Check call automation is software that asks drivers for load status on a schedule, by text, automated voice call, or app and ELD data, then logs location and ETA without a person dialing. Dispatchers and brokers step in only for late loads, exceptions, and detention.
What a check call is
A check call is a status request to a driver or carrier while a load is moving. The broker or dispatcher asks where the truck is, whether it has loaded or unloaded, and what the ETA is. Many brokers also ask for a photo of the bill of lading.
Check calls exist because shippers and customers want proof the freight is moving. They also give you early warning. A driver who says he is stuck at the dock is useful information at 10 a.m., not at 4 p.m.
Why check calls eat broker time
One check call is short. The problem is volume. Every active load needs a call at pickup, in transit, and at delivery, and each call needs a note in the load record.
The work also interrupts everything else. Drivers do not always pick up, so a two-minute call becomes a voicemail, a text, and a second attempt. Meanwhile quotes, carrier sales, and billing wait.
Most check calls end with the same answer: the load is fine. The calls that matter are the few that are not fine, and they are hard to spot when you are making fifty calls to find them.
Three ways to automate check calls
Most automation falls into three methods. Many teams mix them.
- Driver text messages. The system texts the driver at set points, such as before pickup or after the scheduled delivery time, and reads the reply for status and ETA.
- Automated voice calls. The system calls the driver, asks a short set of questions, and records the answers. This works for drivers who do not text.
- ELD or app-based tracking. Location comes from the truck's electronic logging device or a phone app, so nobody has to ask where the truck is.
Tradeoffs of each method
Text messages are cheap and easy for drivers to ignore until they are parked. They also have a legal limit. Federal rules ban a driver from texting while driving a commercial vehicle, and they bar carriers from requiring it. Your schedule has to expect replies at stops, not on the highway.
Voice calls reach drivers who do not text and sound more urgent. They can also feel like spam if the same driver gets several in one day, and a call is still a distraction if it lands while the truck is moving.
ELD and app tracking give you location without asking. But an ELD exists to record hours of service, not to run your load. FMCSA describes ELDs as recording location at intervals, with 60 minutes while the vehicle is in motion and accuracy of about a mile on duty. That is fine for a rough position and weak for a precise ETA. Tracking apps add accuracy, but drivers must install them and keep them running, and many carriers dislike managing one app per broker.
The practical answer is a mix. Use location data when it is available, a text when it is not, and a voice call when a text goes unanswered.
What should still go to a person
Automation should collect routine status. People should handle anything that needs judgment or a conversation.
Clyde Track works this way. It runs check calls by text and voice on a schedule, logs location and ETA, updates the shipper tracking link, and sends exceptions to a person.
- Late loads. A person decides whether to call the customer, find a backup, or reset the appointment.
- Exceptions. Breakdowns, accidents, refused freight, and damage need a human voice.
- Detention. Free time, who is at fault, and what you can bill are decisions that affect money and relationships.
- Silence. A driver who does not answer after several tries is a risk flag, not a data gap.
- Anything the driver asks for. If a driver replies with a question, a person should answer it.
How to roll it out without annoying carriers
Carriers will accept automation if it makes their day easier. They will quit your loads if it adds noise. Start small and keep the rules plain.
- Pick one lane or a few trusted carriers and run automation next to your normal calls for a week or two.
- Tell drivers what to expect at booking: how many messages, when, and how to answer. Put it in the rate confirmation or load tender email.
- Ask for location once, not repeatedly. If you already have tracking data, do not also text the driver for the same fact.
- Keep messages short and answerable with one word or a number.
- Set quiet hours and never send during likely driving windows when you can avoid it.
- Review exceptions daily at first. If a person is fixing the same problem every day, change the schedule or the question.
Where email fits in
Many status updates still arrive by email from dispatchers and customers. If those updates sit in a shared inbox, your tracking is only as good as the person who reads them. Clyde Inbox reads freight email, sorts it, matches it to the load, and drafts the reply for a person to approve.