When Fortune Logistics had big plans to modernize their freight brokerage, they turned to Parade for capacity management and process automation.
Before Parade, Manual Processes Ruled at Fortune Logistics
Finding capacity for their loads before involved using a program they developed in Tableau that tracked their load history and showed every carrier in the country on a plot map. With their internal network of carriers, covering loads was simple. If they didn’t have a networked carrier available, they had to sift through mass amounts of data to find the capacity they needed to cover loads.
Their talented and dedicated team still got the job done and the brokerage was growing, but they knew they needed to modernize their processes to achieve their lofty goals.
Now, Fortune is Working to Become Fully Autonomous
By utilizing Parade and Tai TMS, Fortune Logistics is aiming to get to the point where 15%-20% of their freight is completely autonomous. Tai’s load tendering and Parade’s carrier outreach waterfall has them well on their way to doing just that.
From this, they expect the other metrics they track to improve as well. Since Fortune is aiming to scale their business, adding Parade’s automation just makes sense. Giving reps the tools they need to be more productive means that they can grow their business without growing their staff.
Parade Supports Reps in Making Gains in the Metrics that Fortune Uses to Measure Success
Fortune tracks two main metrics: bookings per rep and bookings per carrier.
Their top reps were booking between 35 and 45 loads per week. After using the system for just a couple of weeks, those booking numbers are now reaching towards 50. Many of their reps have been able to increase their bookings by 10%-20%.
Bookings per carrier have also increased. Fortune’s Executive Regional Manager Tyler Gilpin credits Parade’s internal load board and email blasts with this increase. It makes it easier for carriers to see the loads that match the carrier’s equipment availability wherever they’re looking for them and cuts down on the extraneous loads that don’t mean anything to them so the loads they can do are easy to see.
The Secrets to Fortune’s Parade Success
Sometimes, brokerages struggle to get carriers going with new systems like Parade. Anticipating that issue, Fortune designed a course to teach their ultra-dedicated carriers how to use the system. Now, the system is old hat for those ultra-dedicated carriers, allowing those carriers to book with minimal intervention.
They also use digital booking to make sure they don’t miss out on capacity after business hours. They’re seeing a lot of quotes come in after hours, and they anticipate even more success on Book Now loads after hours when they get their onboarding processes more automated.
Fortune saw great buy-in from their team of reps because they already incentivize the metrics they want to see improve and those metrics are ones that Parade can make big gains on.
Working closely with our development team and Customer Success team, Fortune has advocated for what they need to make the most of the system, and it’s paying dividends.
What’s Next?
By the end of the year, Fortune hopes to, at some point, have 40% of their loads automated through the Book Now feature. Currently, 50% of their network is covered in-house and doesn’t go out to load boards, and they’re hoping to increase that number even more, as well. They plan to make this happen by sending more of their loads to the carriers they utilize most often.
About Fortune Logistics
Fortune started in 1980 with a single owner operator truck, adding trucks and freight volume over the years. In 2008, they added a freight brokerage division to help cover excess freight and serve their shippers better. In 2017, they decided to expand the brokerage side, which is based in Sioux Falls, SD. They focus exclusively on reefer truckload freight and now have terminals in Windom, MN, Greeley, CO, and Roswell, NM. Today, their fleet has more than 150 trucks and the brokerage side has brought in more than $12 million in revenue with just 5 employees.
You can find more customer stories like this on our blog, including this case study we did with Keller Logistics Group.
If your brokerage is seeking out a capacity management solution to help you find capacity, boost revenue, and scale your business, reach out to the team at Parade for a demo.