# Shipment Status Updates: done-for-you AI automation by BufferSol

> A done-for-you shipment status automation is an AI agent that tracks every active load from ELD, GPS, project44 or carrier replies, texts or emails drivers and dispatchers when tracking goes dark, updates milestones in your TMS, and answers shippers' where-is-my-load emails with the latest position and ETA. It flags loads that will miss an appointment so your team can act early. BufferSol builds and runs it in your TMS and inbox, live in 3 to 6 weeks.

- Canonical: https://buffersoltech.com/done-for-you/automations/shipment-status-updates
- Industries: Logistics & Transportation (Freight brokers)
- Provider: BufferSol Technologies (New York; serving the US, UK, Ireland, Canada and the EU)
- Timeline: live in 3 to 6 weeks
- Pricing: quoted after a short scoping call

## Customers get load updates before they ask, without check calls

**Who it is for:** Freight brokers, 3PLs and asset carriers moving hundreds to thousands of loads a month whose track-and-trace staff spend the day on check calls and status emails.

### Signs you need it
- Your track-and-trace team calls drivers several times per load to get a location.
- Shippers email or call for updates on loads that are running fine.
- Tracking links break when a driver declines the app or the ELD feed drops.
- You learn a load is late when the receiver calls, not before.
- Milestones in McLeod, Aljex or Turvo are entered by hand at the end of the day.

## Business outcomes
- **Updates before the shipper asks.** Shippers receive pickup, in-transit and delivery updates on a schedule they choose, so fewer of them chase your team.
- **Late loads caught early.** The agent compares position and hours left with the appointment and warns your team while there is still time to reschedule or recover.
- **Fewer calls to drivers.** Drivers are contacted only when tracking is missing or a question needs an answer, and they can reply by text.

## How it works today
1. A load is booked and the carrier is asked to accept a tracking link from Macropoint, Trucker Tools or similar.
2. Track-and-trace reps open each load, check the map and call drivers or dispatchers when there is no ping.
3. They type the location, ETA and any problem into the TMS as a check call.
4. They answer shippers' emails and calls one by one, copying the same details again.
5. When a load is going to be late, they find out late and scramble to call the receiver and the shipper.

Hidden costs:
- Staff hours spent on repetitive calls and emails rather than on problem loads.
- Shipper scorecards and lost freight when visibility and on-time numbers slip.
- Strained carrier relationships because drivers are interrupted while driving.

## How it works done for you
1. When a load is dispatched, the agent pulls tracking from the carrier's ELD, Samsara or Motive integration, project44, Macropoint or the driver's app.
2. It checks each load against its pickup and delivery appointments and the driver's remaining hours.
3. When tracking is missing or stale, it texts or emails the driver or carrier dispatcher with a short question and reads the reply.
4. It writes check calls and milestones into McLeod, Aljex, Turvo or your TMS with the source of each update.
5. It sends shippers scheduled updates and answers their status emails with the current position, ETA and any delay reason.
6. It alerts a rep in Teams or Slack when a load is at risk, with options such as rescheduling the appointment, and the rep decides.
7. Every message, reply and TMS update is logged by load for shipper audits.

## What changes for the team
- **Track-and-trace rep.** Today: Makes check calls all day and copies updates into the TMS and emails. Done for you: Works only the loads the agent flags as at risk or unreachable.
- **Customer or account rep.** Today: Answers repeated status requests from shippers. Done for you: Talks to shippers about problems and new freight, while routine status goes out automatically.
- **Carrier dispatcher or driver.** Today: Takes several broker calls per load while on the road. Done for you: Gets one short text when needed and replies in a few words.

## KPIs we measure
- **Tracking compliance:** Share of loads with a location update inside each shipper's required interval, baselined from the TMS.
- **Manual check calls per load:** Phone calls logged per load before and after launch.
- **Inbound status requests:** Shipper emails and calls asking for load status, counted weekly.
- **Late loads flagged in advance:** Late deliveries that were flagged before the appointment time, against all late deliveries.
- **Loads per track-and-trace rep:** Active loads handled per rep per day, compared with the prior quarter.

## Industry data
- 70 Percent: of brokers struggle to provide real-time, digital visibility without check calls (Trucker Tools broker technology survey, May 2021) ([Trucker Tools](https://www.truckertools.com/four-key-takeaways-from-trucker-tools-broker-technology-survey/))
- Sixty percent: of responders said they can track 40 percent of their load volume without check calls (May 2021) ([Trucker Tools](https://www.truckertools.com/four-key-takeaways-from-trucker-tools-broker-technology-survey/))

## Systems it connects to
McLeod LoadMaster, McLeod PowerBroker, Aljex, Turvo, project44, Macropoint, Samsara, Motive, Microsoft Outlook, Twilio

## Guardrails
- The agent never changes appointments, rates or carriers on its own; it proposes and a rep approves.
- Messages to drivers follow quiet rules so drivers are not texted repeatedly while moving.
- Shipper updates show only that shipper's loads and the fields you choose to share.
- Each status entry records its source, such as ELD, app, carrier reply or rep, for audit.
- Location data is kept under your retention policy and used only for the load.

## What teams say about this work
- A broker on a trucking forum described the job as calling again and again to find out where a truck is and when it will arrive, because customers want updates constantly; drivers replied that repeated calls are a burden and some turn their phones off. ([TheTruckersReport.com forum](https://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/goto/post?id=4805419))
- Repeated status calls take up broker staff time and strain the carrier relationship, and drivers see them as a dangerous distraction while they are trying to deliver safely. ([FreightWaves Ratings](https://ratings.freightwaves.com/how-brokers-reduce-check-calls-with-drivers/))
- Coordinators without automated tracking can spend hours a day phoning carriers, brokers and drivers to locate loads, crowding out exception handling and planning. ([Nuvocargo](https://www.nuvocargo.com/blog-posts/freight-status-calls-problem))
- Most brokers in a technology survey said they struggle to provide real-time digital visibility without falling back on check calls. ([Trucker Tools](https://www.truckertools.com/four-key-takeaways-from-trucker-tools-broker-technology-survey/))

## Delivery: live in 3 to 6 weeks
1. Week 1: discovery, access and a baseline of today's numbers.
2. Weeks 2–3: build the agents and connect your systems, with your rules and approvals.
3. Weeks 3–5: test on your real history, then pilot on live work with your team reviewing.
4. Weeks 4–6: staged go-live, training, dashboards and handover.

## Executive Ask questions for this workflow
- Which loads are at risk of missing delivery appointments today?
- Which shippers asked us for status most often this week, and were those loads actually late?
- Which carriers go dark on tracking most often?

## Frequently asked questions
### How long before it is live?
Most brokers and carriers are live in 3 to 6 weeks. We connect your TMS, tracking providers and the track-and-trace inbox, and agree update rules for each major shipper. The agent then runs on a subset of loads with a rep checking its work. Once the rep is happy, we widen it to all loads.

### What does this cost?
We do not publish prices. Cost depends on load volume, the TMS and tracking tools to connect, and how many shipper reporting formats you need. It is quoted after a short scoping call where we look at your current track-and-trace process and a sample of loads. You get a fixed scope before any work begins.

### We already use Macropoint or project44. Why do we need this?
Those tools supply location data when a carrier is connected. The agent works on the gaps: loads with no tracking, stale pings, drivers who need to be asked a question, shippers who want an email instead of a portal, and TMS milestones that someone still types in. It uses your existing feeds rather than replacing them.

### Will it call drivers?
By default it texts or emails, because drivers can answer a short message when they stop. Voice calls can be added for carriers that prefer them, using a clear automated voice and passing to a rep on request. Either way, contact is limited to when tracking is missing or there is a real question.

### Can shippers get updates in their own format?
Yes. Some shippers want an email per milestone, some want a daily spreadsheet, some want updates posted to their portal or sent as EDI 214. The agent can send each shipper what they ask for from the same data, so your team does not build separate reports.