In the transportation industry, innovation isn’t just a luxury; it’s essential for driving efficiency. Successful fleets are those that turn ideas into reality, especially in times like the present, when freight volumes and margins are shrinking.
The word “innovation” often evokes images of risky ventures or moonshot projects, but the reality is more practical. It’s frequently manifested when people find ways to utilize technology in new and creative ways to accomplish tasks more efficiently.
For many carriers, this could mean adding more intelligence and automation to daily tasks and workflows, streamlining communications, and empowering people to keep freight moving.
One of the most powerful innovation platforms available today comes from Eleos Technologies, which enables trucking companies to build custom mobile apps tailored to their operations. Since 2021, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) has recognized seven fleets (four in the past year) as Innovators for their creative ways of utilizing Eleos to address high-stakes business challenges. One fleet (USAT Capacity Solutions) even earned the prestigious CCJ Innovator of the Year award.
Custom mobile apps aren’t about flashy features but measurable results. Let’s explore how these seven fleets quickly achieved success by designing mobile solutions tailored to their most challenging operational needs.
Montgomery Transport
April 2021
Validating load securement
Birmingham, Alabama-based Montgomery Transport launched its “M1 Mobile App” to simplify document capture and reduce billing delays. The app quickly evolved into a securement verification tool that prompts drivers to upload photos at pickup, which its safety staff reviews before departure.
This proactive approach decreased claims, avoided out-of-service violations, and enhanced driver coaching. By integrating KPIs, training videos, and e-BOL processing, the 600-truck flatbed fleet continues to improve safety and performance while streamlining workflows.
USAT Capacity Solutions
August 2021 — Innovator of the Year 2021
Empowering drivers through self-dispatch
Van Buren, Arkansas-based USAT Capacity Solutions earned the Innovator of the Year award by putting dispatch control directly into the hands of drivers. Its Drive Your Plan initiative leverages a proprietary load board within its Eleos-powered app, allowing drivers to self-dispatch.
The result? A 50% drop in turnover and a 30% rise in productivity. By offering genuine autonomy, the program has also encouraged more drivers to transition to owner-operators, creating new paths for career growth.
Solar Transport
March 2023
Preventing fuel loading/unloading mistakes
Des Moines-based Solar Transport, with 220 drivers and 120 trucks, addressed the costly issue of fuel cross-drops by integrating critical loading and unloading workflows into its driver app. The app prompts drivers to confirm product types before departure and provides tank maps, hazard warnings, and site-specific instructions for deliveries.
This operational safeguard led to a 52% reduction in cross-drops and a 32% decrease in driver turnover. The result is a safer, more intuitive, error-free delivery experience with clear ROI.
Fraley & Schilling
August 2024
Fixing after-hours chaos with self-dispatch
When drivers at Indiana-based Fraley and Schilling faced confusion finding available loads at a customer’s facility after hours, the fleet responded by building a self-dispatch system into its mobile app.
Drivers choose available loads from a list in the app, which then instantly updates its TMS. This change decreased friction between drivers and dispatch, reduced paperwork errors, and prevented billing issues caused by mismatches.
With more than 650 power units, the carrier now has an agile and accountable dispatch model that empowers drivers to select their loads.
NAPA Transportation
January 2025
Turning compliance from a chore into a habit
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania-based truckload carrier NAPA Transportation discovered that up to 75% of its drivers were not verifying their logbooks, despite training. The fleet’s custom app platform from Eleos made it easy to implement an “if this, then that” solution.
If a driver doesn’t verify their logbook within the past 48 hours, their next load assignment is removed from their mobile app. It reappears when drivers verify their logs. By adding this step to the workflow, the log verification rate for drivers increased from 25% to over 93%, almost overnight.
K&B Transportation
February 2025
Protecting drivers with real-time weather alerts
South Sioux City, Nebraska-based K&B Transportation, a refrigerated carrier with over 700 trucks, integrated a custom weather alert system into its Eleos app to warn drivers of hazardous conditions.
Using GPS and geofencing, the system sends alerts directly to the driver’s screen, complete with voice-read functionality, to make sure they don’t miss critical updates. The fleet’s new process is credited with an 80% decrease in DOT-recordable accidents year-over-year.
Knight-Swift Transportation
August 2025
Driver onboarding with real-world simulation
Knight-Swift, the largest truckload carrier in North America, redesigned its driver orientation training with its Eleos-based KT Mobile app. Instead of passively watching training videos, new drivers complete a simulated load from start to finish on a tablet, mirroring real-world conditions.
This practical training ensures drivers for the Phoenix-based company are confident using the app before hitting the road. The accuracy of digital workflow completion by drivers trained by the new approach increased by 12% in just eight weeks, helping increase efficiency and improve new-driver satisfaction.
Innovation without the risk
Each of these seven fleets demonstrates that innovation doesn’t mean taking risks. By putting their ideas into motion through Eleos, they turned daily operational challenges into performance improvements.
Innovation is more than just a technology upgrade when it delivers immediate ROI by empowering drivers, enhancing safety, increasing transparency, and reducing costs.
With a flexible custom driver app, the possibilities for innovation are virtually endless.
Contact us today to bring your ideas to life
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