DAT and FourKites team up for visibility-focused strategic partnership

Portland, Ore.-based DAT Freight & analytics, an online marketplace for spot market truckload freight, and Chicago-based FourKites, a provider of real-time tracking and visibility solutions across transportation modes and digital platforms, recently heralded a strategic partnership focused on bringing FourKite’s real-time, end-to-end supply chain visibility into DAT’s network.

The companies said that this partnership will enable freight brokers to augment customer service and boost carrier relationships, subsequently reducing the need for things like check-calls and ETA management, and also let carriers to quickly integrate tracking through things like ELD and other applications. And they also said that from within the DAT platform carriers will gain access to FourKites’ Partner Hub, an industry-first ELD onboarding offering focused on meeting brokers’ and carriers’ needs for total transparency, advanced security, and user controls.  

In terms of how this partnership works, Greg Hastings, Vice President, Strategy Execution, DAT Freight & Analytics, told LM that as brokers identify carriers available to transport freight, they negotiate terms and ensure the carrier is fully qualified on a load-by-load basis.

“Increasingly, those qualifications include live updates on the location and status of that load,” he said. “With this partnership, brokers can select ‘DAT Visibility’ when they post to the load board. For any carrier accepting a load that requires DAT Visibility, tracking will begin when they enter the geofenced pickup location and end when they arrive at the drop-off location through a seamless, behind-the-scenes integration with FourKites and all major ELDs. Carriers can also select app-based location tracking through their smartphone if they prefer.”

What’s more, Hastings said that carriers on the DAT network will be able to onboard through FourKites’ Partner Hub in a couple of minutes.

“Once completed, they’ll be eligible to haul loads posted to the load board with DAT Visibility,” he said. “In addition to the convenience of ELD-based tracking, carriers will have access to AI-powered predictive ETAs that incorporate 150 factors such as weather and traffic conditions. DAT is trusted with the world’s largest database of customer freight information. Carriers using DAT Visibility can take comfort that their location will not be shared beyond the authorized broker/shipper and they will only be tracked when they explicitly opt in, such as hauling a tracked load or sharing location to let brokers know they are available for their next load. Brokers and carriers can get up and running and sharing data almost instantly, even when they’re working together for the first time.”

When asked what drove the need for this partnership, Hastings explained that the spot market sees about 20% of truckload freight right now, but finding a freight match can be a complex back-and-forth to confirm location, availability, equipment, and rate.

“Adding tracking to this process, which requires an agreement/authorization for the carrier to share ELD or smartphone location data with the broker, has made the spot market an inconsistent source for tracked loads,” he said. “With the FourKites partnership, tracked loads can find a match just as easily and reliably on DAT’s load board as searching for reefer versus dry van. Visibility is unlocking efficiency for every player in the supply chain. Carriers can plan their stops, reduce wait times, maximize hours of service, adapt delays, and book the next load earlier with real time location tools like predictive ETA. Brokers can identify and address incidents early, plan and line up reloads for carriers, and keep their customers up to date on the location of their freight. Shippers plan inventories and service levels more efficiently. And everybody benefits from fewer check calls, time spent trying to locate a particular shipment, and disputes over accessorials or penalties.”

And with FourKites customers moving 1 to 2 million loads per day, all requiring tracking, Hastings observed that the brokers serving those FourKites customers post more volume to DAT’s load board than any other freight marketplace, about 300 million loads posted annually. 

The DAT-FourKites partnership opens up this portion of the truckload market for seamless, automated load tracking by incorporating the service directly into load board posts, according to Hastings.

“DAT is an industry pioneer and there is absolutely no better partner with whom to embark on this audacious goal of providing full visibility into North American brokered freight,” said Matt Elenjickal, FourKites founder and CEO, in a statement. “Our goal is to empower every broker and carrier with high-quality visibility data so they can enhance equipment utilization, increase driver productivity and run an efficient, sustainable freight network.”