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Jason Eversole FourKites headshotJason EversoleVice President, Carrier Operations & Strategy, FourKites

Full-scale supply chain visibility has become increasingly relevant over the last five years as companies continue to see major returns on their investment, from increased operational efficiencies to better resource utilization, increased customer service and more. While shippers of all sizes — especially enterprise-level shippers — have been increasingly seeing this value, the pressure is now on brokers and carriers to adopt visibility and scale to industry demands. 

That is why I am so excited about FourKites’ new exclusive partnership with DAT. Not only does this partnership extend the market reach and network for our 1,500+ shippers, it also opens the door to the largest network of brokers and carriers in a platform where they are already very active day in and day out. Together, DAT and FourKites will deliver the most reliable visibility data from the largest network directly into the hands of those who serve as the backbone of our supply chain.

Staying Ahead in the Digital Era

New technology is emerging on the logistics scene every day, and having the right tools is more important than ever for stakeholders to remain competitive. FourKites offers superior connectivity to carriers through API integration, ELD-based tracking and its CarrierLink mobile app — the most downloaded visibility app in the industry — but it also delivers almost boundless volumes of freight data to those who desire to use it. As brokers pursue stronger relationships with their shippers and carriers, more attention must be paid to data and analytics to improve performance. 

When Workflows Become Value-Adds

The typical broker spends much of his day posting loads and searching for trucks on load boards, also known as freight marketplaces. DAT is the oldest and largest such provider, having offered these services since before the onset of the internet. From the early days of deregulation and the advent of the brokered load, DAT has made freight matching and operations easier for carriers and brokers alike. The progression from phone calls at truck stops to integrated load posting, market rate indexes and carrier sourcing gave brokers many tools that made DAT the trusted leader in the freight tech space. DAT now boasts 3 times more trucks than any other load board, as well as 174 million loads that go up on DAT first or no other load boards.

FourKites’ new partnership with DAT gives brokers the opportunity to proactively capture freight visibility without sending their carriers to another website. Through integration of DAT’s automated freight booking solution Book Now, together with ELD connectivity through FourKites’ secure and scalable GPS onboarding solution Partner Hub, carriers will be able to find the right load and connect it instantly and directly to the right truck. In so doing, the conversations between broker and carrier go from rate negotiations and check calls to relationship-building. 

The Power of a Combined Network

The power of any platform, of course, lies in the strength and breadth of its network. FourKites is the most trusted supply chain visibility platform in the world, partnering with more than 500 of the top global brands, touching over 50% of the Fortune 500 and tracking more than 3.2 Million Shipments per day, totaling over $1 billion freight under management at any given time. And the sheer volume of data on the platform? We’re tracking 70 billion miles per year across 275,000 distinct stops, and ingesting hundreds of terabytes of data from sources ranging from real-time weather, traffic, onboard telematics and more. Data of that scale is what has driven our track record of industry-first innovations, and it’s what helps us build truly meaningful partnerships with other industry players that can add real business value to stakeholders across the logistics industry. 

FourKites’ already-expansive network will see exponential growth through this partnership with DAT, spanning brokers and carriers of all size and scope. With DAT’s industry leading connection to more than 10,000 brokers and 100,000 carriers in North America, together we will extend visibility beyond apps and directly into every ELD in the market. DAT chose to partner with FourKites over others in the industry due to its proven execution and ability to deliver the highest-quality data in the industry. 

In choosing a load board partnership rather than acquisition, FourKites has committed to supporting the industry with market-leading data and leaving freight matching to the experts, as well as backing our promise to always prioritize customers’ best interests. Our mutual focus on empowering this expansive combined network will deliver FourKites visibility and data where carriers and brokers already live and breathe, resulting in a smarter, more efficient supply chain for shippers, suppliers and consumers alike.

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Both FourKites and DAT are excited to deliver this integrated solution to our customers and to continue to look for innovative ways to serve the broker and carrier community. Like Matt Elenjickal, FourKites founder and CEO, recently said: “Our goal is to empower every broker and carrier with high-quality visibility data so they can enhance equipment utilization, increase driver productivity and run an efficient, sustainable freight network.” You can expect unparalleled innovation and execution from the FourKites/DAT partnership, and we can’t wait to update you along the way. 

If you are interested in learning more about FourKites, or what this new partnership means for the freight industry, feel free to reach out to me at any time at [email protected].

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