Third-party logistics provider C.H. Robinson announced Monday it uses electronic bills of lading with 10 of the top less-than-truckload carriers on its platform. It said it plans to implement the capabilities with an additional four carriers.
The digitization of the essential shipping document improves efficiency, minimizes errors and provides increased real-time visibility. C.H. Robinson (NASDAQ: CHRW) said 17,240 of its customers used the eBOL process last year, with even broader adoption expected in 2024.
“With truckload freight, there’s generally one origin and one destination and a customer has exclusive use of the trailer,” Greg West, vice president of LTL at C.H. Robinson, said in a news release. “With LTL, you can have up to 30 customers’ freight on a trailer, with 30 destinations and 30 sets of paperwork. That makes it so valuable to have a common eBOL everyone can use.”
The automated process allows for tracking numbers to be generated via API within seconds of a shipment’s tender. The driver only has to scan it upon arrival. The manual process required drivers to carry and apply stickers to paper bills of lading and to each pallet. At the end of the day, the driver had to manually enter all the tracking numbers in the carrier’s system before tracking could begin.
C.H. Robinson said it has an accuracy rating of 92% when it comes to predicting which LTL shipments will arrive on time.
The company said it is the first 3PL to adopt the eBOL process. The standards for their use were developed by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association’s (NMFTA) Digital LTL Council. The NMFTA is a trade group that manages the classification system used to universally code and identify each shipment in the LTL industry.
“Their pioneering collaboration with leading LTL carriers and embrace of the Council’s standards showcase a firm commitment to modernizing logistics for enhanced efficiency and real-time visibility,” said Paul Dugent, executive director of the NMFTA’s Digital LTL Council.
He expects C.H. Robinson’s eBOL initiative “to serve as a catalyst for broader industry adoption.”
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