Link Logistics introduces online recruitment centre

Link Logistics has launched an online recruitment centre for the trucking industry.

The first phase of the site, accessed at www.driverlink.com, enables drivers to post their profiles online with the help of a resume wizard, search for available job postings, and get leads from a database of carriers throughout North America. More than 2,700 carriers currently use Link Logistics’ well-known load and equipment matching service and Daron Rosenbusch, business manager for driverlink.com is hoping many of them will also use the company’s new recruitment offering.

Carriers using the site can post available driving positions as well as search for and receive leads on available drivers that match with the specified employment requirements.

“We are taking the first step in ensuring that professional drivers and owner/operators throughout Canada and the U.S. are able to find an employer that best suits their individual needs,” Rosenbusch said. “If a driver can find a job he is more comfortable with then he can be happier in his job.”

Although the pricing has yet to be finalized, Rosenbusch says it will be much less than the $1,500-$2,000 per driver some recruitment agencies charge. Carriers will be charged a monthly fee to use the service.

All services on the site will be free during the introductory period after which carriers, shippers and agencies will be required to subscribe for membership.

“When carriers start paying for the service we want them to be happy with the system and ready to be paying for it,” Rosenbusch said.

The system will remain free to drivers and owner/operators.

In addition to the driver and carrier employment matching service, more services are being contemplated to increase the value and utility of the site for its members. Such features will include an on-line store offering member discounts on personal and business products and services; a driver education centre; a carrier business centre; and a resource centre including various information forums and message boards.

Link is also working to incorporate the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council’s Professional Driver Recognition Program into the first phase of the site. The new services will be added over the next few months.

In other Link Logistics news:

the company has rolled out its preferred carrier list option which allows load posters to designate specific carriers that can view the information they post. As well, carriers with excess loads can post those loads for the eyes of preselected carriers only.

Link is also now offering a guaranteed payment plan. Membership in the program allows users to receive payment for moving a load directly from Link if the load poster hasn’t paid within 90 days.

Link has entered the factoring business with its offer to pay carriers within 48 hours for loads moved. It’s getting a five per cent cut on the deal.

DAT Services is Link’s strategic partner in the U.S. and now its entire database is available through the Link system.

Terion and XTRA ink deal on trailer tracking

Terion, a wireless communications provider, and XTRA Lease have formed a strategic partnership relating to the sale, leasing, installation and distribution of FleetView, Terion’s cellular-based trailer tracking product.

The agreement designates XTRA as an authorized installation, servicing, training and marketing partner of Terion, as well as the exclusive lessor of stand-alone FleetView trailer tracking units in Canada and the U.S. Over the next twelve months the FleetView product will be installed on 25,000 of XTRA Lease’s rental units, making XTRA Terion’s largest customer.FleetView provides real-time trailer status and location data for fleet management.

Terion also announced a (U.S.) $50 million infusion from several investors in its latest round of funding. Terion president and CEO Jeffrey Locke said the funding will allow the company to expand its coverage , increase production capacity, and introduce the Terion two-way communication system to new markets.

Arsenault goes online with fleet maintenance software

Arsenault Associates has launched an online rental service for its vehicle maintenance software systems.

The service, called 24/7 Fleet Online, is available on the Internet (www.Truckfleet.com) on a pay-as-you-go monthly rental basis. The service is based on Arsenault Associates’ Dossier32 Fleet Maintenance software – carriers see and use the same screens, enter data the same way and have access to all of the same management tools and reports. The major difference is that the service can be paid on a monthly basis as opposed to the up front capital outlay normally required for software.

The company says that should make its software much easier for even the smaller carriers to adopt. Services like this generally fall under the approval authority of the fleet manager as they are considered a common expense, says Charles Arsenault. By contract, purchasing fleet software for use on the fleet computer system is regarded as a capital investment outlay that generally requires executive approval.

Cabit partners with ProMiles to automate fuel tax reporting

Cabit Systems, a Canadian provider of wireless solutions for the trucking industry, has joined forces with ProMiles to develop a satellite-based solution to automate IFTA fuel tax reports.

The new product will combine Cabit’s GPS technology and in-cab messaging with ProMiles’ mileage, routing, mapping and fuel tax database. It will allow the collection of fuel tax reports to be started “in cab” and then sent by satellite to the fleet’s home base for a huge saving in time.

Turnpike looking to get rid of paper shuffle

Turnpike Global Technologies, a Stoney Creek, Ont.-based company, is looking to take the hassle out of keeping a logbook without removing the control that drivers cherish.

Its TurnpikeDirect electronic logbook, heading into its second round of beta testing with Canadian and U.S. fleets, automates the log-keeping process yet provides drivers with a log that looks exactly like the paper log they are used to.

The driver keys in his duty status into the laptop-sized TurnpikeDirect, which records the required information and performs all the calculations for him.

Correction: In the Technology Watch section of the July/August issue, Peter Petruzzellis was incorrectly listed as the president of ProMiles Canada. He is in fact the president of CustomLink Inc.