CCJ Innovators profiles carriers and fleets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking’s challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact CCJ Chief Editor Jason Cannon at jasoncannon@randallreilly.com or 800-633-5953.
Evan Pohaski and a team of investment partners in 2014 started a flatbed carrier in Pittsburgh. Besides purchasing new trucks and trailers, the fledgling JLE Industries acquired fleet management technology from established vendors in the industry.
From the start, leadership was focused on how to set the company apart.
To that end, in 2015 a decision to develop a proprietary software platform was made to help load planners and managers better serve the needs of drivers. Conceptually, the software would give users all the information and tools they needed to collaborate with drivers to maximize their productivity and earnings. And it could be found all in one place.
CCJ first recognized JLE Industries as an Innovator in 2018 for developing a system, DriverOS, that has evolved into a full enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for making decisions and streamlining workflows in load planning, dispatch, safety, fleet maintenance and other areas.
In the first quarter of 2021, JLE made a significant update to DriverOS by adding a mobile app loaded with features to decentralize load planning. These decisions are now in the hands of drivers who, at JLE, are called “professional flatbed talent.”
The platform gives company drivers and owner-operators their best individual load options by accounting for preferences, goals for earnings, home time, work habits and more. Drivers at JLE now have more control, compensation and connectivity than they could find anywhere else in the trucking industry, Pohaski said.
