Transport brokerage system and method for providing freight transport brokerage service using the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a freight transport brokerage system and a method for providing a freight transport brokerage service using the same. Specifically, the present invention relates to a freight transport brokerage system and a method for providing a freight transport brokerage service, which can mediate and match freight transport orders of freight owners and truck owners, propose optimal ranges of freight charges calculated based on an artificial intelligence algorithm, and monitor the truck owners' location information after the freight transport orders have been matched.

Description

TRANSPORT BROKERAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING FREIGHT TRANSPORT BROKERAGE SERVICE USING THE SAME

[0001] The present invention relates to a freight transport brokerage system and a method for providing a freight transport brokerage service using the same. Specifically, the present invention relates to a freight transport brokerage system and a method for providing a freight transport brokerage service, which can mediate and match freight transport orders of freight owners and truck owners, propose optimal ranges of freight charges calculated based on an artificial intelligence algorithm, and allow the monitoring of the truck owners' location information after the freight transport orders have been matched.

[0002] As the demand for freight transport has surged, the number of transport operators (those using freight trucks) has also significantly increased. In this environment, freight transport brokerage platform services that mediate the freight transport between freight owners and truck owners have been provided, but so far, the brokerage services are still at a basic level, merely listing freight transport jobs for truck owners to view and select them. In particular, the existing freight transport brokerage platform services fail to offer truck owners a reasonable level of pricing, often resulting in truck owners having to take on transport jobs at inaccurate freight charges. This can ultimately lead to excessive price competition, and in this case, if truck owners offer low freight charges, the truck owners' income decreases, while the freight owners' costs are reduced, resulting in a mismatch of fair freight charges.

[0003] The present invention has been made to address these problems and to provide a freight transport brokerage system, which aims to set a reasonable level of freight charges for both freight owners and truck owners, and also to allow the monitoring of the entire freight transport process, enabling real-time tracking of the transport situation and responding to any issues that may arise. Moreover, the present invention has been made not only to address the aforementioned technical problems but also to provide additional technical elements that could not be easily invented by those skilled in the art.

[0004] Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide convenience to users, especially freight owners, to establish budgets or plans for freight transport by proposing an optimal range of freight charges calculated by an artificial intelligence algorithm for received freight transport jobs and to lower overall logistics costs by significantly reducing brokerage fees incurred throughout the entire freight transport process.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to enhance transport efficiency by allowing the monitoring of the freight transport process in real time and allowing truck owners to manage the freight transport along optimal transport routes and to further increase service stability by enabling a quick response to any unusual situation that may arise during the freight transport process.

[0006] Meanwhile, the technical problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0007] To accomplish the above objects of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing a freight transport brokerage service by a freight transport brokerage system according to the present invention may comprise the steps of: receiving a transport order registration request from a freight owner's terminal; calculating a range of freight charges for a transport order; and transmitting a transport order registration response for the transport order registration request to the freight owner's terminal.

[0008] Moreover, the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may further comprise, after the step of calculating the range of freight charges for a transport order, the step of providing the calculated range of freight charges to the freight owner's terminal, wherein the range of freight charges provided and displayed on the freight owner's terminal may include a minimum freight charge or a maximum freight charge.

[0009] Furthermore, in the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service, the range of freight charges provided and displayed on the freight owner's terminal may further include the probability that the minimum freight charge is the minimum freight charge or the probability that the maximum freight charge is the maximum freight charge.

[0010] In addition, the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may further comprise the steps of: receiving a transport order matching request from a truck owner's terminal; updating a matching acceptance waiting list by referring to information in the transport order matching request; transmitting a matching acceptance request to a specific freight owner's terminal; receiving a matching acceptance response from the specific freight owner's terminal; and transmitting a transport order matching response to the truck owner's terminal.

[0011] Additionally, the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may further comprise, prior to the step of receiving a transport order matching request from the truck owner's terminal, the step of transmitting a transport list including a plurality of matchable transport orders to the truck owner's terminal; wherein a freight charge corresponding to each transport order may be displayed together in the transport list.

[0012] Moreover, in the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service, the transport order matching request may include a first transport route corresponding to the transport order.

[0013] Furthermore, the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may further comprise, prior to the step of receiving a transport order matching request from the truck owner's terminal, the steps of: receiving a preferred route request from the truck owner's terminal; and transmitting a preferred route response in response to the preferred route request to the truck owner's terminal.

[0014] In addition, in the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service, the preferred route request may include at least one piece of preferred route information selected from at least one administrative district, a route including a first point and a second point, and at least one road name.

[0015] Additionally, in the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service, the preferred route response may include route evaluation information on the preferred route information included in the preferred route request, and the route evaluation information may include at least one piece of information selected from a preferred route setting rate, a congestion rate, a transport efficiency, a transport time, and a transport cost.

[0016] Moreover, the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may further comprise the steps of: receiving a transport start request from the truck owner's terminal; updating transport status information by referring to information in the transport start request; transmitting a transport start response to the truck owner's terminal; and periodically receiving location information from the truck owner's terminal.

[0017] Furthermore, the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may further comprise, after the step of periodically receiving location information from the truck owner's terminal, the step of determining a second transport route by executing a route adjustment operation.

[0018] In addition, in the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service, the execution of the route adjustment operation may comprise the step of determining the second transport route by assigning a weight or penalty with reference to at least one route selection factor.

[0019] Additionally, the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may further comprise the steps of: receiving a transport control request from the freight owner's terminal; and transmitting location information of the truck owner's terminal to the freight owner's terminal.

[0020] Besides, the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may further comprise the steps of: receiving a transport completion confirmation request from the truck owner's terminal; transmitting a transport completion confirmation response to the truck owner's terminal; calculating a final freight charge for a completed transport order; and paying the calculated final freight charge to the truck owner's account corresponding to the truck owner's terminal.

[0021] To accomplish the above objects of the present invention, there is provided a freight transport brokerage system comprising a central processing unit and a memory, wherein the memory may store instructions for executing a method for providing a freight transport brokerage service, and wherein the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may comprise the steps of: receiving a transport order registration request from a freight owner's terminal; calculating a range of freight charges for a transport order; and transmitting a transport order registration response for the transport order registration request to the freight owner's terminal.

[0022] Moreover, in the freight transport brokerage system, the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may further comprise, after the step of calculating the range of freight charges for a transport order, the step of providing the calculated range of freight charges to the freight owner's terminal, wherein the range of freight charges provided and displayed on the freight owner's terminal may include a minimum freight charge or a maximum freight charge.

[0023] Furthermore, in the freight transport brokerage system, the range of freight charges provided and displayed on the freight owner's terminal may further include the probability that the minimum freight charge is the minimum freight charge or the probability that the maximum freight charge is the maximum freight charge.

[0024] In addition, in the freight transport brokerage system, the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service may further comprise the steps of: receiving a transport order matching request from a truck owner's terminal; updating a matching acceptance waiting list by referring to information in the transport order matching request; transmitting a matching acceptance request to a specific freight owner's terminal; receiving a matching acceptance response from the specific freight owner's terminal; and transmitting a transport order matching response to the truck owner's terminal.

[0025] According to the present invention, it is possible to propose an optimal range of freight charges calculated based on an artificial intelligence algorithm to users, thereby enhancing the users' trust in the service and lowering overall logistics costs compared to conventional methods.

[0026] Moreover, according to the present invention, it is possible to allow the freight owner to monitor the truck owner's transport status, thereby enabling to determine whether the freight transport is proceeding correctly and transparently managing the entire freight transport process.

[0027] Meanwhile, the effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the role of a transport brokerage system according to the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a transport brokerage method according to an embodiment of the present invention in a sequential order.

[0030] FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed implementation of the transport brokerage system according to the present invention.

[0031] FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate examples of the calculation of a range of freight charges.

[0032] FIG. 6 illustrates the process where a transport brokerage system matches transport orders between a truck owner's terminal and a freight owner's terminal.

[0033] FIG. 7 illustrates the process of transmission and reception between the transport brokerage system, the truck owner's terminal, and the freight owner's terminal during the execution of the transport order following the matching.

[0034] Details regarding the objects and technical features of the present invention and the resulting effects will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description based on the drawings attached to the specification of the present invention. Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] The embodiments disclosed in this specification should not be construed or used to limit the scope of the present invention. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the description, including the embodiments, of this specification has various applications. Therefore, any embodiments described in the detailed description of the present invention are illustrative to better illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to these embodiments.

[0036] The functional blocks shown in the drawings and described below are only examples of possible implementations. In other implementations, different functional blocks may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the detailed description. Moreover, although one or more functional blocks of the present invention are shown as individual blocks, one or more of the functional blocks of the present invention may be a combination of various hardware and software components that perform the same functions.

[0037] Furthermore, the term "comprising" certain components, which is an "open-ended" term, simply refers to the presence of the corresponding components and should not be understood as excluding the presence of additional components.

[0038] In addition, if a specific component is referred to as being "connected to" or "coupled with" another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or coupled to another other component, but there may be other components therebetween.

[0039] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating how a freight transport brokerage service is provided by a transport brokerage system according to the present invention. Referring to the drawing, the transport brokerage system 200 primarily serves to match transport orders between a freight owner 10 and a truck owner 30; however, it is aimed at reducing transaction steps and costs that were unnecessary in conventional transport brokerage services, and in particular, and it is aimed at proposing an optimal range of freight charges, which is a critical consideration for both the freight owner and the truck owner when matching transport orders, allowing all users to access logistics services at reasonable costs.

[0040] Before providing a detailed description of the present invention, the components necessary for implementing the freight transport brokerage service according to the present invention will be first discussed. To implement the freight transport brokerage service, the following components may be required: a freight owner's terminal 100, a transport brokerage system 200, and a truck owner's terminal 300. In FIG. 1, for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the service, a freight owner 10 is shown instead of the freight owner's terminal and a freight vehicle is shown instead of the truck owner's terminal. However, given that the freight transport brokerage service is essentially based on data transmission and reception technology between a server and terminals over a communication network, it can be seen that the essential components are, in fact, the freight owner's terminal 100, the transport brokerage system 200, and the truck owner's terminal 300.

[0041] The freight owner's terminal 100 is a terminal that is used by a freight owner who wishes to match with a truck owner by registering a transport order in the transport brokerage system 200, and there are no restrictions on the type of terminal as long as it allows the freight owner to communicate with the transport brokerage system 200 or the truck owner's terminal 300 through a network. For example, the freight owner's terminal 100 may be a smart phone, tablet, laptop computer, desktop computer, etc. used by the freight owner. In this detailed description, for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the invention, it is assumed that the freight owner's terminal 100 is a portable terminal such as a smart phone.

[0042] The transport brokerage system 200 is the hardware that substantially provides the freight transport brokerage service according to the present invention. The transport brokerage system 200 may be implemented as a single server computer, but preferably, it may consist of a plurality of server computers organically connected through a network. As will be described later, the transport brokerage system 200 may comprise an API server 210 (see FIG. 3) that directly transmits and receives data to and from the freight owner's terminal 100 or the truck owner's terminal 300, and a pricing server 220 for calculating freight charges. Additionally, it may further comprise a location correction server or a database for storing information necessary for providing the freight transport brokerage service. The server computer necessary for implementing the transport brokerage system 200 may be a server computer managed by a specific operator or may be in the form of a cloud server provided by another company, i.e., a cloud server that the system operator can use by membership registration. Meanwhile, the server computer may comprise a central processing unit and a memory, and in this case, the central processing unit can also be referred to as a controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, microcomputer, etc. Moreover, the central processing unit can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. When it is implemented using hardware, it can take the form of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a digital signal processing device (DSPD), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and when it is implemented using firmware or software, the firmware or software can be configured to include modules, procedures, or functions that perform the above-mentioned functions or operations. Moreover, the memory can be implemented using a memory such as a Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory, Static RAM (SRAM), Hard Disk Drive (HDD), or Solid State Drive (SSD).

[0043] The truck owner's terminal 300 may be a terminal that can be carried by the truck owner or a terminal that is installed in a vehicle (e.g., a freight vehicle), and there are no restrictions on the type of terminal as long as it also includes a central processing unit and a memory to transmit and receive data to and from other server computers or the freight owner's terminal 100 through a network.

[0044] FIG. 2 illustrates the process where the freight owner's terminal 100 registers a transport order in the transport brokerage system 200 as well as the process of calculating a range of freight charges, specifically for the freight transport brokerage service according to the present invention.

[0045] The freight owner who wishes to transport freight may register a transport order using the freight owner's terminal 100. The process may start from step S101, where the freight owner's terminal 100 requests the registration of a transport order from the transport brokerage system 200. In the step of requesting the registration of a transport order, a variety of information related to the transport may be transmitted together. For example, the freight owner may enter information through the freight owner's terminal 100, such as freight details including the type, weight, material or quantity of freight, loading location information including the loading location's address, name, contact person, contact details, or special notes, unloading location information including the unloading location's address, name, contact person, contact details, or special notes, vehicle information including the type, number or tonnage of vehicles required for the freight transport, loading and unloading method details including precautions for loading and unloading or loading and unloading methods, and time information including loading and unloading dates and times. These details may be transmitted to the transport brokerage system 200 upon the transport order registration request. If necessary, at least some of the information can be stored as frequently used data in the freight owner's terminal 100, more precisely, in a memory accessible through a dedicated application installed on the freight owner's terminal 100. This allows the freight owner to automatically retrieve and enter the frequently used data without having to re-enter the data every time upon the transport order registration request.

[0046] After step S101, the transport brokerage system 200 may calculate the range of freight charges based on the information received from the freight owner's terminal 100 (S103). The term "range of freight charges" refers to the range from the lowest to the highest freight costs that the freight owner will pay when the freight transport service is provided according to the transport order. Unlike the conventional transport brokerage system that only proposes a price determined unilaterally by the brokerage service operator or the truck owner, rather than a price calculated on an objective basis, the present invention is distinguished in that it provides a range of costs that the freight owner can pay, thereby enhancing the convenience of using the service for the freight owner.

[0047] During the process of calculating the range of freight charges, or in the step prior to calculating the range of freight charges, the transport brokerage system 200 may determine a route from the loading location to the unloading location. In this case, the route may be determined by considering factors such as real-time traffic conditions, distance, or vehicle accessibility. Moreover, given that the present invention provides a service related to the transport of relatively large freight, it is necessary to further take into account the ease of vehicle operation. For example, the route should be determined so as to minimize the number of U-turns and, where possible, ensure that direction changes are made only through right turns rather than left turns. In other words, given that large freight trucks make up the majority of vehicles required for the operation of this service, the transport brokerage system 200 may be implemented to determine a route in a way that maximizes the truck owner's convenience as much as possible. Specifically, the system may be implemented to determine a route by placing a weight on a section where the transport is possible and a section where the transport is relatively easier in view of the road width and the vehicle's turning radius.

[0048] FIG. 3 illustrates how step S103 is executed by detailed components included within the transport brokerage system 200. As briefly mentioned above, FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the transport brokerage system 200 consisting of an API server 210, a pricing server 220, and a database 230. Referring to FIG. 3, step S103 may comprise the following steps: a step (S1031) in which the API server 210 first requests a range of freight charges from the pricing server 220; a step (S1032) in which the pricing server 220 performs the calculation of the range of freight charges; a step (S1033) in which the pricing server 220 transmits a range of freight charges response to the API server 210 after the calculation of the range of freight charges; and a step (S1034) in which the API server 210 updates and records a transport order received from the freight owner's terminal 100 in the database 230.

[0049] FIG. 4 illustrates actual examples of a range of freight charges calculated by the transport brokerage system 200 or the pricing server 220. Referring to FIG. 4(a), a table format showing the range of freight charges, including a minimum freight charge (KRW 241,709), an optimal freight charge (KRW 253,130), and a maximum freight charge (KRW 289,683), may be displayed on the freight owner's terminal 100, and in addition, the probability (9.30%) that the cost required for the corresponding transport order is the minimum freight charge and the probability (8.70%) that the cost is the maximum freight charge may also be displayed. Moreover, as in FIG. 4(b), the optimal freight charge may simply be displayed as a price range. Furthermore, although not shown separately in the drawing, the minimum freight charge, the optimal freight charge, and the maximum freight charge may also be displayed on the freight owner's terminal 100 in a bar chart format, allowing the freight owner to intuitively understand the range of freight charges.

[0050] For the step of calculating the range of freight charges, the transport brokerage system 200 according to the present invention may use a freight cost calculation algorithm. Specifically, the transport brokerage system 200 may use a freight charge range calculation algorithm implemented in a model that can calculate and provide both minimum and maximum freight charges to ensure flexibility during the operation of the freight transport brokerage service. In this case, the freight charge range calculation algorithm may be implemented to predict values such as maximum, minimum, and median based on quantile values in the distribution interval based on the error rate between a predicted single freight charge and an actual freight charge. Ultimately, by calculating the range of freight charges so that the values predicted by the algorithm are included within a continuous interval, the expected freight costs can be provided to the freight owner as a range. FIG. 5 shows the error rate between a predicted single freight charge and an actual freight charge represented as a normal distribution, from which it can be seen that, given this normal distribution, the minimum freight charge, the maximum freight charge, and the optimal freight charge can be determined based on the pre-established quantile values.

[0051] Meanwhile, referring back to the description of FIG. 2, after the transport brokerage system 200 has calculated the range of freight charges, the transport brokerage system 200 may transmit a transport order registration response to the freight owner's terminal 100 (S105). This step can be understood as the process where the transport brokerage system 200 responds to the transport order registration request made by the freight owner's terminal 100. For example, the transport brokerage system 200 may display a message such as "The transport order has been successively registered" on a dedicated application installed on the freight owner's terminal 100, thereby notifying the freight owner that the transport order has been registered.

[0052] On the other hand, instead of merely providing the calculated range of freight charges to the freight owner's terminal 100, the transport brokerage system 200 may also provide an adjustment interface (S107), through which the range of freight charges can be adjusted, to the freight owner's terminal 100 side, thereby allowing the freight owner to directly adjust the range of freight charges (S109). The range of freight charges calculated in step S103 is produced by the transport brokerage system 200 using a freight charge range calculation algorithm and can be considered quite accurate and fair. However, in some cases, this range of freight charges may not be satisfactory to the freight owner. To address such cases, the transport brokerage system 200 may provide an adjustment interface to the freight owner's terminal 100, allowing the freight owner to determine a desired range of freight charges directly. The adjustment interface may, for example, display a marker that can be slid by the freight owner, and the freight owner may adjust the range of freight charges by sliding the marker to a desired range of freight charges. At this time, the adjustment interface may have a predefined adjustable range, and this adjustable range can be limited, for example, so that the maximum freight charge within the initially calculated range of freight charges can be adjusted up to +10%, and the minimum freight charge can be adjusted up to -10%. Using such an adjustment interface, the freight owner can choose to pay a slightly higher freight cost to achieve a matching with a truck owner. Conversely, if the freight owner can opt to stick with a lower freight cost even it takes a bit longer for matching.

[0053] The process where the freight owner registers a transport order through the freight owner's terminal 100 and the process of calculating a range of freight charges have been discussed with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

[0054] FIG. 6 illustrates the process where the truck owner requests a transport order matching through the truck owner's terminal 300 and the process where the transport brokerage system 200 matches transport orders between the truck owner and the freight owner, specifically for the freight transport brokerage service according to the present invention.

[0055] Referring to the drawing, the process of requesting a transport order matching may start from step S201, where the truck owner requests a preferred route from the transport brokerage system 200 through the truck owner's terminal 300, and the transport brokerage system 200 may transmit a preferred route response (S202) to the truck owner's terminal 300 in response to the request. The term "preferred route" refers to a route section that the truck owner prefers among the routes that he or she can travel. The preferred route request may include information on administrative districts, route sections including first and second points, or road name information. Specifically, the preferred route request may include administrative district names such as "Gangnam-gu, Seoul" or "Seo-gu, Incheon". Alternatively, it may include route sections with specific points such as from "CJ Yangji Logistics Center" to "CJ Daejeon Branch". It may also include road name information such as "Dongtan Ring Road" and "Teheran-ro". By requesting multiple preferred routes in advance from the transport brokerage system 200, the truck owner can enhance the likelihood of matching transport orders that pass through the preferred routes when a transport order matching is subsequently performed.

[0056] Meanwhile, although not specifically illustrated in the drawing, when there is a request for a preferred route from the truck owner's terminal 300, the transport brokerage system 200 may generate and provide route evaluation information on the preferred route to the truck owner's terminal 300, either simultaneously with transmitting the preferred route response (S202) or in a step separate from step S202. The term "route evaluation information" may refer to the feedback information that the transport brokerage system 200 has generated based on its own evaluation on the routes selected as preferred routes by the truck owners, and this information may include a preferred route setting rate indicating how many other truck owners have set the same route as the preferred route, a congestion rate indicating how much congestion occurs in the preferred route set by truck owners, a transport efficiency calculated from all transport orders already processed (i.e., the ratio of the actual transport cost to the transport cost received by the truck owner), a transport time, or an actual transport cost. The transport brokerage system 200 may generate and provide such route evaluation information on the preferred routes, for which the truck owners have requested registration, to the truck owners, thereby encouraging the truck owners to avoid setting duplicate preferred routes as much as possible.

[0057] Meanwhile, step S203 where the truck owner's terminal 300 requests a transport order matching from the transport brokerage system 200 may be executed thereafter, and the transport brokerage system 200 may receive this request and update a matching acceptance waiting list (S204). Step S203 of requesting a transport order matching may be carried out by the truck owner pressing a button called "Matching Request" on the dedicated application installed on the truck owner's terminal, or by the truck owner selecting one of multiple transport order lists provided on the truck owner's terminal 300 through touch input. In the former case, the truck owner may make a matching request by pressing a button without having to check what transport orders exist, while in the latter case, the truck owner may proceed with transport order matching while being aware of the information for each transport order. Moreover, in the latter case, the transport order list provided to the truck owner's terminal 300 may only include transport orders selected by a recommendation algorithm already integrated in the transport brokerage system 200.

[0058] For reference, although not depicted in the drawing, after step S203, information on the transport order to be matched may be displayed on the truck owner's terminal 300. This information may include at least details about the freight of the transport order, the expected transport route, and the transport cost. The freight owner may review this information and then decide whether to proceed with the matching or skip it and look for another transport order.

[0059] Meanwhile, prior to the step where the truck owner requests a transport order matching, there may be an additional step where the truck owner shares his or her personal information, vehicle information owned by the truck owner, etc., in advance with the transport brokerage system 200 through a procedure such as membership registration, and such information can be utilized when a transport order matching request is made in step S203.

[0060] After step S204, step S205 may be performed wherein the transport brokerage system 200 requests a matching acceptance from the freight owner's terminal 100, that is, the freight owner who has placed the transport order to be matched with the truck owner. In order for the truck owner's terminal 300 to actually receive the transport order that was recommended to the truck owner or the transport order that was selected by the truck owner, a final approval from the freight owner is required, and this step S205 can also be understood as the step of obtaining the freight owner's consent before matching the transport order.

[0061] After step S205, the transport brokerage system 200 may receive a matching acceptance response (S206) from the freight owner's terminal, and accordingly, the system may update the list from a pending matching acceptance state to a completed matching acceptance state (S207). Moreover, the transport brokerage system 200 may notify both the freight owner (through a matching completion response (S208)) and the truck owner (through a transport order matching response (S209)) that the transport order matching has been successfully completed.

[0062] FIG. 7 illustrates the processes that occur after the start of the truck owner's freight transport, specifically for the freight transport brokerage service according to the present invention.

[0063] Referring to the drawing, after the transport order matching has been completed, the truck owner's terminal 300 may request the start of transport (S301) from the transport brokerage system 200, and the transport brokerage system 200 may internally update the transport status (S302) and then transmit a transport start response (S303) to the truck owner's 300. Steps S301 to S303 can be understood as a type of notification process where the truck owner reports the start of freight transport according to the transport order through the truck owner's terminal 300. Step S301 may be carried out by the truck owner directly pressing the "Start Transport" button on the dedicated application; however, in one embodiment, this step may be implemented on the assumption that there is automatically a transport start request when the transport brokerage system 200 receives shared information from the truck owner's terminal 300 about the history of the vehicle waiting at the loading location and the history of the vehicle departing toward the unloading location.

[0064] Meanwhile, the truck owner's terminal 300 may provide its location information to the transport brokerage system 200 in real time during the freight transport (S304), and the transport brokerage system 200 may then share the location information provided in this manner with the freight owner's terminal 100, thereby allowing the freight owner to easily track how his or her freight is being transported and the route it is following.

[0065] On the other hand, after receiving the location information from the truck owner's terminal 300, the transport brokerage system 200 may also perform a route adjustment operation (S305) based on this information. The route adjustment operation may be executed in a situation where severe traffic congestion is expected due to an unexpected traffic accident occurring on the existing route, in a situation where there is a need to pass through a specific point at the request of a freight owner, or in any other situations where there is a need to modify the route. The route adjustment operation (S305) may be automatically executed by the transport brokerage system 200 as needed, or may be executed in response to a route adjustment request from the freight owner's terminal 100. In the former case, if there is a need to modify the route, the transport brokerage system 200 may notify the freight owner's terminal 100 of the modified route and the expected modified freight charge based on the new route (S306). The system may then direct the truck owner's terminal 300 to transport freight along the modified route only after receiving an approval (S307) from the freight owner's terminal 100.

[0066] On the other hand, during the route adjustment operation (S305) performed by the transport brokerage system 200, various route selection factors can be referenced to determine an optimal route. For example, factors such as i) road width and design speed, ii) number of traffic lights, iii) road surface conditions, and / or iv) restrictions on right turns may be referenced during the route adjustment operation.

[0067] Regarding the factor of i) road width and design speed, when determining a freight transport route, the transport brokerage system 200 may assign a relatively higher weight to a route with a wider road width and a higher road design speed, thereby ensuring that, under the same conditions, the freight transport is made along the route that facilitates the vehicle's transport. For example, for a route with a design speed of 100 km / h or more and a road width of 3.5 meters or more in an urban area, the transport brokerage system 200 can increase the likelihood of recommendation (or the likelihood of selection) of the route including the corresponding road by assigning an additional weight of 80% compared to the default value to that route. Conversely, for a route with a design speed of 50 km / h or less or with a road width of 3 meters or less regardless of area, it is possible to increase the likelihood that such a route including the corresponding road will be excluded from recommendations by assigning a -5% penalty compared to the default value.

[0068] Regarding the factor of ii) number of traffic lights, the transport brokerage system 200 may be implemented to assign different weights based on the number of traffic lights present within the length of any candidate route. More precisely, the fewer the number of traffic lights, the higher the weight value is given, thereby increasing the likelihood of recommending the candidate route. For example, if a candidate route has 5 or fewer traffic lights within 1 km, it can be given an additional 70% weight compared to the default value. Conversely, if there are more than 7 traffic lights within 1 km, only a 50% weight can be assigned. On the other hand, if there are 30 or fewer traffic lights within a 5 km radius of a given point on the map, a -30% penalty can be assigned; otherwise, if there are 50 or more traffic lights within the same radius, a -5% penalty can be applied, thereby either increasing the likelihood of recommending the route passing through the corresponding area or allowing to avoid a route passing through the corresponding area. In this way, the transport brokerage system 200 may assign a weight or penalty based on not only the number of traffic lights on a candidate route, but also the number of traffic lights within a certain area through which the candidate route passes, and use such as a weight or penalty as a criterion for determining an optimal route.

[0069] Regarding the factor of iii) road surface conditions, the transport brokerage system 200 may reflect the road surface conditions (such as dryness, wetness, humidity, etc.) according to the weather conditions of the road or the physical damage states of the road surface (such as potholes, cracks, damages, plastic deformations, subsidence, manhole damages, etc.) so that the routes with poor road surface conditions or damage states are not included in the recommended routes. The road surface conditions or damage states can be identified from multiple detection means (e.g., road surface imaging means, road surface condition detection means, etc.), which can be mounted on vehicles and connected to the transport brokerage system 200 through a network, and the transport brokerage system 200 may utilize data on the road surface conditions and damage states collected from multiple detection means mounted on the vehicles to exclude the routes with poor conditions from the recommended routes. Meanwhile, the transport brokerage system 200 according to the present invention may be implemented so that even if the road surface conditions or damage states are not good, it can identify the conditions of each lane of the road and recommend a lane to drive in when using the road. If the conditions of each lane are identified in this way and utilized for the determination of the routes, the range of routes that can be utilized when determining an optimal route can be expanded.

[0070] Regarding the factor of iv) restrictions on right turns, the transport brokerage system 200 may reference the restrictions on right turns in areas designated as caution areas due to safety issues, including congested intersections, when determining a freight transport route. Preferably, the transport brokerage system 200 may determine a route so that right turns at designated locations (such as intersections in areas with high roads, intersections in child / elderly protection zones, etc.) can be minimized. Furthermore, given that the freight transport means is a large truck in the present invention, the transport brokerage system 200 may assign a penalty on a route that requires a right turn throughout the route when determining an optimal route, making the freight transport using a large truck safer.

[0071] Meanwhile, after the truck owner has completed the freight transport, the transport brokerage system 200 may receive a transport completion confirmation request from the truck owner's terminal 300, and in response, the transport brokerage system 200 may transmit a transport completion confirmation response to the truck owner's terminal 300. Thereafter, the transport brokerage system 200 may be implemented to calculate the final freight charge for the completed transport order and pay the calculated final freight charge to the truck owner's account corresponding to the truck owner's terminal 300.

[0072] As above, the transport brokerage system and the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service using the same according to the present invention has been discussed. Meanwhile, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and applications described above, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. These modified implementations should not be understood as being separate from the technical spirit or scope of the present invention.

[0073] 10: freight owner 30: truck owner 100: freight owner's terminal

[0074] 200: transport brokerage system 210: API server 220: pricing server

[0075] 230: database 240: location correction server

[0076] 300: truck owner's terminal

Claims

1.A method for providing a freight transport brokerage service by a freight transport brokerage system, the method comprising the steps of:receiving a transport order registration request from a freight owner's terminal;calculating a range of freight charges for a transport order; andtransmitting a transport order registration response for the transport order registration request to the freight owner's terminal.2.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 1, further comprising, after the step of calculating the range of freight charges for a transport order, the step of providing the calculated range of freight charges to the freight owner's terminal,wherein the range of freight charges provided and displayed on the freight owner's terminal includes a minimum freight charge or a maximum freight charge.3.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 2, wherein the range of freight charges provided and displayed on the freight owner's terminal further includes the probability that the minimum freight charge is the minimum freight charge or the probability that the maximum freight charge is the maximum freight charge.4.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:receiving a transport order matching request from a truck owner's terminal;updating a matching acceptance waiting list by referring to information in the transport order matching request;transmitting a matching acceptance request to a specific freight owner's terminal;receiving a matching acceptance response from the specific freight owner's terminal; andtransmitting a transport order matching response to the truck owner's terminal.5.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 4, further comprising, prior to the step of receiving a transport order matching request from the truck owner's terminal, the step of transmitting a transport list including a plurality of matchable transport orders to the truck owner's terminal,wherein a freight charge corresponding to each transport order is displayed together in the transport list.6.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 4, wherein the transport order matching request includes a first transport route corresponding to the transport order.7.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 4, further comprising, prior to the step of receiving a transport order matching request from the truck owner's terminal, the steps of:receiving a preferred route request from the truck owner's terminal; andtransmitting a preferred route response in response to the preferred route request to the truck owner's terminal.8.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 7, wherein the preferred route request includes at least one piece of preferred route information selected from at least one administrative district, a route including a first point and a second point, and at least one road name.9.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 7, wherein the preferred route response includes route evaluation information on the preferred route information included in the preferred route request, andwherein the route evaluation information includes at least one piece of information selected from a preferred route setting rate, a congestion rate, a transport efficiency, a transport time, and a transport cost.10.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:receiving a transport start request from the truck owner's terminal;updating transport status information by referring to information in the transport start request;transmitting a transport start response to the truck owner's terminal; andperiodically receiving location information from the truck owner's terminal.11.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 10, further comprising, after the step of periodically receiving location information from the truck owner's terminal, the step of determining a second transport route by executing a route adjustment operation.12.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 11, wherein the execution of the route adjustment operation comprises the step of determining the second transport route by assigning a weight or penalty with reference to at least one route selection factor.13.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:receiving a transport control request from the freight owner's terminal; andtransmitting location information of the truck owner's terminal to the freight owner's terminal.14.The method for providing a freight transport brokerage service according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:receiving a transport completion confirmation request from the truck owner's terminal;transmitting a transport completion confirmation response to the truck owner's terminal;calculating a final freight charge for a completed transport order; andpaying the calculated final freight charge to the truck owner's account corresponding to the truck owner's terminal.15.A freight transport brokerage system comprising a central processing unit and a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions for executing a method for providing a freight transport brokerage service, and wherein the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service comprises the steps of:receiving a transport order registration request from a freight owner's terminal;calculating a range of freight charges for a transport order; andtransmitting a transport order registration response for the transport order registration request to the freight owner's terminal.16.The freight transport brokerage system according to claim 15, wherein the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service further comprises, after the step of calculating the range of freight charges for a transport order, the step of providing the calculated range of freight charges to the freight owner's terminal,wherein the range of freight charges provided and displayed on the freight owner's terminal includes a minimum freight charge or a maximum freight charge.17.The freight transport brokerage system according to claim 16, wherein the range of freight charges provided and displayed on the freight owner's terminal further includes the probability that the minimum freight charge is the minimum freight charge or the probability that the maximum freight charge is the maximum freight charge.18.The freight transport brokerage system according to claim 15, wherein the method for providing a freight transport brokerage service further comprises the steps of:receiving a transport order matching request from a truck owner's terminal;updating a matching acceptance waiting list by referring to information in the transport order matching request;transmitting a matching acceptance request to a specific freight owner's terminal;receiving a matching acceptance response from the specific freight owner's terminal; andtransmitting a transport order matching response to the truck owner's terminal.

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