·2 min read
A carrier portal — in Dutch a charterportaal, also called a charter portal or driver portal — is an online environment where a transport company and its carriers (hauliers and subcontractors) work together: putting routes out, assigning them, recording what was driven, invoicing and paying. It replaces the group chats, phone rounds and spreadsheets that this work usually runs on.
What is a carrier?
In Dutch transport, a charter is an independent haulier or subcontractor who drives routes for another transport company: a self-employed driver with their own van, or a small haulage firm with a few vehicles. The transport company has the customer and the freight; the carrier supplies the vehicle and the driver.
What does a carrier portal do?
- Putting routes out to your carriers, with all the details attached.
- Comparing carriers' responses and prices and assigning the route.
- Passing on changes without calling.
- Recording what was agreed and what was driven.
- Drawing up invoices and paying the carriers in one go.
Carrier portal, TMS or on-board computer?
A TMS is your planning: orders, routes, customers and rates. An on-board computer or driver app follows the route on the road. A carrier portal handles the collaboration with the parties that drive your routes, including the money. So it does not replace your TMS but complements it. More on this in transport software for a small transport company.
Who is it for?
For any transport company that outsources routes on a regular basis: parcel and distribution transport, companies that absorb peaks with subcontractors, and carriers who in turn work with their own subcontractors. You notice the difference from a handful of carriers onwards.
Charterportaal
Charterportaal is a carrier portal for Dutch transport companies. It runs in the browser and on the phone, in Dutch and English, and your carriers pay nothing. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Is a carrier portal the same as a TMS?
No. A TMS plans orders and routes. A carrier portal handles the collaboration with the carriers who drive those routes: assigning, recording what was driven, invoicing and paying.
Do carriers have to install software?
Not with Charterportaal. Carriers get a login and work in the browser on their phone.