• Loadsmart, an online freight matching company, has acquired Kamion, an Illinois-based intelligent trucking management system, and Opendock, an Arizona-based developer of warehouse dock scheduling software, for an undisclosed amount.

• The acquired businesses will complement Loadsmart’s offering by increasing efficiency, transparency, and automation when connecting shippers, carriers, and warehouses via its platform.

• Kamion will provide intelligent dispatching, driver management, general accounting, and integrations with QuickBooks and electronic logging devices (ELD) — increasing carrier efficiency and lowering empty miles traveled.

• Opendock will provide appointment scheduling to bring down wait times, empty miles traveled, and inefficiencies in backhauls by matching inbound and outbound capacities at warehouses, and by adjusting dock appointments in real-time in line with drivers' estimated time of arrival. Opendock currently serves 2,000+ warehouses across the US and reports 600,000+ appointment schedulings per month.

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: Several other players in the online freight platforms segment can be seen following a similar inorganic growth strategy recently. In fact, the news comes four months after incumbent Uber’s freight matching solution, Uber Freight announced the acquisition of shipping software company Transplace. Meanwhile, Loadsmart’s peer supply chain visibility solutions provider project44 acquired ClearMetal, a provider of international supply chain visibility and predictive analytics for enterprises, in May , and Convey, a last-mile delivery tech company in September, to complement its business.</ul>