The Importance of Carrier Onboarding for Brokers and How to Automate It

Carriers are more than the people who move products safely on a deadline. As part of your transportation team, they’re also an extension of the services you, as a broker, provide to your customers. A trustworthy, qualified carrier network can help you maintain your reputation among shippers and grow your business.

There’s a lot more to finding carrier partners than searching load boards. You also need to ensure the shipping networks you use are compliant and certified to haul your clients’ products. This is when the right technology and process can help.

What is carrier onboarding and monitoring?

Carrier onboarding is the process of vetting a new carrier before hiring. This involves looking at everything from compliance, safety, (CSA) scores, risk assessment, liability, and up-to-date operating authorities.

Carrier monitoring helps you quickly confirm that your carriers are on track with freight rules and regulations. Things frequently change with carriers. Insurance lapses, safety ratings change, and operating authorities expire. Comprehensive monitoring is key to staying on top of carrier operations.

How onboarding and monitoring benefits your business

Onboarding and monitoring systems ensure that your shippers’ goods get to their final destinations. Here’s what it can help you do:

1. Source new carriers faster.

Truckstop’s RMIS Carrier Onboarding platform gives you access to 98% of all active carriers in the US and Canada, so you cast a wider net while using sophisticated filtering to find the best carrier network.

2. Remove data entry and paperwork.

Signing a new shipping company involves many forms and time-consuming data entry. An automated carrier onboarding process is 80% faster than a manual process.

Replacing unreliable faxes with on-demand online documentation and getting instant electronic signatures dramatically speed up onboarding processes, leading to time savings and cost savings.

3. Differentiate your business.

Stand out from the competition by proving you can source and monitor best-in-class carriers. Offer your shippers peace of mind with Truckstop’s Compliance-as-a-Service. It helps you pre-qualify carriers before you hire them, and it shows shippers you go the extra mile to ensure their cargo is in good hands.

4. Mitigate identity theft and fraud.

Carrier fraud is an ongoing problem. Fortunately, you can take steps at the beginning to mitigate this risk. Onboarding tools give you access to full Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) watchdog reports on carriers.

5. Reduce ongoing compliance risks.

You must monitor shippers for compliance risks to protect both you and your clients. Even with a thorough onboarding, statuses like CSA-e scores, safety ratings, and licensing requirements can change. Automated carrier monitoring keeps track of carrier ratings and notifies you immediately if their status changes. 

Why your approach to onboarding is important to shippers

Shippers don’t want to worry about carrier risks – that’s why they hire you. It’s your job to keep a careful eye on who’s transporting their goods and ensure they arrive intact and on time, legally and safely. Shippers trust you to hire truckers with the necessary licenses and authority to move their freight.

Onboarding and monitoring also minimize the risk of extra shipping charges.

How to automate the onboarding process with Truckstop

Automated tools save you time, reduce costs, and build trust with shippers. They also help you stand out from your competitors. Use these tools to:

Publish a branded registration website.

Create a customized website with Truckstop to claim all the benefits of RMIS Carrier Onboarding while branding it as your own. Provide all your services and necessary information in one place to cut down on paperwork, as well as check the statuses and ratings of your chosen shippers.

• Create advanced selection rules. Use Truckstop’s onboarding services to customize your carrier selection parameters, including financial stability, current clients, and insurance coverage.
• Get daily carrier safety alerts. Truckstop provides ongoing status reports about the carrier networks you hire, ensuring they comply with safety ratings, operating authorities, and more.  
• Integrate your TMS. Truckstop’s RMIS Onboarding system seamlessly connects with your TMS, eliminating time spent getting your technology to “talk” to each other. Carrier information is immediately accessible, so you can onboard them quickly and automatically.

What to look for in your solution

Onboarding and monitoring are critical to operating a successful brokerage. But doing it manually is time-consuming. Automated solutions like Truckstop’s RMIS Carrier Onboarding product let you vet and hire carriers 80% faster than manual processes. Automation through Truckstop’s Carrier Monitoring product also gives you more accurate and efficient oversight for authority, safety, compliance, ratings, fraud checks, and identity theft. Truckstop’s built-in tools help you work faster, better, and more profitably while minimizing risk and helping you stand out from the pack. Want to see it in action?  Request a free Carrier Onboarding demo.