McLeod Software hosted its annual user conference September 12-14 in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.
More than 500 logistics executives from across the country converged on the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center for three days of learning, training, and networking opportunities with leaders from freight brokers, asset carriers, and vendors across the supply chain industry.
Dozens of informative sessions were held across a variety of topics, including idea exchanges, leadership interviews, and logistics tools and trends.
Conference highlights included keynote speeches from Tom McLeod and economist Donald Broughton on the future of logistics.
Positive outlook for U.S. supply chain
According to both McLeod and Broughton, the global and domestic economy is accelerating across all sectors. Macro and microeconomic trends are aligning as we have never seen before. Food production in the U.S., in particular, is at an all-time high, as well as semiconductor and oil production.
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a rapid adoption of communication technology that would have otherwise taken a decade to complete. The disruption to productivity with this pandemic, however, falls short of the effects of prior epidemics such as the Spanish Flu around WW1.
The potential for retail sales, especially e-commerce, to exceed expectations and continue to flourish is at record highs. We have every reason to remain extremely bullish on the U.S. economy and therefore increased growth across the entire supply chain, including brokers, 3PLs, and asset carriers.
Hot topic: Digital freight matching
Beyond the main stage productions, nearly 100 different breakout sessions covered topics ranging from training labs and educational sessions about the McLeod Software functionality to intimate interviews with CEOs of many McLeod Software customers. Attendees learned how to take advantage of industry trends by pairing McLeod’s software with best-in-class technology vendors, such as FreightFriend.
Digital freight matching, in particular, was a trending topic. In an hour-long seminar, McLeod Software introduced their Digital Freight Matching (DFM) web service API, released in 2020 for their PowerBroker TMS.
Through this DFM module, McLeod Software customers can take advantage of services from Certified Integration Partners. Using the DFM API, FreightFriend and other certified partners can pull trucks and quotes into PowerBroker as well as offer Book Now services. In fact, the DFM module is completely flexible with multiple configurations. McLeod also discussed other new possibilities within PowerBroker (such as receiving tractors and offers) and presented their future roadmap for digital freight matching.
Our experience
In addition to attending the valuable sessions, FreightFriend had the opportunity meet guests at our booth (#300) in the exhibition hall. Alongside fellow technology leaders such as Optimal Dynamics and Project44, we presented 30-minute demonstrations of Capacity Guru, Freight Guru, and New Carrier Search to a variety of brokerage executives managing Carrier Sales, Operations, and Information Technology.
Directors and VPs responsible for increasing productivity and delivering capacity to their clients saw firsthand how to empower their teams to book more loads without additional overhead. Book Now functionality, in particular, was a key benefit for asset carriers to keep them engaged.
Did you miss the 2021 McLeod User Conference? Reach out to Jeff Hanson, our Director of Business Development, to talk more about hot topics, industry trends, or what was covered at the conference. If you’d like to learn more about FreightFriend, click here to schedule a demo.
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