Load Tracking Best Practices

User and company wide practices for successful load tracking compliance

2 minute to read

Customers that implement best practices throughout their organization achieve between 80-95% tracking compliance. See commonly used practices that have been implemented by our top performing customers.

Be Proactive and Set Expectations

Majority of drivers today understand the tracking process. Mentioning to a driver in the beginning of the process that tracking is required through Trucker Tools is still the #1 best practice.

Set Automated Text Messages

Choose “Set load notification time and text” from the main page of the load tracking portal. Here, you can create reminder text messages to be sent to all drivers who have not yet started tracking. These are set at the company level and will apply to all loads. Drivers will receive customized text messages that can be sent hours before or after the pickup time.

Driver Follow Ups

While not necessary, calling a driver who has not started tracking yet at least an hour before pickup can prove helpful. Instead of asking for an

Telematics vs. App Tracking

Tracking via a telematics device like an ELD will always be the preferred method of tracking. Trucker Tools will automatically attempt a telematics track first. Ensure you include the truck and/or trailer number in the correct format to ensure tracking starts within 4 hours of pickup. You can check the integration status and devices for the carrier in the load tracking portal under the carrier telematics search page. This page will display the proper formatting for each asset.

Rate Confirmation Notes

Our customers who require tracking or enforce tracking compliance by a rate reduction also include these policies on their rate confirmation or load tender that is sent to the carrier.

Withholding Pickup Numbers

A long standing, commonly used practice is to hide the pickup number on the rate confirmation and display the number in the Trucker Tools app as a comment or load note. The driver will see the comment in the app when they download the app and start tracking. In some situations, this could be customized from a certain field in your TMS. Reach out to our support team to get set up.

Value of the Driver App

While the Trucker Tools driver app is widely used by carriers, there will still be some who may not know about us. The value of our free app with plenty of tools is worth mentioning to drivers.

Commission Incentives

You can see your organization’s stats in the load tracking portal. At the bottom of the page is a section for dispatcher stats. Most TMSs will send us individual user ID’s or emails. If you see data here, then our recommendation is to incentivize either total tracks created or tracking compliance percentage per rep. A lot of our customers do spiff payouts, commission plays or monthly contests to drive a higher tracking compliance within their organization.