A lot of the real-time load board stuff is being done with vastly improved and updated technology, as with Sylectus and other networks. The public just doesn't see that. A lot of it is also done in private e-mails between shippers or customers and select carriers. Both are more or less relationship oriented, as you've noted.
Despite the perceived (and real) shortcomings of cell phones and e-mail, yes, it used to be a lot harder. With the addition of real-time tracking of the Qualcomm, which is an important communications tool all on its own, even if no individual messages are sent using it, as it communicates the location of the truck to dispatch and to customers alike, the QC, cell phones and e-mail make it much easier than having dispatch not know where you are and no way to contact you until you showed up at a pickup or delivery, or pulled over and found a pay phone to check in with them. Many things that you used to have faxed or snail mailed to you are now e-mailed to you directly. That goes both ways.
E-mail isn't as bad as you might think, especially in-house at many carriers.
Some have filters that only allow in certain e-mail addresses, like established customers and the drivers they have leased. At many carriers, for example, anyone including spammers can e-mail the carrier, but they cannot e-mail a dispatcher directly unless they are on The List. Apparently they have vastly superior SPAM filters than you do, or far fewer friends on Facebook, because 1200 e-mails in a week is insane.
Phone calls are recorded and e-mails (and QC messages) are logged and kept, mainly for quality management tracking (ISO 9000) purposes. Nearly all in-house communications at medium and large carriers are done via e-mail for that very reason. It's the preferred method of communications.
Like Twitter and Facebook, the current real-time load boards and e-mail system is a very effective way of communicating to large groups of people, and more to the point, to a very selective targeted large group of people. Unlike general trucking, available expedite loads are more on a "need to know" basis than they are on a "want to know" or "everybody can know" basis. Shippers only want to deal with the carriers they can rely on, rather than just any ol' body out there.
Communicating between driver and dispatch, shipper and carrier, broker and consignee, driver and consignee, etc., these are mainly a one-on-one thing, and things communicated between driver and dispatch, for example, may very well be something that shipper/broker/consignee need not know about at all. So communicating much of anything on individual loads is not something that should be done to large groups of people, anyway.
We already have the tools for good communication. Dispatch, for example, can easily call us with one click, or send a QC text message. Problem is, they by and large don't. If you could write an app that will make dispatch or someone at a carrier call me back after they say they will, you've got my money.
Despite the perceived (and real) shortcomings of cell phones and e-mail, yes, it used to be a lot harder. With the addition of real-time tracking of the Qualcomm, which is an important communications tool all on its own, even if no individual messages are sent using it, as it communicates the location of the truck to dispatch and to customers alike, the QC, cell phones and e-mail make it much easier than having dispatch not know where you are and no way to contact you until you showed up at a pickup or delivery, or pulled over and found a pay phone to check in with them. Many things that you used to have faxed or snail mailed to you are now e-mailed to you directly. That goes both ways.
E-mail isn't as bad as you might think, especially in-house at many carriers.
Some have filters that only allow in certain e-mail addresses, like established customers and the drivers they have leased. At many carriers, for example, anyone including spammers can e-mail the carrier, but they cannot e-mail a dispatcher directly unless they are on The List. Apparently they have vastly superior SPAM filters than you do, or far fewer friends on Facebook, because 1200 e-mails in a week is insane.
Phone calls are recorded and e-mails (and QC messages) are logged and kept, mainly for quality management tracking (ISO 9000) purposes. Nearly all in-house communications at medium and large carriers are done via e-mail for that very reason. It's the preferred method of communications.
Like Twitter and Facebook, the current real-time load boards and e-mail system is a very effective way of communicating to large groups of people, and more to the point, to a very selective targeted large group of people. Unlike general trucking, available expedite loads are more on a "need to know" basis than they are on a "want to know" or "everybody can know" basis. Shippers only want to deal with the carriers they can rely on, rather than just any ol' body out there.
Communicating between driver and dispatch, shipper and carrier, broker and consignee, driver and consignee, etc., these are mainly a one-on-one thing, and things communicated between driver and dispatch, for example, may very well be something that shipper/broker/consignee need not know about at all. So communicating much of anything on individual loads is not something that should be done to large groups of people, anyway.
We already have the tools for good communication. Dispatch, for example, can easily call us with one click, or send a QC text message. Problem is, they by and large don't. If you could write an app that will make dispatch or someone at a carrier call me back after they say they will, you've got my money.
