Data everywhere

Fox handles 100 shipments per day. To achieve this, they must manage a network of carriers, track deliveries, and provide quotes and delivery updates to customers.

They rely on multiple industry-specific software tools:

• A transport management system (TMS) for tracking available carriers and deliveries
• A carrier identity solution to vet new carriers before working with them
• A freight automation platform for handling customer inquiries and providing quotes

With data split across various tools, Matt wanted to consolidate it into Airtable. This would give him a central source of truth, and allow him to build no-code automations on top of the data.

A failed first attempt

Manually importing the data was out of the question: there is too much data, and it changes too frequently. Matt looked for a way to automatically import the data into Airtable.

He initially tried Robotic Process Automation (RPA): bots that access the third-party tools, download the data, and upload it to Airtable.

However, the bots proved flaky, and the data could be inconsistent. Accurate, up-to-date information is critical to Fox’s freight customers having a good experience, so this method wasn’t good enough.

APIs to the rescue

The tools that Fox use do not have Airtable or Zapier integrations, but do provide REST APIs. Matt tried Data Fetcher as a way to connect to these APIs in Airtable.

Matt is a CEO, not a software developer, but he understands the fundamentals of APIs. He’s familiar with API clients (like Postman), so Data Fetcher’s UI was easy to get started with. Without coding or hiring a developer, he was able to connect Airtable to the third-party APIs and bring in their operational data!

Using Data Fetcher’s schedule feature, the data is automatically imported into Airtable every few minutes. The process is quicker and more reliable than his previous processes of manual data imports and using bots.

Having the data in Airtable allows automations to be built on top of it. For example, when a new carrier submits a quote, Data Fetcher triggers an automatic vetting process through the carrier vetting solution, Highway’s API.

Fox also utilize Data Fetcher’s OpenAI integration to extract information from a picture of a driver's truck and commercial driving licence (CDL) to help verify their identity and prevent cargo theft.

Impact of Data Fetcher

Data Fetcher has allowed Airtable to become the central source of truth for Fox’s operational data. Their team and partners can keep using the industry-specific software tools they are used to, whilst giving management a consolidated view in Airtable.

The automations built with Data Fetcher replace tasks that used to be done manually, saving on staffing costs.

Matt particularly loves Data Fetcher’s responsive customer support and affordable price point. In fact, he’s told us multiple times that we’re not charging Fox enough!

Wrapping up

Fox Logistics’s use of no-code has empowered their lean, remote team to earn a spot as the 230th fastest-growing company on the Inc. 5000 list and to be recognized as one of the best workplaces in 2023.

We’re excited to keep supporting Fox as they disrupt the logistics industry.

Want to bring no-code automation to your company? Get started with Data Fetcher today.