SAN DIEGO — CentralDispatch.com announced a new online vehicle management tool that further automates and simplifies vehicle transportation, both for auto dealers and car carriers. It is built right into the CentralDispatch Web-based system and is essentially a CRM system for vehicle transportation. The tool saves auto dealers, transport brokers, manufacturers and other shippers time and money by transforming a paper-, fax- and phone-based procedure into an automated process that connects shippers to car carriers on the Internet.

From the moment an auto dealer wants to move a vehicle, until the moment it is delivered, the tool provides visibility online with e-mail alerts whenever the vehicle status changes. The dealer and the carrier can both track progress and interact in a structured way through the Website. A dealer can log onto the site at any time from any location and have immediate access to the status of his or her vehicles in transport. The CentralDispatch service is backed by an experienced support staff standing by to help resolve issues that might arise in the transportation process.

Group 1 Automotive uses CentralDispatch.com to assist in the transport of hundreds of vehicles each month. “CentralDispatch makes it easy to find the optimal transportation partner online by exposing our loads to a broader variety of transporters. This technology allows us to manage our own transportation, which we anticipate will result in significant savings,” commented Geoff Bedine, director of used vehicle operations for Group 1 Automotive. “We are constantly looking for ways to leverage our scale and CentralDispatch helps improve performance by providing our dealers with more efficient transportation at significantly reduced costs.”

The new vehicle management tool presents a user interface that is very intuitive and easy to use. The auto dealer simply posts the details on CentralDispatch.com concerning any vehicles he or she wants to transport, including pickup and delivery locations, and make and model.

Once he or she has heard back from interested carriers, usually within a day or less, he or she logs onto CentralDispatch and clicks “assign” to choose his or her preferred carrier. The carrier then logs on to review the contract details, and, if all looks good, clicks “accept” and the contract is executed. Both the carrier and the auto dealer can then track the entire process online, anytime and from any location. E-mail alerts are also sent throughout the entire process, whenever the vehicle status changes.

“CentralDispatch solves many of the headaches typically associated with vehicle transportation — no more waiting for return calls or the frustration of lost faxes. This new dispatching tool really closes the loop in terms of moving the transportation process online, simplifying and automating vehicle transportation from beginning to end,” commented Joe Steinberger, VP of product & business development for CentralDispatch.