In this webinar, we delved into the world of Request for Proposals (RFPs) in the trucking industry and explored how to leverage DrayMaster’s bid tool to respond quickly and effectively to RFPs. As we navigated through this process, we also explored various features of the DrayMaster Rate Management Platform that help trucking companies grow their business.

Read on for a recap of the webinar, and watch the full recording below.

ICYMI: RFP Season is Having a Late Peak in 2023

We’re predicting a wave of shipper RFPs. Why? Here’s our reasoning:

1. The labor situation on the West Coast in the US has seemingly settled down, but the absence of signed paperwork leaves room for potential disruptions, making shippers cautious.
2. The ongoing strikes in Canada add to the uncertainty, prompting shippers who had been moving goods from Asia to the East Coast to consider rerouting their shipments back west.
3. The drought in the Panama Canal is causing additional concerns, with increased fees and potential ship turnaways, further motivating shippers to explore alternative routes.
4. However, even if shippers are looking to move goods through the West Coast, they may face challenges due to the scarcity of warehousing and distribution space.
5. The overall uncertain environment is likely to drive shippers to issue RFPs as they seek viable and reliable transportation solutions to mitigate potential risks and maintain efficient supply chains.

With this prediction, we’ve been urging carriers to be prepared for responding with bid packages quickly and accurately, for a chance to secure new business that will reap benefits long-term. However, even the thought of responding to a 2000 lane RFP can make you want to call in sick — which none of us can afford. So we brought in our DrayMaster team to show us a better way. Herein lies the purpose of this webinar.

Understanding DrayMaster and Its Purpose

DrayMaster is a rate management platform designed specifically for the drayage space. It was conceived in 2012 by Tom Burke and Travis Barnier, who recognized the need for a more efficient way to handle quoting intermodal rates as a drayage carrier. DrayMaster aims to eliminate uncertainties associated with quoting rates, ensuring a smooth and reliable process for trucking companies.

The Power of the RFP Bid Tool

Responding to RFPs can be a time-consuming and complex process. However, with DrayMaster’s RFP bid tool, this arduous task becomes a breeze. Here’s how it works:

1. Creating a Bid: Start by creating a bid and naming it for easy tracking.
2. Rate Profile Selection: Select the appropriate rate profile for the customer you are bidding for. This ensures that the most accurate rates for that customer are provided.
3. Uploading RFP Data: You can either upload the RFP data provided by the customer by mapping column headings, or use DrayMaster’s template to enter the required information, such as city and state combinations, steamship lines, and hazard details.
4. Quick Rate Calculation: DrayMaster’s bid tool analyzes the RFP data against your rate tariff and quickly calculates line haul charges, fuel surcharges, chassis-related fees, tolls, and total amounts for each lane.
5. Customization and Finalization: You can fine-tune the rates based on customer preferences or your own, and complete the comprehensive bid package with all the pertinent information.

When we asked webinar attendees how long it would take one person on their team to respond to an RFP with 1500 lanes, the average answer was one week. With DrayMaster, this can be done in just a few hours (simply accounting for processing time, not manual entry).

By leveraging the RFP bid tool, trucking companies can drastically reduce the time spent on responding to RFPs, providing a competitive advantage in the market.

DrayMaster’s Tools for Rate Management and Growth

DrayMaster offers a comprehensive set of tools to assist trucking companies in managing rates and growing their business. Some of the features we explored during the live webinar were:

1. Rate Analyzer: The rate analyzer cleans up rate tariffs, identifies errors, and fills in missing information to create a fully digitized and accurate rate tariff for efficient operations.
2. Rate Profiles: Customizable rate profiles enable truckers to cater to specific customer requirements, ensuring accurate and relevant rates for various customers.
3. Community Rates: Trucking companies can post community rates to attract more business opportunities for specific lanes, enhancing their visibility and reach.
4. Unlimited Professional Quotes: Your team can generate unlimited customizable quotes from your tariff, to send to any customer, or even just for internal use.
5. Capacity Calendar: The capacity calendar feature allows truckers to display their available capacity on a weekly or monthly basis, simplifying communication with customers and enabling efficient scheduling.
6. My Directory Listing: A professional business profile that your prospective customers can find in the DrayMaster directory.
7. Web-Connect Customer Portal: The customer portal allows your customers to log in and generate a quote for any of your lanes, without making a single call. This personalized portal can live on your website, and you can link to it in your email signature, making the process more accessible and streamlined.

These are a few of the key features for growth within DrayMaster, and to learn more about each watch through the webinar, or schedule a personalized demo with Travis here

RFPs Shouldn’t be Really Freakin Painful

In our industry, responding swiftly to RFPs is crucial to securing rewarding future partnerships. DrayMaster’s RFP bid tool provides a powerful solution to expedite the bidding process and increase the likelihood of winning business. Furthermore, DrayMaster’s rate management platform offers a range of features that empower trucking companies to grow their business, attract new customers, and streamline their operations. By utilizing these tools, trucking companies can navigate the uncertainties of the drayage rates with confidence, optimizing their performance and profitability.

DrayMaster: Turn RFPs into Rewarding Future Partnerships | Full Webinar

Thank you to everyone who joined live, participated in our polls, and asked questions! It was wonderful to spend time with you, and we hope you had fun and learned a thing or two.

Please reach out to Travis Barnier at travis.barnier@wisetechglobal.com with any questions or comments. If you’d like to schedule a personalized demo, book a time with Travis here.

Need a secure parking or storage space? There’s a nationwide network of available yards on SecurSpace calling your name.

In this webinar, Marina, Envase’s Digital Marketing Project Manager, and Bobby Strenk, the Senior Director of the SecurSpace marketplace, discussed the ins and outs of SecurSpace, an on-demand marketplace for secure yard storage. Whether you’re already a SecurSpace partner or customer or looking to discover its value, this webinar covered everything you need to know:

• What is SecurSpace?
• How to book yard space on-demand
• How to list yard space and become a SecurSpace Partner Yard
• What we do to help ensure the safety of your equipment
• What’s coming for SecurSpace
• Live Audience Q&A

SecurSpace 101: Key Takeaways

Let’s dive into the key points discussed during the webinar.

Introducing SecurSpace: A Digital Marketplace for Flexible Container Storage

SecurSpace was founded in 2018 with the mission to address the storage needs of carriers who were facing challenges finding suitable storage spaces for their equipment. The founder, while leasing chassis, discovered the demand for storage among carriers but realized there was a lack of visibility regarding available storage facilities.

• #TruckersHelpTruckers: SecurSpace serves as a community that connects those in need of storage with facilities that have extra storage capacity. By fostering relationships and leveraging the power of connections, SecurSpace creates a mutually beneficial environment where everyone can support and assist each other. But we’re not talking only truckers, we mean carriers, shippers, brokers, freight forwarders, 3PLs, warehouses, distribution centers, container depots, any stakeholder in the supply chain.
• SecurSpace enables the commercialization and procurement of yard storage, accommodating all types of intermodal equipment — containers, chassis, trucks, trailers, reefers, refrigerated plugins, 53′ dry vans — you name it.
• Flexibility and Transparency: Book yard spaces on demand on a daily or monthly basis, the price you see is what you get. We know that one of the only constants in this industry is change, so if your needs change, your booking can change with them. You are in control.

SecurSpace’s Network and Stats

• In 2022 alone, SecurSpace parter yards generated over $150 Million in storage revenue
• The proof is in the booking: Since launching in 2018, customers have booked over 13 million spaces using SecurSpace
• SecurSpace operates throughout the United States, with over 500 active partner yards concentrated in major marine and rail intermodal hubs.
• The network continues to expand to meet the growing demand for storage in various regions. (Psst… Canada incoming. If you have yard space in Canada, we’re looking for a few partner yards to start our pilot program. Reach out to Bobby Strenk at robert.strenk@wisetechglobal.com)
• SecurSpace adapts and grows along with you, our customers. We work to diversify our offerings as your needs evolve.

Booking Space at SecurSpace: Storage Where and When You Need It

Booking a space on SecurSpace is a seamless and intuitive process. You can create a SecurSpace account easily, or simply search the network without an account by visiting secure.space. The search page allows you to select your desired location, such as Savannah, Georgia, and view a list of available locations on the map. Detailed information about each location, including security features like lights, cameras, and 24/7 access, can be found by scrolling down on the left-hand side. Within minutes, you can find the space you need based on equipment, location, security features, and price, and request space with one click.

• Its as simple as 1, 2, 3. Search, Book, Pay. For a quick demo, jump to 16:20 in the webinar recording to watch Bobby walk through it!
• Booking requests receive real-time responses from yards within a maximum of 30 minutes, eliminating the waiting time often associated with traditional storage solutions
• Reduce operating costs by booking a space through SecurSpace, instead of getting railed by detention and demurrage charges.
• The platform allows you to book yard storage on a flexible basis, accommodating changes in your operation’s needs. If circumstances change, you can easily adjust bookings without the burden of long-term leases.
• SecurSpace promotes pricing transparency by presenting a range of rates across its network of locations. You can compare prices and select a yard that best aligns with your budget and operational requirements.

Revolutionizing Storage Management for Partner Yards

SecurSpace is a groundbreaking platform that aims to redefine storage management for outdoor storage facilities in the transportation industry. Joining SecurSpace as a partner opens up opportunities to diversify revenue streams in a cost-effective manner by monetizing your underutilized storage space.

• SecurSpace acts as a sales distribution channel, ensuring that partner locations are properly marketed and exposed to a diverse audience of carriers, 3PLs, and shippers.
• By leveraging SecurSpace’s extensive network of over 5,000 customer accounts, partners can tap into a broader customer base and increase their top-line revenue.
• SecurSpace goes beyond being just a marketplace for storage. It provides partners with a comprehensive storage management solution. Through the platform, partners gain access to various tools and resources that simplify the process.
• Partners can have real-time visibility and automation in their bookings, rates, invoices, and revenue, eliminating the need for manual tracking and management. SecurSpace ensures that partner space and customer relationships are efficiently handled and protected.

Becoming a Partner Yard

To become a SecurSpace partner, the setup process is seamless and only takes a few steps:

1. Create a SecurSpace Account: The account creation process is simple and can be done entirely online. Partners need to provide detailed information about their facility, including competitive advantages, pictures, and pricing.
2. Collaborate with a SecurSpace Parking Pro: Once the account is created, you collaborate with a SecurSpace parking pro to optimize your location profile. Based on SecurSpace’s experience with over 500 locations, the parking pro provides insights and guidance on profile improvements and pricing strategies.
3. Go Live and Diversify Revenue: After optimizing the location profile, you can go live on the SecurSpace platform within an hour. Once live, your facility becomes visible on the map, allowing customers to search and submit booking requests directly. At that point you can start accepting bookings and generating revenue effortlessly!

If you are interested in listing your yard, get a more in-depth look by booking a free personalized demo with Bobby by emailing him here: robert.strenk@wisetechglobal.com

Secure is in the name

At Securspace, our goal is to redefine what it means to be a container and truck storage facility. We understand the importance of trust and security when it comes to storing valuable equipment and goods, so it is a priority for us to take measures to uphold the safety of your equipment and yard.

• To ensure the safety of equipment and personnel, we vet facilities based on minimum requirements, beginning with a fenced and gated lot, and in most cases CCTV and lights at minimum.
• Beyond that, we encourage partner yards to implement more security measures and these are displayed on every yard listing on SecurSpace.
• To provide value and minimize disruption to partner facilities, we use a prepaid reserved model. Payment from customers is collected upfront upon booking confirmation to validate the legitimacy of the customer’s booking, and eliminates the need for manual invoicing or payment collection.
• Partners always have sole discretion of approving booking requests. Not only does this help manage capacity, but it provides a layer of control, putting the power into your hands to make the ultimate decision about who enters your yard.

Wrapping it up

SecurSpace is revolutionizing the way we approach yard storage with its innovative on-demand marketplace. By connecting carriers and facility owners, SecurSpace facilitates seamless transactions and provides a secure and trustworthy environment for storage needs. With a growing network of over 500 locations across the United States and a commitment to continuous improvement, SecurSpace is poised to make a lasting impact on the industry. Whether you’re a carrier in need of storage or a facility owner with underutilized capacity, SecurSpace offers a solution that meets your requirements. Discover the immense value that SecurSpace brings to the table and unlock new possibilities for your business.

Thank you to all of our webinar attendees for joining live and asking questions. Whether you want to book space, list space, or go to space *wink*, were here to take that journey with you.

To continue the conversation, reach out to Bobby Strenk at robert.strenk@wisetechglobal.com

What if — instead of jumping between windows, browsers and programs — you could trace containers from one screen? What if that screen was your TMS? 

For Profit Tools users, that is a reality.

Track & Trace is Envase’s container tracing solution that exists within Profit Tools — and allows your dispatchers to actually spend their time dispatching instead of looking for containers all day.

In our recent webinar we had the pleasure of Tony Eaton giving a high-level demo of Track & Trace in PT, and opening up the floor to an awesome rapid fire Q&A session with the webinar audience. So without further ado, the webinar!

Thank you to everyone who attended the live webinar and asked questions, it’s awesome feedback and we are looking forward to taking ideas back to our team.

If you are a Profit Tools customer interested in learning more about Track & Trace and implementing it, please reach out to your account manager and they will happily work with you to get you the information you need! And please reach out to Kevin with any outstanding questions at kevin.mccahill@wisetechglobal.com.

P.S. Be on the lookout for a more in-depth demo of Track & Trace that will dive into some of the audience questions in more detail!