In an industry where security and reliability are paramount, shippers and brokers need more insight into a carrier’s identity and performance before onboarding. To further support this, Descartes MyCarrierPortal™️ (MCP) now offers users the ability to review a carrier’s tracking history and compliance metrics before extending an onboarding invitation.
This new capability enhances risk management by providing visibility into a carrier’s tracking volume over the past six months and the percentage of loads tracked using Descartes MacroPoint™. By leveraging this data, MCP users can make more informed decisions, reduce exposure to freight fraud, and improve customer service by prioritizing carriers with higher tracking compliance to improve shipment visibility across the supply chain.
Assessing Carrier Reputation with Tracking History
With Descartes MacroPoint as the standard in real-time freight visibility – carriers with a strong track record of MacroPoint-tracked loads demonstrate a higher level of operational transparency. By allowing MCP users to see the total number of loads a carrier has tracked, shippers and brokers have access to a key indicator of a carrier’s reliability.
- A carrier with significant tracking history in MacroPoint is more likely to be a reputable and established provider.
- A carrier with limited or no tracking history may require further vetting before on-boarding.
Historically, companies have used the number of roadside inspection reports on a carrier to determine if the carrier is actively hauling loads. But with fewer inspections across the industry, especially for newer carriers, the tracking history from MacroPoint provides insight to whether the carrier has been hauling loads over the past 6 months. Most active carriers, even if MacroPoint is not the primary tracking solution they use, will not have zero tracking sessions with MacroPoint without a possible ownership change.
By incorporating tracking history into the decision-making process, MCP helps shippers and brokers proactively mitigate fraud risks and select carriers with a proven operational record.
Tracking Compliance: Predicting Future Visibility
MCP users can now also view a carrier’s tracking compliance rate—the percentage of loads they successfully tracked via MacroPoint, whether by ELD, TMS, or mobile device. This metric offers valuable insight into the level of visibility users can expect when working with that carrier.
- Carriers with 90%+ tracking compliance are likely to provide more consistent location and status updates that are expected nowadays.
- Carriers with lower compliance rates may have gaps in visibility, impacting shipment transparency and your customer service.
This added layer of insight enables brokers and shippers to build a portfolio of carriers with lower risk and higher tracking performance without the pain of a “trying out a carrier’, improving operational efficiency and reducing the risk of blind spots in the supply chain.
By offering pre-onboarding visibility into tracking history and compliance, MCP equips users with the tools to identify trustworthy carriers, reduce fraud risks, and enhance shipment tracking reliability. This new feature is part of Descartes’ continued commitment to providing smarter, data-driven solutions that empower the freight community.
To learn more about MyCarrierPortal and its latest enhancements, book a demo.
