Volvo Trucks’ Load Finder to Reduce Empty Miles and Increase Revenue
Volvo Trucks North America is now offering Load Finder, a service that helps carriers streamline logistics operations and turn empty miles into revenue. Unlike other load boards that require costly subscriptions, Load Finder is available at no cost to Volvo customers and is especially valuable for new carriers entering the freight market or established fleets looking to help maximize paid miles and support more efficient freight movement.
“Deadhead miles,” when a truck hauls an empty trailer, are a costly challenge for carriers, driving up fuel use, emissions and operating costs. According to the American Transportation Research Institute, empty miles account for approximately 16 percent of all non-tank truck operations. Load Finder helps carriers recapture this lost revenue by matching trucks with high-quality, best-fit loads based on location, price, route, and driver availability.
“Deadheading represents lost time, lost money, and unnecessary environmental impact for our customers and for the industry,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America. “With Load Finder, we are offering a simple, free service that helps fleets improve utilization, lower costs, and reduce emissions. It is another example of how Volvo Trucks is helping our customers improve total cost of ownership through innovative solutions.”
Collects data from several load boards
In addition to revenue opportunities, Load Finder simplifies logistics for dispatchers by aggregating data from more than 40 load boards into a single platform, reducing the time and administrative effort spent searching for the next load. This helps carriers of all sizes improve fleet utilization, reduce downtime, and keep trucks on the road generating income. Because Load Finder works with all truck brands and models it is perfect for carriers with mixed fleets.
Volvo Trucks collaborated with Canadian freight technology company Class8 to co-develop the data integration feed from Volvo trucks to enhance the load recommendations. For Volvo customers, Load Finder offers enhanced integration through Volvo Connect, the company’s fleet management platform. Live truck data feeds into the analytics to deliver faster, smarter load recommendations. Carriers can sign up for Load Finder on the Volvo website at volvotrucks.us/loadfinder.
Load Finder doesn’t require any additional hardware or software and is accessible on both desktop and mobile devices. Fleets can also connect their existing Electronic Logging Device and Transportation Management System for more precise load matching.
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.