The typical city cartage operation loses between $9,000 and $22,000 per month in unbilled yard shuttles and hostler time. Warehouse supervisors request "quick spot moves," drivers execute them, yet the moves never reach the customer invoice or the driver settlement. This leakage has grown with the rise of drop-and-hook programs, dedicated yard jockey contracts, and 24/7 cross-dock facilities.
Strong Tower Consulting has audited dozens of Truckmate, McLeod, and TMW installations. The pattern is consistent: manual entry of local moves is incomplete, radio estimates are inaccurate, and EDI 214 status updates rarely capture intra-facility activity. The result is unbilled revenue, inaccurate driver piece-rate pay, and frequent disputes on the final 210 invoice.
The $15,000 Unbilled Local Shuttle Leak
Consider a dedicated hostler contract supporting a major retailer distribution center. The yard jockey completes an average of 47 trailer repositionings per shift. Only 29 are captured on the daily manifest. The remaining 18 moves - each worth $28 to $42 depending on the tariff - disappear. Over 22 working days that equals $15,400 in unbilled revenue. Multiply across three shifts and the annual impact exceeds $180,000 for a single location.
These "quick spots" are rarely entered into the TMS because the driver is already on the clock and the supervisor assumes the move is covered under the base hourly rate. Fuel surcharge, accessorials, and driver incentive pay are never calculated. The carrier absorbs both the labor and the lost margin.
The Strong Tower ShuttleCapture Architecture™
Exspeedite CheckPoint delivers automated local move and hostler telematics without requiring additional in-cab hardware for most fleets. The architecture combines three layers:
- Geofenced building and yard zone polygon mapping: CheckPoint (https://exspeeditecheckpoint.com/login.php) tracks tractor fifth-wheel lift cycles and moves between dock doors, staging pads, and off-site drop lots. Polygons are drawn once using satellite imagery and refined with actual breadcrumb data.
- Automated billable move classification: The platform pairs driver mobile touch logs with automated geofence pings, instantly converting completed shuttles into line-item invoice charges. Classification rules distinguish between internal repositioning, customer-requested shuttles, and public road cartage.
- Direct accounting sync to ERP: Automatic transmission of billable hourly hostler time and piece-rate spot charges into QuickBooks Online and Sage Intacct nightly via secure API. Journal entries are created with proper revenue codes, driver settlement references, and fuel surcharge calculations.
Because CheckPoint reads existing ELD and telematics streams, implementation is measured in weeks rather than months. No new driver apps are required for basic yard capture.
Compelling Shippers to Pay Dedicated Yard Surcharges
When a customer questions a $185 yard shuttle charge, CheckPoint provides timestamped satellite breadcrumb trails showing every trailer repositioned at their request. The evidence includes exact geofence entry and exit times, fifth-wheel lift events, and driver mobile confirmation. Most shippers stop disputing once they see the immutable data tied to their own dock-door activity. This evidence also strengthens detention and accessorial claims under the original EDI 204 contract terms.
Independent by Design
Strong Tower Consulting, LLC and Exspeedite LLC are separately organized sister companies under common ownership (founded 2008 in Minnesota by Scott Elliott). Carriers are never required to buy our software. Our consultants will help you implement best-practice processes whether you continue using your current TMS, switch to a new platform, or simply tighten governance around existing hostler operations. Phone: 763-244-1373.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does CheckPoint differentiate between internal yard repositioning and public road cartage?
The system uses configurable geofence polygons and business rules. Internal yard moves are flagged when both origin and destination geofences are within the same customer facility boundary and the move duration is under 18 minutes. Public road cartage is identified by highway speeds, crossing of facility perimeter roads, or pairing with EDI 214 status updates containing actual shipment numbers. Rules can be customized per customer contract.
Can customers receive automated daily move summaries for their accounts payable reconciliation?
Yes. CheckPoint generates a daily PDF and CSV summary organized by customer location, showing every billable shuttle with timestamps, move type, duration, and charge. The report can be automatically emailed to the shipper's accounts payable team or posted to a secure customer portal. This dramatically reduces reconciliation time and invoice disputes.
Does the engine calculate driver hourly incentive pay for high-volume cross-dock shuttling?
Absolutely. The platform reads your existing driver pay rules from Truckmate, McLeod, or TMW and applies them to automatically captured moves. High-volume cross-dock shuttles that exceed a configured threshold per hour trigger incentive calculations that flow directly into the driver settlement file. Pay accuracy typically improves from 61% to 98% after implementation.
How does this solution integrate with existing EDI 204, 214, and 210 workflows?
CheckPoint augments rather than replaces your current EDI process. Captured yard moves are inserted as additional line items on the 210 invoice with appropriate accessorial codes. Status updates for internal moves can be suppressed from the 214 if desired, or sent with a special qualifier indicating yard activity. The solution works alongside your existing TMS without requiring SQL schema changes.
Ready to close the unbilled shuttle revenue gap in your city cartage and dedicated yard operations? Our transportation consultants will evaluate your current processes at no charge.
Start a Free Revenue Leakage Assessment
Related practices:
Detention Management,
Local Cartage Optimization,
Driver Settlement Automation
Related guide:
Automated Accessorial Capture Guide