With a New Product Release, McLeod Software Continues their Commitment to Innovation and Ongoing Investment for Customers

May 24, 2021 – BIRMINGHAM, AL – Today McLeod Software is releasing version 21.1 of its industry leading LoadMaster Enterprise and PowerBroker software solutions.

New Capabilities for LoadMaster and PowerBroker

New Supply Chain Connectivity Framework

With Version 21.1, McLeod Software introduces DataFusion, a configurable connectivity framework that gives customers a competitive edge to win business from the best shippers. DataFusion suite of products is fully integral to the company’s core LoadMaster and PowerBroker systems, giving users access to the capabilities it provides for their daily work within the system.

Access to fast, reliable, and customized information throughout the lifecycle of every shipment is the backbone of a successful technology-enabled supply chain. McLeod customers can use the elements of this evolving framework to create specific services, communication, integration, visibility, and automation for their customers.

McLeod DataFusion leverages the company’s integral, highly configurable data-driven EDI engine and expands the connectivity options far beyond simple EDI communications. DataFusion helps McLeod customers model and implement a wide variety of connectivity solutions using web service API’s now, and in the future, it will support emerging technologies that could be adopted in digital supply chains, such as Blockchain.

Customer Portal Enhancements

• The new version of the LoadMaster and PowerBroker Customer Portal introduced by McLeod in late 2020 has a new Truckload Order Entry functionality that provides customers with the ability to create a full truckload orders.
• The brokerage LTL Quoting process in the Customer Portal is newly redesigned so shippers can enter a brokerage LTL quote quickly without having to contact customer service. Brokers can give their customers options by defining weight parameters and valid pickup date options. A broker’s customer can use their new and existing locations, enter shipment details, and review carrier pricing through a logical workflow. When the process is complete, quotes can be submitted as an order with an option to print a Bill of Lading. The Customer Portal home page provides quick access to view all active quotes, and those can be converted to orders.
• The PowerBroker Carrier Portal has been enhanced with flexible search options for carriers to access their loads that have been offered and find current load information. Through the Portal, visibility to a carrier salesperson’s information is made available, so carriers can respond directly to the right person when inquiring or accepting an offered order.
• Carriers have one more tool to attract potential drivers, because they can visit the company’s website and fill out an application with just a few clicks. The new, easy to use open design allows prospective drivers to complete their application from anywhere, providing McLeod customers with the needed driver candidate information delivered directly into LoadMaster.

Truck Order Not Used

One of the most common accessorial charges in trucking is “Truck Order Not Used” (TONU), which is applied when a carrier pickup is requested, only to have the shipment cancel because no freight is available, or the requested equipment is no longer needed. As part of Version 21.1, McLeod has added a new function in LoadMaster that will cancel the order, bill the customer for the unused truck using an accessorial charge, create a pay record if the driver needs compensation, and create an empty movement to assist with repositioning the truck on the next load, all within one simple function. For PowerBoker users, this new feature allows for the user to add a TONU charge, cancel, or reset the date of the order, and pay the carrier from a single screen without additional work or data entry.

New Capabilities for LoadMaster

Trailer Sharing

With the Version 21.1 release, McLeod is introducing a new Trailer Sharing module for LoadMaster. This module is specifically designed to allow transportation companies with multiple companies under the same umbrella to view and share their trailer assets through a simple process, while protecting the definitions of ownership and tax information for that trailer. The McLeod Trailer Sharing module reduces the time spent facilitating multi-company trailer sharing while optimizing equipment visibility across multiple entities.

McLeod Anywhere Driver App

McLeod LoadMaster customers can give their drivers a wide array of capabilities directly on their mobile devices with the McLeod Anywhere Driver App. The system now allows drivers direct access to many third-party bolt-on mobile tools without leaving the app.

• With a real-time connection to LoadMaster, a driver can now locate company trailers on their mobile device based on the new trailer positioning capability within the Driver App.
• Using the McLeod Anywhere Driver App, drivers can send their time off requests directly to their driver manager to review and approve. Drivers have visibility to see their past and future event requests that have pending approval.
• Drivers can capture and attach color photos of freight at either pick up or delivery to visually communicate the state of the freight, while indexing that photo against that specific load or movement. This helps a great deal with OS&D claims and establishes the actual condition of the freight picked up or delivered by the driver.
• The Location Rating tab provides a Location rating directly from the carrier’s drivers’ feedback and their perspective on each stop location. Specific questions can be scored by drivers, and their feedback and comments are visible for others within the company to see. Drivers can prepare others with awareness of items such as parking, wait time, and who to see when arriving.

Beyond the McLeod Anywhere Driver App, McLeod customers can better serve their drivers by providing them with a secure login through an internet portal using a browser for instant access to their settlement and pay information. For companies that take advantage of McLeod’s Driver Choice module, the web access portal has an updated look to make it easier for drivers to review and update their load preferences.

New and Enhanced Integrations for LoadMaster

McLeod Software continues to welcome new mobile communication partners and expand integration solutions to give customers more choices.

• Platform Science is a new ELD integration for LoadMaster. Capabilities for the integration include driver workflow and dispatch with geofence locations for auto-arrival and departure, Hours of Service integration, position tracking and messaging.
• Integration with Maven’s ELD solution with LoadMaster includes sending driver workflow dispatch assignments with stop-tasks with geofenced locations for auto-arrival and departure, Hours of Service integration, position tracking and messaging.

Additional enhancements to existing mobile communication partners include:

• Geotab Trailer Tracking can receive trailer positions and trailer pool management directly into LoadMaster.
• The ORBCOMM Fleet Manager interface includes the retrieval of driver login and logout events.
• Transflo Pegasus Automated Driver workflow integration is now available in Version 21.1 with the Symphony Mobile Communications module.

New Capabilities for PowerBroker

Pick the Right Carrier Faster

A new Lane Builder tool has been added to PowerBroker to enhance McLeod’s Private Notification Network (PNN) Carrier Lanes by updating the carrier’s lane preferences, based on the actual recent loads they have hauled. This enhancement allows Waterfall Tendering and Offer Orders to better match a carrier’s actual preferred routes.

Routing Guides allow McLeod users to create and store their preferred go-to carrier list within the PowerBroker system. These Routing Guides can now be assigned to PowerBroker freight matching processes such as PNN, Waterfall Tendering and Offer Orders to advance the goal of finding the best carrier faster.

Digital Freight Matching Partners

McLeod Software offers customers the opportunity to take advantage of new types of digital bookings through the PowerBroker Digital Freight Matching (DFM) web service API. This open and published API integration for 3rd party providers was designed to let you seamlessly use the freight and capacity matching solutions from a variety of service providers within your brokerage operation. The DFM API and these services will help you find the right truck faster.

• PowerBroker now has a DFM web service integration with FreightFriend, a cloud-based, AI-powered truckload procurement solution to help shippers and brokers find the right capacity and match it to the right freight.
• Another PowerBroker DFM web service is newtrul, a digital freight aggregation platform and marketplace to provide brokers and shippers a faster way to find capacity.
• DFM with Parade, a capacity management platform, allows for control, and enables carriers to digitally book freight. Parade believes that the digital booking of freight can lead to repeated monthly bookings.

Enhanced Integrations for PowerBroker

• MacroPoint Brokerage tracking now allows for multiple email notifications to be included.
• The Transflo Velocity+ brokerage tracking interface now allows brokers to send the carrier driver information, and automatically assigns the driver to the tracked load, saving time from manually assigning in the Transflo app.

New Capabilities for PowerBroker LTL

To allow a more targeted approach to managing carriers for each customer, carriers can now be prohibited for specific lanes between tariff regions during the carrier selection process. PowerBroker LTL orders that are updated with transactions using EDI, or API tools, or a way other than through the Order Entry screen process, will automatically re-rate as needed to apply accurate load rates.

To provide users with confidence that the carrier and rate selected will be valid, PowerBroker LTL’s integration with project44 will return a quote with an expiration date displayed on the Carrier Selection screen. Users will not be able to select carrier rates that are past the expiration dates.

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