The National Motor Traffic Association, Inc.’s (NMFTA)™ Digital LTL Council has released a new digital breakthrough aimed at streamlining two critical elements of the freight transport process—pickup requests and visibility.
As digital tools become increasingly vital in logistics, companies are looking to leverage technology to improve the accuracy and efficiency of information sharing, particularly when it comes to pickups tracking freight in transit.
However, the industry’s vast array of technology platforms created a challenge —many of these systems do not integrate seamlessly.
The solution lies in an application programming interfaces (APIs), which allow different platforms to communicate. But when the various players in the industry are developing their own unique APIs, that takes up the time of their staff and robs the industry of a simple, common standard.
To address this challenge, NMFTA and the Digital LTL Council have been developing API standards to streamline every stage of the logistics process, from quote to cash. The first major standard, introduced in summer 2022, focused on electronic bills of lading (eBOL). Now, NMFTA has released the next API standard covering pickup requests and visibility.
While companies will still need to develop their own APIs, adopting these standards simplifies the process and ensures seamless integration with other systems.
Keith Peterson, director of operations for NMFTA, expects providers will embrace the new API standards, just as they have the eBOL standards.
“If you think of the amount of time —even with carriers—that people spend either writing emails or making calls to set up pickup appointments, and beyond that the amount of time they spend trying to find out what’s the status of that pickup, this is huge,” said Peterson. “By using this API, they will be able to get that information in real time. That’s a huge time-saver, making it much more efficient for the companies to get the appointment and to find out the status —whether it’s been picked up and so forth.”
Companies that have previously faced digital communication barriers due to incompatible transportation management systems (TMS) or other technologies will be able to connect seamlessly —provided they implement an API aligned with the standard developed by NMFTA and the Council.
Created with input from carriers, shippers, and third-party logistics providers (3PLs), and tech providers, this standard eliminates the need for companies to develop proprietary API solutions, saving time, reducing costs, and ensuring industry-wide consistency. “When someone wants to connect digitally with a partner, that typically requires an API,” said Peterson. “That process of building out the API can be very long. It can be intensive as far as figuring out what the requirements are, what information’s needed, when it should be sent and what the rules are. By creating this standard, especially with so many people from different parts of the industry involved, we’re providing a clear roadmap—a guide—that technology providers can use as a foundation.”
As the API standards for pickup requests and visibility gain traction, NMFTA continues to develop additional APIs to support other stages of the quote-to-cash cycle for LTL freight. Stay tuned for updates on these upcoming developments.
Visit our website to learn more about and download the pickup request and visibility API standard. For more information on other API Standards developed by the Digital Standards Development Council (DSDC), visit dsdc.nmfta.org/apis.
