As freight app start-ups come and go in the digital world of trucking, one that I was turned onto while browsing through the app store has turned out to be a rather worthwhile new tool. Based out of Seattle, WA, Convoy, Inc. is a new broker start-up that has been doing well capturing the attention of single-truck owner operators, fleets and direct customers alike with its intuitive design and extensive suite of free-to-use features. Being someone that likes to use technology to my advantage in the world of trucking, this is one app that made its way onto my phone’s quick access positions very quickly!
Where a lot of freight apps like this tend to contribute to the “race to the bottom” mentality of inexperienced or desperate carriers taking rates that are far below market sustainability for most seasoned carriers, this app offers fair rates on most lanes of freight that can be “bid up” from there and not “bid down” like most freight apps. It also has tons of features such as real-time GPS load tracking, fleet management for multiple trucks and drivers, 24-hour/0% ACH direct deposit payments, direct POD uploading, and fleet historical load research capability right from the app. The best part about all these features is that they are free to use when signed up as a free user! One of my favorite features is how its GPS technology senses when you are arriving at a customer and automatically checks you in accordingly, which also works to notify the fleet manager (me in this case) when another driver arrives at his stops as well.
So you may ask yourself how this is all possible for free and why would a broker want to provide a useful tool like this to drivers for free? The answer was easily reached when talking to one of their employees over the phone one day. He explained that just like any other carrier or brokerage, they were new authority and had to “do their time” and “earn their stripes” so-to-speak. By signing up and providing the necessary authority and insurance information in their free app, carriers are contributing to their goal of adding more trucks to their portfolio as well. The more reputable carriers and trucks they can sign up, the more freight they can land as a brokerage. So far it has been a win-win for both parties as far as I am concerned because this new app has not degraded in quality, but only got better since I first started using it.
I will admit that there is no single app that is going to work to fill everyone’s needs when it come to finding freight to haul. I am continually out there scouring the app store and talking to others in an effort to try and find the next new app to add to the many I already use. I don’t put all my eggs in one basket, but this new Convoy app has done a good job in helping me to fill that basket a little easier. They do what other apps have only promised, which is get good-paying direct freight at decent prices and only take a fair margin, leaving a good enough chunk of meat on the load for a seasoned driver to chew on in the end. I will continue to track their ascension through the app hierarchy and keep my eyes out for the next new big trucking app!