PowerBroker LTL
The LTL module for PowerBroker brings a complete set of LTL brokerage capabilities into the system.
Users of the new PowerBroker LTL module can take advantage of full integration with the SMC3 published rates via the RatewareXL interface by purchasing the LTL Rating interface and the subscription services from SMC3.
One of the most important issues for brokerage LTL is the management of contracted carrier discounts, and controlling mark up of these rates for customers. PowerBroker’s LTL Module lets you identify your contract carriers by service area, and the mark ups you need to quote for carrier for each customer. You can further differentiate the tariff and mark up by location, by lane, or by class of freight specifically for each customer with unit rate breaks by weight, volume, class, or mileage.
For users of PowerBroker’s EDI for Logistics module, the tendering of your LTL orders to the right LTL carrier is handled within PowerBroker, typically via automated EDI. Status updates from the carrier come back via EDI and are available for your customer via your web portal. You still have the ability to manually consolidate multiple LTL orders as partial shipments on a single truckload order, when that makes sense and can work to improve your margins.
McLeod Software has also partnered with project44 to provide a web service based integration for LTL carriers and brokers to interact in real time with a bidirectional set of communications on rates, quotes, orders, and shipments. The interface utilizes project44’s LTL API capabilities to provide PowerBroker users access to LTL carrier quotes that include base rates and accessorial charges directly from the LTL carriers. The integration includes the ability to capture customer specific pricing, service offerings and transit times calculations from the carriers. With the project 44 integration, PowerBroker LTL users will be able to leverage project44’s APIs to tender quotes and retrieve shipment status updates from the connected LTL carriers, bypassing the costly and cumbersome EDI transactions for these purposes.