Transportation tech startup Next Trucking Inc. is expanding drivers' access to its "drayage marketplace" platform, following a "beta" program at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
El Segundo, California-based Next Trucking had expanded its original pilot program at the sites in June, adding to its original 8-acre site by opening an 18-acre drayage facility nearby.
In its latest move, Next Trucking says it will continue to relieve congestion at the busy container facilities by opening its drayage marketplace to more drivers, enabling them to gain access to high-paying, local routes.
Drivers who meet the qualifications for drayage work will soon start to see drayage loads automatically populate when they open the Next Trucking app on their smartphones, the firm said.
Those requirements include having a Transportation Worker Identification Credential—also known as a TWIC Card—which is the U.S. Transportation Security Administration's ID requirement for workers who need access to secure areas of the nation's maritime facilities and vessels.
According to Next Trucking, shippers also stand to gain from the expanded program, since the firm's app enables real-time visibility on the status of freight. That allows shippers to know the second their shipment leaves the port, know when they're at risk of accruing fees before they happen, and more accurately calculate arrival times.
