Does Parade Work for Open Deck Freight Brokers? You Bet!
Experts predict that open deck transportation will be a $378 billion market by 2023, so of course, there are plenty of freight brokers out there who facilitate the movement of open deck freight. Despite the prevalence of open deck brokerages, not all software solutions are designed with them in mind.
Does Parade Work for Open Deck? Yes, and Here’s Why.
We get questions all the time about whether Parade will work for brokerages that work mainly with open deck or flatbed freight. Open deck trucking has a lot of requirements that standard dry van or reefer trucking does not. While some systems are built to handle all these various factors, Parade is built with all domestic brokerages in mind.
Here are just some of the ways Parade can support flatbed trucking brokerages in improving their capacity management.
1. We support all truck types.
There are a lot of different types of equipment in the open deck sector. Flatbed, step deck, double deck, Conestoga, RGN, and many types of flatbed loads need a specific type of trailer. Some software solutions aren’t built to accommodate these different types of equipment, but Parade supports all truck types.
Even if you’re brokerage hauls freight that requires very obscure equipment types that aren’t currently in our database, it’s still no big deal. We can simply get the equipment you need added to the system. It won’t hold up implementation at all and it also won’t stop a brokerage from making the most of the Parade’s capacity management solution.
It’s important to note that, with all the different types of equipment in open deck transportation, finding capacity can be even more difficult. Options for carriers who can take a load are limited to those with the equipment needed. This segmentation and the resulting capacity difficulties may make capacity management even more important for open deck brokerages.
2. All the necessary details can go into the Parade system.
A lot of particulars go into getting a flatbed load in the system properly so it can be booked on a carrier. These details are not only important for finding the right carrier. They’re also critical to ensuring a load can be transported safely. There are more regulations for open deck trucking, like cargo securement regulations, and that naturally makes for more critical information that has to be passed along during booking.
Things like accessorials and special instructions regarding tarping, securement, loading information, or whether chains are needed must be relayed to carriers before they book the load. Parade has room for all this open deck-specific information. It’s presented to carriers very plainly so they can decide whether they have the capabilities to handle the load.
On top of having the ability to take in, digest, and pass along all this critical information, Parade also offers a feature that helps flatbed brokerages double-check with carriers booking Book Now loads to ensure they have all the necessary accessorials. This is an optional feature, but when brokers use it, carriers must confirm that they’ve seen this information and that they’re still good to take the load.
3. We give customers access to the largest pools of open deck carriers.
Open deck capacity can be hard to come by, just like other types of trucking. Also like other types of trucking, shipping flatbed is expensive. Flatbed load-to-truck rates are up more than 80% compared to last year.
In order to help our customers secure the best rates, we have built integration partnership with DAT to provide access to the largest pools of open deck trucks on the market. That means Parade’s flatbed brokerages can post their loads or Book Nows directly to these load boards from our system.
To recap, if you’re an open deck brokerage and have thought about Parade but weren’t sure it would work for your business, let us assure you, it will. Parade can offer the same benefits that they offer to dry van or reefer brokerages to flatbed brokerages. In fact, with so much information to keep track of, Parade may even offer more to open deck brokerages. Learn more about how one of our open deck brokerages found success with Parade here.