Cargo Ai makes a digital leap with air cargo load-board
ENCOURAGED by the lifeline that game-changing online freight ‘load-boards’ are now available to the beleaguered global road services sector, digital disruptor Cargo Ai has created a version for the otherwise largely analogue airfreight sector, writes Thelma Etim .
Rising fuel costs, protracted and irregular hours, unappealing working conditions — including intermittent or non-existent rest and/or hygiene facilities — are just a few of the many unsavoury contributory factors added to ongoing driver shortages, all of which were exacerbated by the global health pandemic.
Cargo Ai’s trucking load-board — also known as a freight matching service — helps to connect shippers and carriers and is essentially an online marketplace where truck owner-operators, shippers, and freight brokers can post the freight/loads they have available as well as find available additional loads.
Customers gain easy access to a smorgasbord of available vehicles, weight and dimensions of loads, prices, locations, destinations — and crucially the system does not require costly intermediaries, thereby proffering competitive rates in real time, whilst increasing flexibility, efficiency, and improving transparency, according to widely documented research.
The introduction of the Cargo Ai load-board has been described as “revolutionary” by some trucking specialists.
Matthieu Petot, chief executive of Cargo Ai, believes such a bespoke digital board may be a game-changer for airfreight. Speaking exclusively to aircargoeye.com , he insists: “Our mission is to bring innovation to our air cargo industry, increasing efficiency and transparency for both [freight] forwarders and airlines. Load-boards have existed for a while in the trucking sector, but CargoAi is the only marketplace to provide a spot request feature for its airfreight and other customers,” he claims.
“We decided it was a great opportunity to combine this and provide airlines [and their associates] with visibility, so they can hunt for freight and provide better services to freight forwarders.
“This new feature completes our existing offering that has already given forwarders the tools to manage spot requests across airlines, and our API solutions are already integrated with [more than] 102 airlines — which is now providing [carriers] with or without API integration with a centralised platform for accessing spot cargo and finding ways to grow,” Petot insists.
“Whilst the load-board is completely new to the airfreight cargo market, forwarders and truckers have been utilising it for a while,” he confirms. “We are very proud to bring this great feature to airlines and freight forwarders, as there is no existing [alternative] solution on the market,” he adds.
Real-time spot requests
Petot continues: “Our load-board offers real-time updates and seamless search functionality, ensuring that airlines or general sales agents (GSAs) can, with unparalleled ease, quickly identify and secure available capacity with the right decision-makers.
“Additionally, our platform fosters direct connections between carriers and forwarders without any third party in between, ø a factor which facilitates more efficient and transparent transactions.”
Since the implementation of its airfreight load-board, the disruptor has already observed significant improvements in the airfreight booking process. “On the airline and GSA side, finding and managing spot requests from existing and new forwarders in a single platform has never been easier,” Petot states.
“From the forwarders side, this feature has given them more choices across airlines to find their best partners at shipment level. Additionally, the load-board’s real-time updates and search functionality has enabled users to adapt more effectively to changing market conditions, ensuring that they can secure capacity in a timely manner.
“By fully integrating the board into existing workflows and processes, we believe airline and GSA companies can [now] truly gain a competitive edge in the market,” he underscores.
The airfreight load-board works via CargoAi’s existing CargoMART app which allows forwarders utilising their own databases to interrogate an airline’s cargo flight schedules, tariffs and contract rates, along with available capacity.
Utilising the app, the load-board contains key information — company, shipment requirements, decision-maker contact details — all of which are necessary for the airlines to potentially bid on any selected spot requests; along with rates, quality, capacity and trends, he underscores
Originally published at https://aircargoeye.com on March 28, 2024.
