PrivateFleets.com

I returned this week from attending the American Trucking Associations annual meeting. Although I didn’t get a chance to attend the educational sessions due to meetings with various software suppliers, I was able to catch up on some interesting developments in the trucking industry. One thing that impressed me the most was the fast pace at which technology is changing. I know that sounds cliche, but as an objective observer of the trends in this industry, I have never seen information technology in the trucking industry change so rapidly. I see this fast rate of change causing software vendors and technology providers to form closer partnerships and, in several cases, acquire complimentary vendors to speed the rate of development. It is becoming very difficult for two or more vendors with complimentary products to stay up with the numerous updates and integration points between their products.

Another interesting trend I took back from the show is the increased activity of private fleets in driver recruiting. One company I spoke with, Vertical Alliance Group, launched a driver recruiting site specifically for private fleets: FullFleet.com. The company president, Jay Wommack, said that historically private fleets have not had to be very savvy to recruit drivers. Today, however, private fleets have got to start being scientific for how they recruit drivers. FullFleet.com helps companies maximize the conversion of leads obtained from a recruiting website through a testing and tracking module that measures the response to any ad, not just on FullFleet.com, but in all their advertising.

I wanted to mention one other thing I discovered at the show. Jim Angel, who I have mentioned several times in previous posts, has taken a job with T-Chek systems as their business development manager. After being asked by T-Chek to present at their sales meeting–to give a private fleet perspective of the industry–they offered him a job. What I find interesting about this is that successful private fleet managers are in demand for more than their management skills. If you can bring significant change to an organization as traditional as trucking, as Jim has done, bigger opportunities will follow.