Jean-Sebastien Bouchard, executive vice president of sales and co-founder of ISAAC, previewed the integration during the McLeod Software user conference in Grapevine, Texas. The integration is expected to be ready during the first quarter of 2022.
ISAAC’s single screen contextual workflow and ability to pre-populate information makes it easier for drivers to complete required tasks during a delivery and get back on the road faster. It also eliminates the frustration drivers often experience when they need to access multiple screens for hours of service, communications, pre-trip inspection and other features.
For fleets, once an order is loaded into the McLeod’s LoadMaster system and assigned to a driver, it will automatically show up on their tablet and all available information will already be filled out for them. Likewise, when there is a need to modify or cancel an existing trip, it will be automatically updated for the driver, who will also see specific instructions for each stop.
ISAAC offers clients an open platform that allows for added third-party functionality and a rich user experience. It already has developed partnerships with nearly 30 companies.
Protecting against ‘nuclear verdicts’
In his keynote address at the user conference, Tom McLeod, founder and president of McLeod Software, touched on the many challenges currently facing trucking fleets, from the COVID-19 pandemic to a shortage of drivers. These challenges, McLeod said, will weed out weaker competitors. “The future belongs to those that are prepared.”
McLeod also cited the growing trend of “nuclear verdicts” against motor carriers as an increasing threat to the industry. While there is no exact definition of a nuclear verdict, it generally refers to jury awards of at least $10 million. The increasing frequency of these verdicts are pushing insurance rates higher industrywide and forcing some fleets out of business.
A study from the American Transportation Research Institute (Understanding the Impact of Nuclear Verdicts on the Trucking Industry – TruckingResearch.org) found that many fleet executives believe “the only way to prevent nuclear verdicts is to prevent the crash from happening in the first place.”
The issue of nuclear verdicts will be the focus of an ISAAC Instruments webinar, hosted by Freightwaves, on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. eastern time. It will include a look at how ISAAC InView, our forward-facing and auxiliary camera system, helps protect your drivers’ and your company’s reputation. Additional information on the webinar will be available later this month at /webinars/
It will also be discussed at the 2021 ISAAC Instruments virtual user conference, scheduled for Nov. 16-17.
Technology paving the way to recovery
Donald Broughton, managing partner of Broughton Capital LLC, shared an optimistic economic message during a luncheon presentation at the McLeod event.
Broughton projected freight haulers were about to be part of the largest “growth globally that world has even known” and one that will go on for an extended period. He explained the pandemic has force-fed technology into our lives at a faster rate than anytime in history. Increased use of technology leads to greater productivity and prosperity, which will be the case again as the pandemic gradually eases, he predicted.
“The road to recovery is embracing new technology,” Broughton declared.
