Published February 21, 2023
We’re proud to announce Flex Fleets. These multi-shipper dedicated fleets bring shippers, carriers, and brokers the best combination of service and financial performance. With Flex Fleets, shippers now have access to scalable dedicated capacity. Participating carriers and brokers benefit from profitable and driver-friendly freight without having to repeatedly bid.
After piloting Flex Fleets throughout last year with shippers like BASF, Party City, and others, we’ve reduced empty miles by 76% while saving shippers up to 30% on their line haul costs. By the end of this year, Flex Fleets will serve all major domestic markets.
Flex Fleets for Shippers
Reliable Capacity & Superior Service
Dedicated fleets provide the highest levels of service and efficiency for shippers — these benefits are costly to maintain. Dedicated fleets traditionally require leases, often with terms of five or more years, while private fleets require maintenance, insurance, and payroll management. Shippers using Flex Fleets are achieving 99.9% on-time performance delivering to their customers, drastically reducing OTIF penalties while ensuring product delivery always matches demand.
Cost Efficiency & Reduced CO2 Emissions
Flex Fleets are built using Leaf Adapt — a data analytics program that coordinates multi-shipper moves across the transportation grid. Flex Fleets execute these circuits at scale, eliminating 76% of empty miles from unloaded trucks driving on the road. And, as a result, Flex Fleets permanently eliminate CO2 emissions from empty backhauls. This efficiency, from moving freight continuously in circuits, is how Leaf is able to reduce line-haul costs by up to 30% for shippers.
Access to Drop & Hook Trailers
Shippers typically need to own or lease their own trailers to benefit from the flexibility of drop and hook freight. Flex Fleet trailer pools are available to participating shippers so they can benefit from flexible loading and unloading without acquiring assets or increasing operating expenses.
Flex Fleets for Carriers & Brokers
Predictable Schedules
Consistent freight means predictable scheduling so drivers can enjoy their lives on and off the road. Flex Fleets offer coordinated multi-shipper circuits on a predictable schedule. Carriers and brokers share their preferred market and Leaf connects them to their local Flex Fleet.
“Sage Freight’s foremost priority is our people — our brokerage team and the carriers we work with,” said David Norman, COO at Sage Freight. “Access to consistent and desirable freight is exactly what we want to give our driver partners. Through our partnership with Leaf, we’ve been able to offer our carriers high-quality freight, predictable schedules, and coordinated multi-shipper moves that make empty backhauls a thing of the past.”
More Profitable Lanes
Access to multi-shipper volume reduces carriers’ and brokers’ vulnerability to market cycles. Leaf’s Adapt software enables freight contracting months or years in advance, replacing the need for load-by-load tendering. This provides carriers and brokers with a forward view of their revenue so they can focus on growing their businesses, not worry about asset and driver utilization. Flex Fleets allow truck drivers to build a reliable income stream and double their profitability by running more fully-loaded miles.
Drop and Hook Availability
Power-only freight is typically reserved for the largest asset-based carriers with the resources to service a trailer pool. Starting today, Flex Fleet drivers, of any size, have access to power-only freight and can spend less time idling at the dock and more time on the road.
Find Your Flex Fleet
We’re currently operating Flex Fleets in markets across the United States and will continue to launch Flex Fleets in all major markets by the end of the year. If you’re a shipper, broker, or carrier interested in learning more about Flex Fleets, please contact us at hello@leaflogistics.com.
