Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, July 18, 2023:
DAT, Convoy settle ongoing lawsuit
A series of lawsuits and countersuits between load board operator DAT and digital brokerage company Convoy has been resolved through an “amicable settlement,” the companies announced Tuesday.
“DAT and Convoy have amicably resolved their dispute on confidential terms, including a payment by Convoy to DAT to avoid the uncertainty and expense of continued litigation,” the companies said in a joint statement. “Convoy recognizes and appreciates DAT’s significant contributions to the freight industry, and both Convoy and DAT are pleased to put this dispute behind them.”
The lawsuits stemmed from allegations from DAT last year that Convoy used mutually-agreed-to limited access to DAT’s load board to develop its Convoy for Brokers platform that launched in November 2021.
[Related: Broker, load board embroiled in legal battle]
According to the lawsuit, Convoy used its access to DAT “to misappropriate data and trade secrets belonging to DAT” and to “create its own competing load board by using DAT’s data and trade secrets.”
In response, Convoy countersued DAT, alleging that DAT is a monopoly in the load board market. The countersuit claimed that the non-compete clauses in DAT’s contract that companies don’t develop a competing load board, such as the one Convoy agreed to, are “anticompetitive forced agreements to allocate the market, and to allocate it all to DAT.”
[Related: DAT steps up to fight freight fraud, but is it enough?]
Truckstop acquires AI freight management firm
Truckstop announced Tuesday it has acquired FreightFriend, a cloud-based capacity and freight management service that uses artificial intelligence (AI) “to manage relationships, find capacity and match freight with greater efficiency,” the company said.
Truckstop said FreightFriend enables carriers and brokers to manage their business relationships, reduce friction and improve outcomes of freight matching activities. FreightFriend pitches its platform to carriers as a way to tailor load searches, for instance, to freight from trusted partners, and to brokers as a way to better tailor freight to carriers already in a broker's network.
“At Truckstop, we continue to invest in our industry-leading freight marketplace and compliance management offerings. Our solutions reduce friction and increase trust in the market while driving greater efficiencies and higher profits for both brokers and carriers,” said Kendra Tucker, chief executive officer, Truckstop. “With the acquisition of RMIS, and now the FreightFriend solution, we will further enable our customers to build and foster relationships that support the growth of their businesses.”
Together, Truckstop and the FreightFriend technology deliver an offering that maximizes in-network and out-of-network relationships, Truckstop added. In one centralized experience, brokers and carriers can manage and grow their networks, promote loads and trucks, receive intelligent matches and digitally book freight.
[Related: The third parties following you around the freight networks]
Trucker Path opens registration for weekly giveaways
Trucker Path on Monday announced the second annual National Truck Driver Appreciation (NTDA) Sweepstakes. The NTDA Sweepstakes will hold weekly drawings for four weeks, revealing the Grand Prize winner on Sept. 13 during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.
The NTDA Sweepstakes is open for registration as of July 17 for active U.S. truck drivers with a valid commercial driver’s license. Drawings will be held weekly from July 26 through Aug. 16. The sweepstakes ends on Aug. 27.
“The National Truck Driver Appreciation Sweepstakes enables active U.S. truck drivers to register to win valuable prizes that cater to their everyday wants and needs,” said Chris Oliver, CMO at Trucker Path. “This unique program gives key sponsors the opportunity to show their appreciation for the hard work, dedication and contributions of all U.S. commercial truck drivers, who represent a critical part of the supply chain delivering goods that all U.S. citizens depend on.”
A licensed third-party sweepstakes company will randomly select winners for weekly and grand prizes. The weekly prizes include $500 in Sheetz fuel cards and five free nights at any Motel 6 in the U.S. The grand prize winner will receive $3,000 in Sheetz fuel cards, 30 free nights at any Motel 6 in the U.S., and $500 in Exxon and Mobil station fuel cards.
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week this year runs from Sept. 10-16. The annual celebration recognizes the significant contributions of the millions of professional truck drivers nationwide who safely and securely deliver essential goods and transport billions of tons of freight every year. Those interested can register here for a chance to win in the sweepstakes.
Love’s offering free hot dogs Wednesday
In celebration of National Hot Dog Day on Wednesday, July 19, Love’s Travel Stops is partnering with Schwab Meat Co. to give customers a free hot dog or roller grill item on Wednesday, July 19, at participating locations in 42 states.
Customers can access the barcode for their free hot dog or roller grill item on the Love’s Connect app from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., July 19. Love’s roller grill items include Schwab’s Finest Hot Dogs, Tornados, Roller Bites and more. A full selection of toppings is also available.
