The asset-based third-party logistics service specialist (3PL) and freight broker RJ Logistics offers a wide range of services, including cross-border shipping, truckload, expedited, flatbed/specialized, and drayage offerings. But the woman-owned, Southfield, Michigan-based company says its true strength is providing a positive freight experience for both shippers and carriers through open communication and collaboration.But as RJ expanded its North American services into Mexico a few years back, it realized there was one aspect of its own operations that was falling short of its standards for communication: its ability to track and provide timely updates on cross-border shipments to customers. The 3PL was finding that traditional shipment-tracking tools that rely on driver opt-in or ELD (electronic logging device) integrations were not effective in Mexico. To compensate for the visibility gap, it was forced to rely heavily on manual check calls to determine the whereabouts of shipments, which slowed response times and created friction for operators and customers.There were personnel repercussions as well. The lack of timely updates pulled RJ’s employees away from higher-value tasks, adding stress to the team and limiting their ability to scale up in the wake of a post-Covid market shift.MAKING DATA COLLECTION AUTOMATICIn search of a solution, the company turned to Rectangle, a Chicago-based provider of a universal application programming interface (API) and data sync platform built specifically for logistics. According to Rectangle, its technology streamlines complex workflows by turning them into automated data streams that connect seamlessly across systems, giving logistics teams real-time visibility without additional manual…
