ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Motor Freight Traffic Association Inc. (NMFTA) has established a Digital Full Truckload (FTL) Council.
According to a NMFTA press release, this council will build on the success of the Digital LTL Council by combining the digital standards for both less-than-truckload (LTL) and FTL segments. The organization has also created a Digital Standards Development Council (DSDC) to oversee the two segments. This unified approach will boost efficiency and innovation across the logistics industry.
“We have successfully gathered a group of well-known industry leaders who are enthusiastic about this strategy and champion our effort to ensure digital standards are developed,” said Debbie Sparks, executive director for NMFTA. Keith Peterson, director of operations for NMFTA who oversees the DSDC agrees. “Collaborating with the Digital Full Truckload Council is a key opportunity to boost the association’s digitization efforts, engage industry leaders, and share knowledge that improves ease of use and visibility across the supply chain.”
The DSDC will foster collaboration between the Councils and look for opportunities to share application programming interface (API) standards while also allowing them to concentrate on their respective industries.
The Digital FTL Council includes representatives from: Averitt, C.H. Robinson, e2open, J.B. Hunt, Nordstrom, One Network Enterprises (a Blue Yonder Company), Uber Freight, and U.S. Bank Freight Payment.
This new development will support NMFTA’s efforts to create standards that improve communication between carriers, shippers, technology providers, and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) by creating and sharing APIs for a fully digital logistics process.
For many years, NMFTA’s digital efforts were mainly in the LTL space. In 2021, the association launched a first-of-its-kind electronic bill of lading (eBOL) standard, which many LTL shipping companies adopted.
“NMFTA’s expertise and proven history in standards development provided a strong foundation for our working relationship,” said Stuart Scott, chief information officer and executive vice president of J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. “Through the Digital FTL and LTL Councils we will deepen collaboration and advance digital standards across the logistics industry.”
Learn more about the Digital Full Truckload Council here. To express interest in joining the Digital Full Truckload Council or to learn more about NMFTA’s mission, advocacy, services, resources, and industry conferences, visit www.nmfta.org.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
