Systems for routing and controlling vehicles for freight

Abstract

Data corresponding to a new less-than-truckload shipment request can be received from a first computing device. The data can include a pickup location, a delivery location, a pickup time, and a delivery time. One or more trucks that are assigned to a current less-than-truckload shipment and are capable of executing the new less-than-truckload shipment while also completing the respective current less-than-truckload shipment can be identified from accessing a database. A message corresponding to an invitation for executing the new less-than-truckload shipment can be transmitted to one or more operator computing devices of the identified one or more trucks capable.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A network computer system comprising:
 one or more processors;   a set of memory resources to store a set of instructions, the set of instructions causing the one or more processors to:
 communicate, over one or more networks, with a plurality of carrier devices to determine corresponding carrier information for each carrier of a plurality of carriers; 
 obtain data related to a shipment request; 
 determine multiple carriers of the plurality of carriers to service the shipment request based, at least in part, on a determination that each of the multiple carriers are capable of carrying a shipment of the shipment request, wherein the determination is based, at least in part, on the data related to the shipment request and the corresponding carrier information of each carrier of the multiple carriers; 
 obtain, for each carrier device of the multiple carriers, location information indicating a current location of a corresponding freight vehicle associated with that carrier device; 
 determine a relay location based, at least in part, on the data related to the shipment request and location information of each carrier device of the multiple carriers, the relay location corresponding to a geographic location where the corresponding freight vehicle of each carrier of the multiple carriers can exchange a shipment associated with the shipment request; and 
 transmit, over the one or more networks, a relay instruction to each carrier device of the multiple carriers. 
   
     
     
         2 . The network computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors execute the set of instructions to determine a route for each of the multiple carriers based at least in part on the location information of the carrier device of each carrier of the multiple carriers, and wherein the one or more processors determine the relay location based at least in part on the determined route of each of the multiple carriers. 
     
     
         3 . The network computer system of  claim 2 , wherein the relay location corresponds to a common location to stop along the route of each of the multiple carriers. 
     
     
         4 . The network computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors execute the set of instructions to:
 for each of the multiple carriers, determine a route that carrier is currently on or expected to travel on, based at least in part on the location information of the carrier and the shipment request, wherein the relay location is further based on the route of each carrier of the multiple carriers.   
     
     
         5 . The network computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the multiple carriers include a first carrier and a second carrier, and the corresponding carrier information for each of the first carrier and the second carrier indicates at least an availability of the first carrier and the second carrier, and wherein the relay location is further based on the availability of the first carrier and the second carrier. 
     
     
         6 . The network computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the shipment request includes a pickup location, a pickup time, a delivery time and a delivery location, and wherein the relay location is further based on the pickup location, the pickup time, the delivery time and the delivery location. 
     
     
         7 . The network computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more processors execute the set of instructions to:
 based on the location information, monitor a first carrier of the multiple carriers from when the shipment is being loaded into the corresponding freight vehicle of the first carrier to detect when the first carrier will be delayed to the relay location; and   based on the delay, transmit an updated relay instruction to the computing device of one or more of the multiple carriers.   
     
     
         8 . The network computer system of  claim 7 , wherein the updated relay instruction indicates a change to acceleration of the corresponding freight vehicle of the first carrier. 
     
     
         9 . The network computer system of  claim 7 , wherein the updated relay instruction indicates a change to the relay location to a secondary relay location. 
     
     
         10 . The network computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the corresponding carrier information for each of the multiple carriers includes equipment information that is specific to the corresponding freight vehicle associated with that carrier. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores instructions, that when executed by one or more processors of a network computer system, causes the network computer system to perform operations that include:
 communicating, over one or more networks, with a plurality of carrier devices to determine corresponding carrier information for each carrier of a plurality of carriers;   obtaining data related to a shipment request;   determining multiple carriers of the plurality of carriers to complete the shipment request based, at least in part, on a determination that each of the multiple carriers are capable of carrying a shipment of the shipment request, wherein the determination is based, at least in part, on the data related to the shipment request and the corresponding carrier information of each carrier of the multiple carriers;   obtaining, for each carrier device of the multiple carriers, location information indicating a current location of a corresponding freight vehicle associated with that carrier device;   determining a relay location based at least in part on the data related to the shipment request and location information of each carrier device of the multiple carriers, the relay location corresponding to a geographic location where the corresponding freight vehicle of each carrier of the multiple carriers can exchange a shipment associated with the shipment request; and   transmitting, over the one or more networks, a relay instruction to each carrier device of the multiple carriers.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a route for each of the multiple carriers based at least in part on the location information of the carrier device of each carrier of the multiple carriers, and wherein determining the relay location is based at least in part on the determined route of each carrier of the multiple carriers. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the relay location corresponds to a common location to stop along the route of each of the multiple carriers. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 for each of the multiple carriers, determining a route that the carrier is currently on or expected to travel on, based at least in part on the location information of the carrier and the shipment request, wherein the relay location is further based on the route of each carrier of the multiple carriers.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the multiple carriers include a first carrier and a second carrier and the corresponding carrier information of the first carrier and the second carrier indicates at least an availability of the first carrier and the second carrier, and wherein the relay location is further based on the availability of the first carrier and the second carrier. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the shipment request includes a pickup location, a pickup time, a delivery time and a delivery location, and wherein the relay location is further based on the pickup location, the pickup time, the delivery time and the delivery location. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 based on the location information, monitoring a first carrier of the multiple carriers from when the shipment is being loaded into the first carrier to detect when the first carrier will be delayed to the relay location; and   based on determining the first carrier will be delayed, transmitting an updated relay instruction to the computing device of one or more carriers of the multiple carriers.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the updated relay instruction indicates a change to acceleration to the corresponding freight vehicle of the first carrier. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 17 , wherein the updated relay instruction indicates a change to the relay location to a secondary relay location. 
     
     
         20 . A method for operating a network computer system, the method comprising:
 communicating, over one or more networks, with a plurality of carrier devices to determine corresponding carrier information for each carrier of a plurality of carriers;   obtaining data related to a shipment request;   determining multiple carriers of the plurality of carriers to complete the shipment request based, at least in part, on a determination that each of the multiple carriers are capable of carrying a shipment of the shipment request, wherein the determination is based, at least in part, on the data related to the shipment request and the corresponding carrier information of each carrier of the multiple carriers;   obtaining, for each carrier device of the multiple carriers, location information indicating a current location of a corresponding freight vehicle associated with that carrier device;   determining a relay location based at least in part on the data related to the shipment request and location information of each carrier device of the multiple carriers, the relay location corresponding to a geographic location where the corresponding freight vehicle of each carrier of the multiple carriers can exchange a shipment associated with the shipment request; and   transmitting, over the one or more networks, a relay instruction to each carrier device of the multiple carriers.