How the Trucking Industry Could Be Vastly More Efficient

Take a look at the map below. It shows 25 trucks in New Jersey traveling to pick up 25 loads of goods over the course of a single day using a traditional industry approach: one that manually pairs drivers and freight. A few matches are short and efficient, but many require drivers to go well out of their way. The result is 1,752 "wasted" miles that create unnecessary traffic congestion and perhaps even lead to making those goods a little bit more expensive down the line.

Now the next map is the same day as managed by a start-up called Transfix, which pairs drivers and loads using an automated matching system. Those 1,752 empty miles have been cut to 274. A driver in Port Jervis, toward the top, travels to nearby Sussex rather than trekking across the state to Wilmington. He's less tired, the shipper can move onto a new load, commuters in the area face less traffic, and consumers across the region are happier.