In-app bidding is a great way to bid on a load without ever having to contact a broker yourself!
When you submit an instant bid on a load, CloudTrucks sends the bid to the load directly on the broker's portal. If they accept your bid, it'll be added to your jobs list. If they reject your bid, they'll contact Ops and Ops will reach out to help you negotiate further.
This article goes into more detail on how instant bidding works.
In this article:
In-app bidding, with CT Ops help
- Which brokers offer instant bidding?
- How you can instant bid on a load
- How long soon can I expect to hear back after I bid on a load?
- What happens if a broker rejects my bid?
- Why am I getting an error for an instant bid I submitted?
In-app auto-bidding, without CT Ops help
- What is auto-bidding and how does it work?
- How is this different from regular in-app bidding?
- Which brokers offer auto-bidding?
- How to know if you can auto-bid on a load
- How to submit an auto-bid
- How to check in on your auto-bid
- How you'll know if the broker countered your auto-bid
- How CloudTrucks submits counter offers for auto-bidding
- How you'll know if a broker has accepted your auto-bid
- Can you submit multiple auto-bids at the same time?
- How to know if an auto-bid has been canceled by the broker
- When can you cancel an auto-bid that you already submitted?
- How to cancel an auto-bid that has been submitted and is still under negotiation?
In-app bidding, with CT Ops help
Which brokers offer in-app bidding?
Right now, the brokers listed below all offer instant bidding as an option on certain loads. We're working to instant booking to more brokers' loads in the future!
- Convoy
- JB Hunt
- RXO
- CH Robinson
How you can bid on a load in-app
For loads that offer instant bidding as an option, follow this step-by-step guide to submit a bid:
1. Tap a load you want to book
2. If in-app bidding is available, you’ll see a ‘Bid’ button next to the listed price
3. Use the CT Estimate to help you decide how much to bid based on current market rates and toggle the blue dots to set your minimum bid and preferred bid amounts. We will only submit your preferred bid amount to the broker.
4. When you’re happy with your bid, tap submit and your bid will be sent directly to the broker. The job will be added to your jobs list under the ‘Negotiating’ tab.
5. If the broker rejects your bid, Ops will contact you to let you know and help you submit another bid to continue negotiating.
6. When the broker accepts your bid, Ops will receive the ratecon, review it, and add the load to your jobs list under ‘Your Jobs’.
How soon can I expect to hear back after I bid on a load?
It varies based on the broker and their bandwidth to respond to instant bids and/or send counter bids. For example, with J.B. Hunt loads, sometimes our team receives counter offers within 1 minute or less of a submitted instant bid; other times we only hear back after the load is covered.
Often, 'time to pick up' plays a big factor. For example, if the load picks up several days from the day you're bidding on it, you might not hear back for a couple of hours. However, if you're bidding on a load that picks up later on in the same day, if you don't hear back in ~10-15 mins, it probably has already been booked.
What happens if a broker rejects my bid?
If the broker rejects your bid, Ops will contact you to let you know and help you submit another bid to continue negotiating.
Why am I getting an error for an instant bid I submitted?
There are a few reasons you might see an error pop up on your screen for an instant bid you submitted, such as if the load you were bidding on has already been booked or if your network connection is poor.
Auto-Bid loads in app (bidding without CT Ops help)
What is auto-bidding and how does it work?
When you auto-bid on a load, you submit a bid directly to the broker's automated portal. Within 15 mins you'll know if your bid was accepted, rejected, or countered. By removing the "human" negotiation interaction through auto-bidding you stay in control of the amount of money you're offering and you don't have to spend time waiting to hear back from a broker.
How is this different from regular in-app bidding?
With regular in-app bidding, if the broker sends a counter offer to your bid that is outside the range you provided, CloudTrucks Operations will step in to help negotiate on your behalf. Additionally, for any broker bid response, including for counter offers or bid approvals, you might find yourself spending time waiting to hear back from a broker. While we wish brokers would respond quickly, often times they can be hard to reach.
With auto-bidding, if a broker sends a counter offer to your bid that is outside of the range you provided, CloudTrucks will send another automated bid that is within your range. Because the "human" negotiation interaction is removed from this bidding process, we can provide a response to you quickly, typically within 15 mins of bid submission, so you know if this load is yours or if you have to move on quickly.
Is there any time CT Ops will step in?
While CT Ops will not step in to negotiate the bid for you, there are certain situations in which Ops might step in. For example, the broker may call Ops to let them know special equipment is required for this load, such as straps. In that case, Ops will reach out to you to make sure you have the right equipment necessary. Similarly, you may still call Ops to confirm other load-related details, like weight, etc.
However, Ops will not step to help you negotiate. Auto-bidding is designed to make the bidding process as seamless as possible and allow you to bid your desired rate, no questions asked.
Which brokers offer auto-bidding?
Currently auto-bidding is available for certain CH Robinson and Coyote loads. In a few weeks, we’ll expand to other load sources, including Coyote, DAT, and more.
How to know if you can auto-bid on a load
If auto-bidding is an option, you'll see an 'Auto-Bid' button on the load details page when you're going to book.
How to submit an auto-bid
To submit an auto-bid please follow these steps:
1. Tap the auto-bid button from the bottom of the load details page
2. Enter the bid you'd like to submit, including the lowest amount you'd be willing to haul this load for. We will not show this lowest amount to the broker, but we'll use it if we need to negotiate.
3. Assign a driver and truck, and confirm.
How to check in on your auto-bid
Once you submit your bid it'll move to the 'Negotiating' tab of your jobs list. When you tap into that load, you'll see a banner at the top that shows you how much you bid with a link to see bid details. If you tap on that link, you'll be able to get a status update on the bid as well as cancel the bid.
To see the most up to date status of your auto-bid please always check the 'Negotiating' tab of your jobs list.
How you'll know if the broker countered your auto-bid
You'll know if the broker countered your bid when you check on the bid in-app and it shows 'Your Counter'
How CloudTrucks submits counter offers for auto-bidding
When a broker submits a counter offer that is outside of your bid range, CloudTrucks will automatically counter back with a bid within your bid range. The number we offer will be algorithmically generated and we will go back and forth with the broker 2 to 3 times until an agreeable rate is decided or ultimately if the bid is rejected.
How you'll know if a broker has accepted your auto-bid
When a broker has accepted your bid, it'll automatically be added as a job to your jobs list and we'll send you a push notification as well. Also, you'll see 'Bid Won' on the job details page.
Soon we will also send you a push notification confirming that your auto-bid was accepted and has been added to your jobs list as a job.
Can you submit multiple auto-bids at the same time?
Yes you can. However, if you're auto-bidding on multiple loads that pick up around the same time, then we will accept the first ratecon that comes in as your assigned load and cancel the other bids.
How to know if an auto-bid has been canceled by the broker
We'll update you if your auto-bid has been canceled on the bid details page. Make sure to always check the Negotiating tab for the latest status updates.
Some cancelation reasons include the broker hasn't responded, we weren't able to get a counter offer within your bid range, or the load is no longer available.
Please note it may take up to 24 hours from the moment a bid was canceled by the broker to disappear from the Negotiating tab in your jobs list.
When can you cancel an auto-bid that you already submitted?
You can cancel an auto-bid that you have submitted in-app as long as it's still under negotiation and available in the 'Negotiating' tab on your jobs list.
Once an offer has been accepted and your auto-bid has been turned into a job, you'll have to follow the steps in-app to request a cancelation.
How to cancel an auto-bid that has been submitted and is still under negotiation?
- Go to the 'Negotiating' tab on your jobs list
- Tap on the load you bid on that you'd like to cancel and hit 'Bid details' at the top of the load details page
- Tap 'Cancel bid' at the bottom of the page and confirm that you'd like to cancel that bid
If you have any questions, please contact support@cloudtrucks.com.
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