Did you know that over 95% of carriers in the trucking industry have fleets with fewer than six trucks?
Despite making up the majority of the industry, smaller companies struggle to access the information that larger carriers take for granted. That’s where TrueTMS comes in – an affordable and easy-to-use TMS leveling the playing field for all carriers.
As a leading provider of facility data and reviews, Dock411 is proud to partner with TrueTMS to empower smaller carriers with critical information, from specific dock locations to driver reviews.
We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with George Thellman, Director of Business Development & Strategic Relations for TrueTMS, to learn more about the challenges facing smaller fleets and how technology can help them thrive.
Where did you start out, and how did you end up in transportation?
I enjoyed technology and started learning about tech development in high school. After high school, I worked with LexisNexis before taking a break from technology to do real estate.
I started working with Trimble in 2013, which is what got me excited about the transportation industry. It’s so relatable, and we’ve moved far beyond the “Smoky the Bandit” days. Today, trucking is techy both inside and outside the truck.
What’s the biggest challenge small carriers face?
Despite being 95% of the industry, only 15% of small carriers have adopted technology to make their operations more efficient. That’s a big problem because it means that small carriers are stuck with manual processes that limit their ability to grow.
The reason we started TrueTMS is to give smaller carriers access to the same streamlined back-end that larger carriers take for granted. It saves them a lot of hours and gives them a chance to grow.
For example, we met the owner of a 3-truck operation that wanted to grow to 5 trucks. But they felt like they needed a third administrative employee to make it happen, and that expense was too high to be profitable. We introduced them to TrueTMS and suddenly they were able to manage more loads with the same staff. That carrier now has a fourth truck and is making plans for a fifth.
That’s the kind of success we look to create — to give small carriers the freedom to grow efficiently, with or without adding people to their team.
How did you learn about Dock411, and what made you decide to partner?
I met Eric Weidl at MATS in 2022. I was drawn to Dock411 and the database he’s building because information and data are essential for smaller carriers.
Small trucking operations don’t have the “tribal knowledge” that comes from having dozens of drivers giving you information about facilities. Bigger carriers create their own databases using that communal knowledge, but smaller carriers don’t have access to that. They also don’t have the time to do the research themselves.
I realized that if we can bring the information from Dock411 into TrueTMS, it would revolutionize how small carriers plan their routes and dramatically improve driver workflow. Drivers won’t have to rely only on dispatchers who are relying on paperwork instead of on-the-ground reality; instead, they can access reviews from hundreds of other drivers to find out more about what to expect.
There’s nothing more satisfying to a driver than knowing exactly what to expect when they get to a facility. That’s what Dock411 allows us to provide to our smaller carriers.
Would you like to learn more about how integrating Dock411’s data into your technology can help you better serve your customers? Contact us today!
