William Halsey Jr. is credited with saying, “All problems become smaller when you confront them instead of dodging them.” (Perhaps that charge-ahead attitude is what earned the World War II Navy admiral the nickname Bull.)
Halsey’s stance on proactivity extends beyond military tactics. In truckload shipping, we call it exception management — foreseeing and managing issues before they escalate into major problems. And today we’re managing those exceptions with the help of artificial intelligence. (Just imagine how much faster Halsey could have defeated the enemy with AI!)
Proactive Exception Management With AI
When things go wrong during a truckload shipment, whether it’s a late pickup, equipment breakdown, or a delay at the receiver, freight brokers often find out too late for a proactive solution and instead scramble reactively. Reactive problem-solving not only stresses operations but also destroys customer confidence, particularly if they’re alerted at the last minute.
Tivazo, provider of an asset management system, pointed out that in any business, “unmanaged exceptions can create ripple effects across an organization. Proactively identifying and resolving these anomalies through exception management tools is key to achieving business resilience and operational efficiency.”
In modern logistics, simply tracking a truck’s location isn’t enough. The new standard requires the ability to predict problems and respond immediately. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean freight brokers need to be soothsayers. AI takes on that burden and empowers brokers to effectively manage exceptions proactively.
Exception management is more important than ever before because, in modern logistics, problems can be far more complicated than a truck breakdown or inclement weather. Today’s freight brokers are dealing with such weighty problems as terminal congestion due to import front-loading ahead of tariffs, customs delays due to said tariffs, and trade war-caused manufacturing shifts.
With effective exception management, truckload freight brokerages, shippers, and carriers can help reduce overall supply chain disruptions, avoid costly fees, increase customer satisfaction, and actually improve industry resilience.
“Exception management represents the latest way automation may help shippers understand operations and deliver on increasing customer expectations,” Supply Chain 24/7 said. “Since handling exceptions the ‘old’ way results in high labor costs and risk for error, all shippers need to rethink their freight exception management processes.”
Drumkit Automatically Escalates Exceptions
Drumkit’s powerful freight broker software helps users monitor every load and automatically escalate exceptions. Our AI-powered monitoring can notify freight brokers and customers the moment a shipment is off track or delayed — often before a human would even notice. Automated customer communications — such as a prewritten “delay alert” email via a smart autoreply — keep shippers informed at every step without waiting for a phone call.
Freight brokers can get advice they can act on immediately by moving from a reactive posture to a proactive one, like Admiral Halsey’s. But unlike old Bull Halsey, they can implement AI alerts, set up exception dashboards, and establish workflows so that when a delay or issue with a shipment does occur, it’s not really a problem at all. The broker has already informed the customer and initiated a solution.
Drumkit’s Exceptional Freight Broker Software
Enlisting Drumkit to handle exception management is like deploying an elite force — right from your inbox. Our state-of-the-art tools include Automatic Status Updates, which keep all parties informed when things are going smoothly — and when they’re not.
In addition to exception management, Drumkit provides:
- AI-Powered Smart Autoreplies that drastically reduce response time.
- Automated Load Building which eliminates manual data entry errors.
- Load Matching to enable quick and accurate carrier selection.
- Intelligent Sidebar to empower brokers to see all load information across platforms in one place.
- Real-Time Shipment Updates with AI to eliminate constant check-ins.
Drumkit’s software plugs directly into freight brokers’ email inboxes and existing transportation management systems to automate workflows and eliminate tedious back-office tasks. All load details are right there in a sidebar at your fingertips, so you don’t have to go into your TMS or any other system to find any and all information you need.
By bringing Drumload on board, you’re arming yourself with the most technologically advanced tools to compete in truckload logistics today. And you’re being proactive by getting in front of potential problems. Book an introductory call to learn more.
