Trade Route Launches Digital Brokerage Enablement Software

As of 6/3/20 at 11:00 AM EST we have officially launched CONNECT, a digital brokerage enablement platform. The launch of CONNECT comes on the heels of our name change from The Canadian Load Board Inc. to Trade Route; a name change that marks a change of direction for our organization, and the culmination of an effort which began many months ago.

Logistics has changed significantly in the two years since we launched our first product. The biggest change has been the rise of digital brokerages, which have expanded to new countries and gained market share over that time period. Digital brokerages entered the logistics industry expecting to dominate, with instant fulfillment and visibility solving negative industry sentiments that have existed for years. What they didn't realize was the value that traditional brokerages provide in terms of both competitive rates and value added services. However, as the progression forward continues, digital brokerages develop new digital tools which attempt to pivot their software towards end to end digitization of traditional brokerage services. This has already begun with warehousing, and the way they interact with their carriers has become much less "Uber" and much more "digitized traditional brokerage". Now, while the industry is weak from the economic effects of COVID, Amazon Freight and Alibaba Freight have both announced brokerage services. We would be surprised if their touchpoints didn't largely replicate those of digital brokerages.

The time has come for traditional freight brokerages to move towards end to end digitization, and CONNECT is our first step towards providing that. CONNECT is a cloud based platform which provides you with a digital channel to interact with your carrier network. We have taken our experience providing load board software, analyzing digital brokerages, and running a CONNECT closed beta, and created the most effective digital brokerage enablement tool yet. Our system doesn't just give you a digital brokerage tool, but does so consistently with traditional practices so your coordinators will not miss a beat. Our internal automation features eliminate unnecessary phone calls and emails that arise from both using a load board, and connecting with your existing carrier network. We ensure that the uncertainty on both sides of the equation is eliminated so the first conversation your coordinator has with the carrier is the rate confirmation. In addition to internal automation, we provide tools that digitize initial carrier touchpoints so you can build inbound loyalty with your carrier network, and ensure that you are the first place they go to cover deadheads and backhaul.

With CONNECT, you will gain massive efficiency through internal automation, but remain human while doing so. Our system is intuitive and consistent with traditional practices, so your coordinators and operations managers will not miss a beat when getting set up on our platform. Finally, our digital touchpoints build inbound loyalty with your carrier network and ensure you are always their preferred client. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.traderoutesys.com/connect.