2021 a Year of Record Growth for McLeod Software, New Product Release Continues their Commitment to Operations Excellence and Productivity for Customers
January 17, 2022 – BIRMINGHAM, AL – Today McLeod Software is releasing version 22.1 of its industry leading LoadMaster Enterprise and PowerBroker software solutions.
2021 a Year of Record Growth
McLeod Software’s sales grew by 32% in 2021, a new record for the company. Sales growth happened in every segment the company serves, including Truckload Carriers, LTL Carriers, Brokers, 3PLs, and LSPs.
New Capabilities for LoadMaster and PowerBroker
MPact Now Part of LoadMaster and PowerBroker
Each day, customer service reps, brokers, and pricing analysts bounce back and forth between different systems and sources of rate information to price freight. But now, in a new window on the same screens where users handle their daily pricing activities, they can access MPact, McLeod’s private pricing index. MPact is also available on the Rate Index tab to provide users access to current pricing trends.
MPact collects data from over 1,000 participating McLeod customers as contributors and is only available to McLeod customers using LoadMaster or PowerBroker. The data is genuine because it only includes loads that actually moved in a lane.
DataFusion Enhancements
The IntercompanyFusion module allows McLeod’s DataFusion EDI solution to provide visibility, two-way communication, and data sharing to manage the freight exchange between internal companies without the need for double entry of the order. This feature vastly reduces the effort associated with moving a load between two internal companies under the corporate structure.
Security Enhancements
With the release of Version 22.1, McLeod Software continues to focus on a layered security approach to protect from external cyber threats. Security updates add precautionary layers protect the gateways from those outside your trusted network. These measures include removing sensitive data from authorized and unauthorized API calls, and successful and unsuccessful login attempts, and a configurable system to ban select IP addresses. McLeod uses security measures in layers to decrease the likelihood that an attack can reach the sensitive data and systems that run a customers' business.
New Capabilities for LoadMaster
Major Enhancements to Trailer Sharing
Trailer Sharing for LoadMaster, a tool designed specifically for transportation corporations composed of multiple entities, allows trailers to be shared between internal companies. This can be especially helpful when demand is heavy, and capacity is tight. Behind-the-scenes enhancements optimize the dispatch approval process and keep track of shared trailers, regardless of which company in the organization owns the trailer.
Transfer of Trailer Ownership
Should trailer ownership need to transfer between companies, it now becomes a simple task, such as after an extended borrowing period, damage caused while the trailer is on loan, or even a trailer sale. Instead of the manual task of adding and deleting the trailer, an automated process can now complete this task of transferring ownership permanently with just a couple of keystrokes.
Trip Management and Better ETAs
Enhancements have been made to handle the most critical information first in a trip lifecycle. As LoadMaster monitors an unfinished trip leg, Trip Management will now prioritize the stop and movement information ahead of the position information to provide the most accurate ETA.
Anywhere Driver App
Changes in LoadMaster now trigger push notifications in the McLeod Anywhere Driver App to alert drivers of details and changes that affect their day. Drivers can receive alerts on new load assignments, changes to tractor and trailer numbers, and pending assignments. There are date-driven notifications to alert drivers of approaching driver’s license, physical, or MVR expiration dates. Drivers can even receive birthday and anniversary messages automatically.
Symphony Mobile Communications
Driver Snapshot
A new Driver Snapshot screen provides a snapshot view of the driver’s Hours of Service. This view details the arrival and departure times on the stops and displays the driver’s duty status. The Driver Snapshot screen allows quick access to Mobile Comm Messages, Driver master file, and Driver Logs.
New and Enhanced Integrations
McLeod Software welcomes new mobile communications partners as we continue to expand our integration solutions and give our customers more choices. LB Technology and GPS Insight offer GPS position reporting for real-time location monitoring of your tractor and trailer positions. McLeod Software has expanded its relationship with KeepTruckin to now offer trailer tracking and position reporting in LoadMaster.
New Capabilities for PowerBroker
Electronic Offers
The process of electronically offering orders and negotiating just got easier in PowerBroker Version 22.1. Whether McLeod customers utilize the Offer Order tool to deliver offers in a blast format or Waterfall Tendering to deliver them individually, they can rest assured that the carrier matches are integrated with Private Notification Network (PNN) Lanes, Routing Guides, and Carrier Rates to present the best fit.
PowerBroker also now provides additional enhancements for tracking counteroffers. These features include additional carrier offer statuses, a new brokerage status that is visible in planning, as well as the ability to respond electronically to counteroffers via the portal.
Continuous Moves
One way to build solid carrier relationships is to offer loads that fit their interest. Now the broker can offer carriers back-to-back loads or continuous moves and include those on the carrier’s current offer. The Offer Order or Waterfall Tendering electronic offer sent to a carrier can include additional loads information with a weblink to request more details. The Send Me Details button on the offer generates an email to the contact on that offered next load requesting additional information and kickstarting the negotiation process.
Digital Freight Matching
When capacity is tight, McLeod’s Digital Freight Matching (DFM) API and off-the-shelf integration gives users a variety of freight and capacity matching solution partners with access to more capacity. Continued development of PowerBroker’s open and published API integrations gives McLeod’s DFM partners the tools to exchange the right information in a seamless, automated process.
PowerBroker now has a DFM web service integration with Descartes MacroPoint, a single way to source new carriers, view overall market capacity, and automatically match loads to open capacity. The addition of Descartes MacroPoint brings the total number of DFM API partners LoadMaster currently supports to seven different suppliers.
About McLeod Software
The companies who run McLeod Software are the transportation industry’s innovators. They consistently improve their customer service and operating ratios, attract and retain the best drivers, and automate their crucial business processes. Visit us at www.McLeodSoftware.com