Google and J.B. Hunt Announce Alliance

By Reagan Payne

Google is the household name for search engines, making up 87% of all web searches. Lately, the cloud computing tech vendor is making a name for itself in the trucking industry. 

Many trucking companies already utilize the website’s search engine optimization (SEO) to reach drivers looking for jobs and shipments looking for trucks. However, Google plans to crack down on poorly designed websites in May.

With so many different companies using the same keywords and key phrases, the website with the most excellent design will now come out on top. Websites with poor design will be bumped down.

This new ranking program is called Google Page Experience. It penalizes for poor performance on mobile devices, utilization of annoying pop-up ads, malicious software, lack of HTTPS encryption, slow loading, and poor interactivity or stability. 

Companies worried for the fate of their visibility can check their efficacy on Google Search Console. 

HireMaster runs cleanly and expects to benefit from this change. The website’s Lead Developer, Rob Cartier, works daily to ensure the most seamless experience possible.

Ahead of the trend

J.B. Hunt is collaborating with Google on its digital transformation. The two companies plan to collaborate on next-generation supply chain platform technology. 

“Joining forces with Google was a natural fit, considering both companies’ histories of trailblazing and industry disruption,” said John Roberts, president and CEO of J.B. Hunt. “Powering J.B. Hunt 360 on Google Cloud will help drive us forward in our mission to create the most efficient transportation network in North America. 

“This alliance is groundbreaking in our industry and we expect it will produce innovative solutions meeting transportation and logistics needs. This is an exciting time for our organization and those we serve, as we launch this initiative alongside Google.”

J.B. Hunt 360 digitally connects shipments and available capacity within a mobile app accessible by both the App Store and Google Play. Users can install the app on their own device instead of purchasing an additional one, unlike Webfleet’s model. 

Using Google Data Cloud’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), J.B. Hunt can better predict outcomes, thus making more informed decisions for its users. The collaboration plans to develop even more services to change the digital game for shippers, carriers, and service providers.

The plan

This project will have three focal points. First, the duo will create enhanced levels of visibility into the supply chain. This is a more prevalent demand now than ever. Those in and using the industry expect to be able to see their freight in real-time.

Second, they will build reliable, repeatable, and extendable workflows. This is achievable by optimizing solutions in real-time and offering predictive analytics for shippers, carriers and other service providers. Machine learning models will aide in the ease of this.

Finally, the two companies are creating a plan to bring together each of their strengths to develop continuous improvement via entirely new technology. J.B. Hunt can now create a secure, scalable, and cost-effective data warehouse to support the J.B. Hunt 360 marketplace.

“The transportation and logistics industry is fundamental to the health and security of the global economy,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. “Our partnership with J.B. Hunt creates a unique opportunity to transform the shipping and logistics experience through the use of AI, ML, and other technologies to help businesses—and the logistics industry as a whole—innovate for the future.”

Reagan Payne is a staff writer for Wright Media. She can be reached at rpayne@wrightmediacorp.com.

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