Improving Data Visibility and Streamlining Operations with DDC Sync

Summary

A leading full-service transportation company needed better visibility into near real-time data sourced from their nationwide fleets.

The DDC Group built and implemented DDC Sync, an enterprise application that improved their data visibility by 6 hours.

Improved access to bill of lading (BOL) data allowed leadership to make more efficient and profitable routing decisions, supported valuable relationships with partner organizations, and helped to streamline back-office operations.

Custom Companies, Inc. is a full-service transportation company dedicated to meeting shippers’ needs by providing world-class service with a hands-on, personalized approach. The company offers a complete range of transportation services, including less-than-truckload (LTL) services, in all 50 states.

The Custom Companies had already partnered with The DDC Group for other solutions, including Freight Billing. Now, they were seeking a solution that would enable them to access data faster, build informed contingency plans, and optimize resources in near real-time. The DDC Group offered them an opportunity to try DDC Sync, a new enterprise solution for capturing and transmitting bill of lading (BOL) data.

The Challenge

Prior to DDC Sync, The Custom Companies’ BOL data was not being used in a timely manner. Drivers manually keyed BOL data, which then had to be transmitted to and validated by the back office. This meant that data could only be used for decision-making hours later.

“All it takes is one driver to miskey a zip, and that could cost you thousands,” explains Joseph Klikas, Chief Experience Officer at The Custom Companies, Inc. “You tend to overlook that information just because you don’t have the confidence level that you’d like.”

As a result, The Custom Companies couldn’t confidently provide their customers with the most up-to-date information on their shipments. They needed a technology solution to process BOL data in near real-time and make it available to their in-house analytics team faster.

The Solution

DDC Sync is an enterprise technology solution that contains a native Android app for truck drivers and a powerful web-based portal for terminal administrators and management.

This solution optimizes data flows, workforce management, and logistics planning by empowering drivers to capture BOLs faster with greater accuracy, streamlining cross-team communication, and enabling system interoperability.

This software suite comes with several features that align well with The Custom Companies’ needs, including:

Results

DDC Sync expedited BOL processing and data transfer rates from the word “go.” The results speak for themselves. From 1,320 BOLs received in the proof of concept, just 41 images were rejected, a real-world success score of 97%. The DDC Group has since corrected glitches in the early versions of the system, increasing the success rate to 98%.

DDC Sync is also easily integrated with The Custom Companies’ transportation management system (TMS), which Carrier Logistics, Inc. manages (CLI). “Because we have our hands on the data earlier, the ability for the labor force to execute — and execute flawlessly — is directly impacted,” says CLI President Ben Weisen.<

The Custom Companies was also able to allocate resources in their back office more efficiently. Thanks to DDC Sync, they received fewer calls to customer service looking for updates because up-to-date information was promptly available to end-users in the system.

Most importantly, leveraging DDC Sync resulted in an average six-hour gain in visibility and access to freight data per shipment.

“Prior to DDC Sync, our operations team would create a load optimization plan based only on destination zip code and tonnage from the driver at the time of pickup,” Klinkas says. “Now we can make more efficient and profitable routing decisions.”

Improved data visibility by six hours

Expedited data capture with mobile, in-cab OCR

Proactive load planning, dock operations, route optimization, & asset utilization

Successful driver adoption & improved driver experience

Reduced inbound customer service concerns

Empowered better, faster data-driven decision making with validated & verified data

Conclusion

The Custom Companies, Inc. looked for a flexible solution to expedite and streamline their freight data processes and turned to The DDC Group to build on their already-successful relationship.

Thanks to DDC Sync, they got the solution they needed — and more. Leveraging DDC Sync has improved internal decision-making, better back-of-house resource allocation, and improved customer experience.

The DDC Group implemented a system that achieves near-perfect performance on BOLs received, so The Custom Companies can feel confident taking action based on their data. In a rapidly changing world, this kind of assurance allows them to be where their customers need them when they need them.

Intuitive In-Cab BOL Data Capture

Successfully processed 98% of BOL images, highlighting the platform's reliability and efficiency

Real-Time Visibility

Gained 6 hours of additional visibility into their freight data, helping to secure more loads

Improved Service Delivery

Enhanced data visibility and streamlined planning, elevating the client’s core services and boosting customer retention

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Case Study

Improving Data Visibility and Streamlining Operations with DDC Sync

Summary

The Background

The Challenge

The Solution

Results

Goals Achieved

Streamlined Operations via Data-Driven Decisions