Course of automation platforms a ‘quantum leap’ in tech evolution to comply with TMS

An organization’s entry to and management over its personal knowledge is among the most simple, but most important, requirements for working a greater enterprise and rising it.

The COVID-19 pandemic pressured many companies, together with carriers within the trucking trade, to query not solely the way in which they work however how they retailer and entry their knowledge — and the way they leverage it.

Are workers spending hours manually and repeatedly getting into the identical knowledge into spreadsheets and the corporate’s TMS? Are workflows damaged and scattered throughout a number of platforms? Is knowledge saved in many various locations, similar to on a TMS that may solely be accessed by way of on-premise servers, ELDs, the accounting system, smartphones, myriads of dealer apps, factoring portals, and a number of gas and bank cards? Are employees continually making and receiving cellphone calls to offer load updates? Most significantly, is it unattainable to know whether or not a truck, a driver or a load is worthwhile at any given cut-off date?

The pandemic highlighted these course of inefficiencies and demonstrated that streamlining processes, digitizing operations and leveraging knowledge weren’t merely aggressive benefits however important for enterprise survival shifting ahead.

A easy, cloud-based and automatic resolution is required to permit carriers, particularly these which might be small and midsize, to outlive and thrive within the digital knowledge age.

Enter PAPs

Hans Galland, BeyondTrucks CEO and founder, sees the answer to this want as course of automation platforms (PAPs), that are instruments designed as centralized hubs for carriers to assist them prosper within the fast-paced and data-centric enterprise of trucking.

“Small and midsized carriers usually do not need the finances and endurance to implement ERP options similar to a TMS. But as their operations develop, they want an answer extra strong than spreadsheets and extra time-efficient than a TMS to permit them to consolidate knowledge to permit for smarter enterprise choices. This was the impetus for a complete new period of transportation expertise — PAP — to be born,”  Galland mentioned.

He regards the expertise as not simply the subsequent era of enterprise course of instruments after the TMS, however one thing extra akin to the revolutionary bounce from conventional telephones to smartphones.

“PAP is software program that enables companies to automate repetitive enterprise processes, streamlining operations for simplicity and improved service; really a quantum leap. Serving as a subsequent step past the present TMS methods, PAPs additional ease the method of managing a fleet and eventually enable for making sensible choices,” Galland mentioned.

PAPs save operators time and trouble by unifying knowledge into one central location, lowering the necessity to change between numerous platforms. With all knowledge in a single place, carriers are in a position to make extra strategic choices for his or her fleets, whether or not they conduct primary analytics or make the most of superior statistical strategies similar to machine studying and AI to enhance the profitability of their operations

Customers can enter knowledge utilizing the system’s optical character recognition expertise, saving a lot time in contrast with guide knowledge entry. PAPs automate duties like load planning and dispatching, sending load updates to shippers, invoicing, expense funds and driver settlement. Native monetary capabilities similar to factoring enable fleet house owners to entry funds immediately.

It’s not simply Galland who sees the advantages of PAPs.

Wolfgang Lehmacher, former head of provide chain and transport industries on the World Financial Discussion board, mentioned: “Small and mid-sized trucking corporations make up greater than 75% of the US trucking capability, however many lack the sources and expertise to run their enterprise effectively. Because the world is shifting in direction of digitalization, will probably be existential for them to additionally grow to be extra digital, automated, and data-driven. Course of automation platforms, like BeyondTrucks, will help trucking corporations and the American economic system to remain world-class.”

One service already discovering success with BeyondTrucks’ PAP is Jay D’Varga, director of operations at Package deal Professional Logistics.

D’Varga mentioned: “Digitization and automation is the longer term. I used to be dropping a lot time by manually dealing with paperwork together with invoices. All of the TMS choices appeared laborious to make use of, costly, clunky, and outdated which is why I selected to go together with a PAP platform as a result of it’s cloud-based so I don’t should pay for upgrades, and it has an easy-to-use desktop and cellular app. By automating my invoices, bills, and workflows, I used to be in a position so as to add extra income to my enterprise and nonetheless save time.”

PAP vs. TMS

For years, TMSs have been a preferred software for carriers to digitize operations and retailer knowledge. Whereas a TMS may be highly effective, many of those methods are on-premise software program, usually requiring IT departments to handle the servers they stay on and pay for expensive upgrades, upkeep and buyer assist. This will work for bigger carriers who’ve the human and monetary sources, however it falls in need of the wants of small and midsize corporations that do not need the identical sources to take care of servers.

Most TMSs additionally operate extra like digital submitting cupboards and are incapable of constructing steady workflows and unified knowledge. This, along with the complicated nature of many TMSs usually requiring further workers to enter knowledge in a number of areas, can lead to extra challenges and added work as a substitute of simplifying processes.

PAPs are initially constructed for small and midsized carriers with the intention to enhance the way in which customers entry and work together with knowledge. 

PAPs are cloud-based, which means they are often accessed from anyplace customers have an web connection. The safety of the cloud, with a number of layers of backups, ensures vital knowledge is rarely misplaced, so there isn’t any want for expensive servers to deal with knowledge.

These methods are way over simply locations to retailer knowledge, nonetheless. They’re constructed particularly for connecting and streamlining duties alongside an operational course of.

Galland defined: “PAPs are basically totally different from fashionable TMSs: PAPs leverage dynamic knowledge whereas TMSs, even the cloud-based SaaS ones, use static knowledge interfaces stitching collectively many various instruments in a clunky manner. Information in PAPs flows seamlessly, due to near-native integration and native growth of sure options.”

The straightforward-to-use interface of a PAP permits customers of any talent degree to rapidly decide up easy methods to use it with out the necessity for costly and time-consuming coaching.

“PAPs by nature had been born from the necessity for a extra versatile, adaptable, easier-to-use and smarter platform to handle a trucking enterprise. It’s fascinating although that what was actually born out of want for smaller carriers can be really of great enchantment for bigger fleets. In any case, who doesn’t like a extra environment friendly workforce and real-time visibility about how your corporation is doing?” Galland mentioned.

In the end, PAPs’ easy interface permits extra fleets to digitize and automate their operations in order that they have extra of what issues — extra time and higher knowledge.

To learn more about PAPs and BeyondTrucks’ PAP solution, click here.

Download the free Industry White Paper on The Future of Mid-Size Trucking: Opportunities to Leverage Automation for Operations, People, and Finances here.