What is a ghost load in trucking

I haven’t posted much in the past year or two, but I have remained active. This is an update on my recent activity.

Everyone buys the idea that goods should flow smoothly across the globe to arrive Just-In-Time at customer doors. Presumably, the data corresponding to those goods should flow even more easily. That’s mostly true … with one big exception. When shipments move as full truckloads or sometimes partial loads in the US Trucking industry spot market (a surprisingly large part of the overall logistics system) a key part of the data flow is interrupted, distorted, or may not exist at all.

I started a deep dive into this when I agreed to help friends spin up DFM Data Corp (DFMDC). DFMDC’s mission is a bit unusual. DFMDC has a license to a wide-ranging Patent covering the application of “digital freight matching” technology to the truckload spot market. DFMDC’s founder saw an opportunity to leverage the Patent to fix the data gap and benefit the entire trucking industry.

Nonetheless, DFMDC’s mission is just the context for this article, not the main point.

The first problem that DFMDC tackled was the problem of “Phantom Data” or “Ghost Loads” in the marketplace. Phantom Data occurs when a shipper or broker puts load postings out with multiple intermediaries: digital freight management (DFM) systems, traditional brokers, and carriers. Some of them will (possibly unbeknownst to the shipper) repost the load notices in yet more places. The result is many postings of the same load. When the load is ultimately booked, some of those postings will remain visible. Indeed, it may be very hard to find them all, even if the shipper or broker wants to be diligent. The now-spurious postings waste everyone’s time and patience: carriers, brokers, and shippers.

And the problem will likely get much worse.

Eager innovators and entrepreneurs are constantly introducing new “freight tech”. Cloud systems talking to other cloud systems and mobile-enabled end-users. Phantom Data is being copied, reposted, screen-scraped and republished in new and clever ways. Think of it as “Logistics Spam” … confusing, distracting, useless, and maybe worse. What if this garbage pail were to become the playground for malicious hackers? I could share scenarios that occur to me, but perhaps better not.

These concerns motivated me to work with DFMDC to establish a cloud-based system to help industry participants report bookings, safely notify interested digital boards and enable them promptly clean up the junk.

One problem. It can’t be done.

I’m not just admitting that DFMDC and I aren’t up to it. I’m asserting that current industry practices make cleanup impossible. For anyone. With any technology. A critical data puzzle piece is missing. There is no industry-standard way to unambiguously identify the loads that are posted to the various marketplaces and the marketplaces are competing with one another. Cooperation is in short supply. Maybe the shipper can recognize many of them … but no one else can. If you can’t tell if they are duplicates, you can’t remove them.

BTW, the same problem applies to postings of truck capacity by Carriers and Brokers, but that has a slightly different problem structure so I will leave it for another day.

The simple solution is an industry-wide system with the following elements:

• A standard-form, unique ID that shippers can generate and apply to intended loads prior to negotiations between shippers and brokers/carriers.
• Understanding that the ID will be sent to the intended recipient when it is created.
• (Optionally) Record it for posterity to know which IDs were legitimately created.
• All intermediaries are tasked to ask for the ID, record the ID, display the ID in listings, and share the ID with their contracting partners.

If that ID system existed, DFMDC has already built a cloud system to clean up Phantom Data. Beyond that, an early-stage ID system could energize and leverage a whole new class of trucking digitization and automation.

Unfortunately, while simple, it’s a big challenge to implement for an industry that makes herding cats look like child’s play. To that end, DFMDC and I have assembled a concept for an ID and implementation roadmap and documented it in this Deeper Dive Paper.

Finally, DFMDC is willing to use its Patent to give legal cover to the effort to achieve a single industry solution. Rather than being used in a punitive manner, the Patent can help shelter a new, badly-needed, industry-wide standard and data cleaning system. Money will be made from the Patent, for sure, but it will be money that is well and fully earned.

FWIW, that’s what I’ve been up to. Please add your voice to [email protected] if you would like to further this discussion.

As a trucking company owner or a carrier dispatcher working in a trucking business, you know that using load boards comes with its drawbacks. The biggest negative about them is that they aren’t real time, which means sometimes the loads you see on load boards aren’t real or the load has already been taken by another carrier. There are better technologies available, however, that help you find loads with your favorite brokers quicker than you can with load boards. Trucker Tools’ free software platform for carriers is one of those technologies that lets you find (and book!) loads quickly without all the phone calls and emails from brokers. In fact, we just released a new version of our free carrier platform and it’s better than ever and accessible 24/7 at https://bookaload.truckertools.com/signup. 

Check out these five ways that real-time carrier platforms like Trucker Tools’ outperform load boards. 

1. Quick Searches for Loads with Your Favorite Brokers 

With Trucker Tools’ free carrier platform, you can search for loads from different brokers in one place instead of jumping from load board to load board. It’s worth noting that unlike load boards, Trucker Tools’ software platform is free for carriers. You don’t have to pay a monthly fee to search for loads or to view the details on a load. The great news is that with our carrier platform, you also won’t have to waste time and energy on answering phone calls and emails from brokers when you need a load for a truck. Instead, you can quickly search for loads by broker name, location, lane, load type, date and/or time. 

Note: you must request permission from brokers/3PLs to see their loads in Trucker Tools’ carrier platform. Trucker Tools does not set broker rates and does not charge any per load transaction fees.

2. Fresh Load Data

The technology behind Trucker Tools’ load searches is different from load boards — and it’s all about time. Load boards aren’t real-time, which means even once a load is booked somewhere else by someone else and recorded in the broker’s software, the post advertising the load isn’t necessarily removed. That means you’re often looking at stale, outdated data on load boards. Trucker Tools’ carrier platform is integrated with the transportation management software used by brokers, which means the loads you see on our platform are fresh and truly available. If a load is booked by someone else, it’s immediately and automatically removed from the platform. That means you’re never chasing after an already-booked load.

3. No Ghost Loads

One of the biggest complaints we hear about load boards is that some of the postings aren’t real loads. Some freight brokers and shippers post ghost loads on load boards because they want a ballpark idea of what the freight rate is going to be. Load board scams and freight fraud unfortunately are on the rise, as well. Thankfully, you won’t encounter any ghost loads on Trucker Tools’ free carrier platform. When a load is booked in the broker’s TMS, it’s automatically removed from Trucker Tools’ platform and won’t be shown in your search results. The fact that Trucker Tools’ free carrier software platform is a real-time technology makes it much faster and more efficient than load board technology. 

4. Quote On/Book Loads Online in Real-Time

Once you search for and find a load that you like in Trucker Tools’ carrier platform, you have a few options. You can call the broker at the phone number listed on the load in the platform. You also have the option to submit a rate quote for the load through the platform. If a load has the words “BOOK IT” next to it, you can even book the load instantly right then and there in the carrier platform. If you do book a Book-It-Now® load, you’ll receive an automated email confirming the appointment. As a carrier dispatcher, these options save you a lot of time. Instead of chasing after ghost loads or having long phone call negotiations with brokers, you can instantly quote on loads and/or book them in the platform — and then move onto your next task.

5. Save Your Favorite Searches

In the new version of Trucker Tools’ free carrier software platform, you have the ability to save your load searches under the Preferences tab. This feature is another major time-saver for carrier dispatchers. Once you save a search, you don’t have to re-enter all of your search terms the next time you want to look for a load in that lane. You simply go to the saved searches to see the updated results. When you save a search, you can specify pickup location, destination location, trailer type, date, time, rate per mile or flat rate, and/or broker name. If you want to publish your available capacity publicly to Trucker Tools’ broker platform, which can further reduce phone calls and emails from brokers, simply check the box next to Publish Availability under Lane Preferences.

To sign up as a new user of Trucker Tools’ free carrier platform, visit https://bookaload.truckertools.com/signup. If you’re an existing user, visit https://bookaload.truckertools.com/loads, go to the sidebar menu, click/tap on Login/Signup, and enter your username and password.  

To learn more about the latest release of Trucker Tools’ free software platform, read Trucker Tools Launches New Version of Free Software Platform for Carriers.

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