Mid-sized and enterprise shippers often use a multi-stop freight model to increase efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and reduce costs. While traditional multistop options have served many shippers well, there is an even more impactful option on the market today: Flock Freight’s shared load.

What is multi-stop freight?

With traditional multistop, shippers can consolidate shipments into fewer trips by coordinating less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments from multiple origins to a single destination or from a single origin to multiple destinations. This approach essentially allows shippers to pool their own freight.

This is usually managed manually through spreadsheets or through TMS optimization tools. Manual processes are time-consuming, frustrating, and prone to human error. At the same time, TMS-generated solutions often leave savings behind because they don’t have access to a broader freight network than their own. Additionally, most traditional multi-stop optimization engines often rely on outdated master data, failing to uncover more dynamic real-time cost savings opportunities. Or worse yet, they generate unworkable solutions based on unrealistic routes.

What is split loading (STL)?

Flock Freight’s Shared Truckload offering improves on traditional multi-stop models, using more dynamic machine learning-based technology, specifically designed for multi-shipper load consolidation, which opens up entirely new opportunities to reduce costs and increase service levels.

While traditional multi-stop routes rely solely on the shipper’s freight, Shared Truckload operates a broader national network of shareable shipments. This means that Flock Freight can match shipments not only within a single company’s network, but also across the freight of thousands of complementary customers in real time and as market conditions change.

By leveraging its decade-strong network and proprietary technology, Flock Freight significantly increases pooling probability for shippers, generates more efficient routes and improves truck utilization, ultimately leading to lower rates. An analysis of more than 17,000 shipments showed that Flock shippers saved an average of 30% using this method compared to the truckload alternative.

Efficiency at scale

As part of the most recent evolution of its FlockDirect Shared Truckload offering, Flock now performs facility- and network-level analytics for shippers to determine more comprehensive optimization opportunities across their entire network – instead of just evaluating each shipment individually.

“This approach is fueled by enhancements to the company’s proprietary technology as well as its ever-growing mountain of historical data specific to freight consolidation and pooling. The more shipping data that is ingested, the better the optimization results over time,” said Chris Pickett, CCO of Flock Freight. “By analyzing a shipper’s entire network instead of a single shipment, we can create more efficient multi-stop loads and then fill the remaining empty space with freight from other customers. »

Flock Freight’s platform optimizes freight at the shipping network, facility and supply chain levels, with each level delivering increasing value. With more predictable volume, Flock can quantify the impact of moving freight through Shared Truckload and pass those savings on to its customers.

Flock’s Chief Pricing Officer, Shawn Maykuth, added: “I’ve analyzed billions of dollars of freight over the course of my career, and the network-level optimization we achieve at Flock has opened up unprecedented opportunities . As the industry recognizes the value of multiple stops and reducing empty space, our unique ability to quantify impact and illustrate unanticipated efficiencies is what truly excites our shippers.

Carrier sentiment: transforming hesitation into partnership

Carrier buy-in can be a barrier in traditional multi-stop freight transportation because shipments often do not follow a set of streamlined operating procedures, making them difficult for carriers to manage. Routes can also be unreliable, built around unrealistic transit times given appointment constraints and inaccurate estimates of dwell times. This is where Flock Freight stands out.

Flock Freight has invested heavily in building strong relationships with carriers, as well as designing operational procedures specifically for shared lots. These procedures ensure that STL shipments move seamlessly within the carrier’s workflow, minimizing disruption. Additionally, carriers are able to maximize their own profits, earning up to 25% more per haul compared to more traditional single pick-up/drop-off freight, both per mile and per day.

These streamlined processes, more reliable routes and increased financial opportunities naturally lead to stronger partnerships and better service for shippers, creating a win-win situation for the entire industry.

Example of traditional multi-stops and shared loadings

Flock Freight’s recent shipment analysis identified shared load opportunities that traditional multi-stop solutions have missed. For four shipments from California to Georgia, a TMS optimization tool resulted in three separate loads with a total mileage of approximately 6,938 miles.

In contrast, Flock’s STL technology optimized routes in two shared truckloads, reducing total mileage to 4,571 miles, eliminating the need for LTL and truckload shipments and reducing costs.

Result of the TMS optimization tool

Shared Flock Truck Loading Technology Outcome