Much progress has been made to digitize supply chains. Technology advancements like transportation management systems (TMS) and LTL freight APIs (application programming interfaces) automatically connect with carriers and open doors to digitize the shipment lifecycle from quote to delivery.

SMC³ recently talked with Niki Bolton, chief strategic operations officer and senior truck auditor at American Truck & Rail Audits, Inc. about how shippers can proactively reduce accessorial charges and invoice surprises.

The final day of Connections 2023 kicked off with Webb Estes, president and COO of Estes Express Lines, sharing insights from his career as a leader in the LTL market. Estes Express Lines is the largest family-owned trucking company in the United States and the fifth-largest LTL carrier with $4.4 billion in revenue. 

The second day of Connections 2023 opened with Mike Horvath, the EVP, CMO, and co-founder of Revenova, a CRM-based TMS company, identifying several trends that he saw shaping shipping and logistics, as well as certain risks that might be upcoming in the industry. 

With dynamic freight pricing, LTL carrier pricing is flexible and responsive to the many factors that can impact the industry. Shifting to dynamic pricing gives carriers the flexibility to offer real-time pricing and the ability to make changes at a moment’s notice that reflect current market conditions.

As part of the recent SMC³ LTL online education exclusive hybrid session, industry experts discussed the basics of dock operations and how they’ve changed as technology has advanced.