The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) awarded Walmart the inaugural Technology Innovation award, sponsored by Clean Harbors. The announcement took place at the WIT Accelerate! Conference & Expo held in Dallas, Texas.
The newly created award recognizes innovation, vision, and technical achievements that support and advance the trucking industry. Nominations were open to any WIT member who has contributed innovative technical or mechanical solutions, ideas, or practices in the commercial motor vehicle industry.
“We’ve seen firsthand how well Walmart’s fleet operates. That’s, in large part, due to their applications and automation. Calling Walmart a ‘world-class organization’ in this regard seems almost an understatement,” said Michelle DeStefano, Sr. Director of Employee Engagement, Clean Harbors. “There could be no better selection as the winner of the first Clean Harbors technology award, in our eyes. Congratulations to all involved!”
Walmart was selected for the innovation of NTransit, a mobile software application built to provide their fleet drivers with a world-class, frictionless experience in the cabs of their trucks. NTransit starts by providing the drivers with a single platform for all the tools and information they need to move freight across Walmart’s supply chain while staying connected with the dispatch office and other important stakeholders along their journey. This helps to minimize excess time spent at locations and enables the driver to efficiently move through their workday.
NTransit is also a communication platform that informs the driver of any traffic incidents or unsafe conditions, so the driver has all the information needed to go about their day on the safest and most efficient routes. NTransit also provides real-time location tracking to provide ETAs to the Walmart stores on the driver’s route, ensuring the store is ready to receive and unload their freight and get the driver back on the road quickly. Additional enhancements are in development to further digitize the driver’s experience, including the ability to make paperless deliveries and move right through the gate at warehouses without having to stop for paperwork review and seal validation.
Integrated within the application is a satisfaction survey that provides Walmart drivers with a voice to rate their experience at stops along their route, as well as their overall experience with the application. With this feedback, Walmart product and technology partners can listen to and stay close to the voice of the customer, and their drivers, and push ongoing development of new features and enhancements, which continue to enrich and improve the driver experience.
“The technology innovation award helps promote our mission to address obstacles our members face in the trucking industry,” said Ellen Voie, WIT president and CEO. “The NTransit app provides Walmart fleet drivers with the technology to experience a more user-friendly, simpler, and intuitive process to stay connected from start to finish for each trip. This removes much of the uncertainty drivers often experience during their daily deliveries.”
Finalists for the award, Relay Payments and REVOLOK USA LLC, were also recognized during the Accelerate! Conference & Expo.
