November 2000

A continental-based freight matching operator, EuroDAT Services, has launched itself on the UK market. It is active already in Benelux, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and Hungary, and claims to have around 650 user-companies so far, with greatest numbers being concentrated in France, Germany and Poland in that order. French international freight giant Giraud is said to be among users.

Unusually, EuroDAT attaches importance to voice contact, and runs a multinational call centre at its headquarters in Brussels. It allows truck capacity to be posted by voice, fax and email as well as online. A range of options is available, including periodical bulletins of available freight, which are downloaded to users automatically during the day; and direct online searches according to user-defined criteria. There is also provision to set up closed user-groups exchanging freight among themselves ­ with the option for unmatched freight to be offered on the open market after a predefined period. Users pay a simple subscription fee of around £45 a month to participate; there are no transaction fees. The EuroDAT Private service incurs no extra cost, providing all participating companies take out standard membership. Use of the call centre raises the subscription to £60. EuroDAT is controlled by the rather more wide-ranging DAT Services, which claims to be the US's number one freight matching service.