DHL link up cargo handlers, truckers on online platform

A DHL truck. FILE PHOTO | NMG

By JAMES KARIUKI
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Summary

• The digital tracking technology firm said the new service enables truck owners, cargo handlers and shippers to interact on the platform thereby ensuring seamless movement of cargo across East Africa and beyond.
• Saloodo! Chief executive Tobias Maier said shippers are now able to announce arrival of cargo via the platform where carriers place bids for their pricing thereby making transport bookings without any additional administration costs.

Saloodo!, a subsidiary of Germany’s DHL Global Forwarding, has launched an online system, allowing transporters to submit offers digitally.

The digital tracking technology firm said the new service enables truck owners, cargo handlers and shippers to interact on the platform thereby ensuring seamless movement of cargo across East Africa and beyond.

Saloodo! Chief executive Tobias Maier said shippers are now able to announce arrival of cargo via the platform where carriers place bids for their pricing thereby making transport bookings without any additional administration costs.

“It is a one-stop platform for road freight connections for domestic shipments within Kenya and international movements to several neighbouring countries in Sub-Saharan Africa,” he said.

Mr Maier said this ensures better management of fleets and optimises capacity in full truckload shipments.

“The slow embrace of new digital technologies by the freight forwarding industry has become somewhat of an unfortunate cliché.

In the era of rampant digitalisation, freight forwarders need to keep pace with technologies that seek to elevate the customer experience and bolster their profits,” he said.

The Saloodo! chief executive said the Covid-19 pandemic had forced many industries to digitise operations to ensure business continuity albeit with less human interactions.

Mr Maier noted that use of the platform solves a major problem where trucks on their return journey go cargo-free oblivious of cargo available for them.

The platform, said the CEO also gives small and medium enterprises an opportunity to ferry cargo on a shared transportation cost basis instead of the traditional practice where each SME hires their own truck.

“SMEs can use the platform to find suitable transport companies for their full truckloads (FTL), partial shipments, or general loads.

Multinational firms using the platform enjoy real-time visibility for their cargo as each cargo bears a unique tracking number,” he said.

Mr Maeir said all transporters using the platform are vetted prior to their onboarding thereby ensuring safety and integrity of all players using the system.

The platform also enables shippers to hire the right transporters with approved environmental and comprehensive insurance covers.

“With its massive upgrade of railway, seaports, airports, and the development of geothermal power stations, Kenya is an important driver of the logistics sector in the greater continental region.

The push for digitalisation in logistics must accelerate so that we can continue to enable trade and help businesses, and the continent grow,” he added.