobs for live, single-stop shipments. Carriers can start accessing direct-from-shipper loads nationwide today in the Convoy mobile app. There is no additional work for shippers to participate.

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