Cox Automotive says its Central Dispatch suite affords clients ‘significant efficiencies.’
Cox Automotive/Central Dispatch
Cox Automotive’s logistics brand, Central Dispatch, is debuting new capabilities, including an artificial intelligence-powered pricing tool; application programming interface for pricing insights; enterprise data file; and market report. Fueled by transportation marketplace data, the Market Intelligence offerings give dealers, transportation brokers and carriers actionable insights that can help move their businesses forward. The enhancements are a part of a multiyear transformation Central Dispatch began last year fueled by a more than $100 million investment by Cox Automotive.
“As we kick off the second year of Central Dispatch’s transformation, we’re turning our extensive data into unparalleled tools and insights for the auto logistics industry,” said head of Central Dispatch Lainey Sibble. “Our new Market Intelligence solutions give clients numerous ways to access the information they need to make more informed decisions—with the goals of maximizing their transportation speed and increasing their profitability.”
Central Dispatch’s Suite
- AI-Driven Pricing Tool: Combining Cox Automotive’s capabilities in AI with Central Dispatch’s first-party data, the new Price Check Plus actually predicts the price at which a vehicle will likely move—and gives clients additional insights that can help them make more confident decisions. Based on millions of real transactions, Price Check Plus is able to give shippers, carriers and brokers the information they need to price vehicle moves more efficiently and profitably.
- Market Intelligence API: The new API enables clients to integrate Central Dispatch’s pricing insights directly into their own systems, maintaining a seamless workflow while benefiting from the suite of data-driven insights.
- Enterprise Data File: Select Enterprise clients can inquire about directly receiving the anonymized, aggregated Market Intelligence data on a monthly basis for their in-house data scientists to analyze.
- Market Intelligence Report: The data-driven report highlights key logistics trends and their real-world impacts. Currently focused on pricing and distance, the report is designed to become the go-to resource for the transportation industry, with additional metrics being added in the first quarter of this year.
The enhancements closely follow a big year for Central Dispatch—and the industry. On its journey to transform the vehicle transportation experience, Central Dispatch enabled clients to execute the entire transaction—from listing or dispatch to delivery—in one centralized, easy-to-use platform. The streamlined experience brought efficiencies to clients of all sizes in 2024:
- Central Dispatch facilitated more than 14 million vehicle moves.
- Private Marketplaces were used by Enterprise clients to move more than 1.6 million vehicles.
- The all-new carrier application, launched in August, has already been used to generate over two million electronic bills of lading.
What’s on the Horizon
In addition to the recently released Real Time Tracking feature, clients have more to look forward to in 2025, like all-new API integrations, payment facilitation capabilities, self-dispatching functionality, enhanced Transactional Ratings, an expanded mobile app experience and more—all designed to help them operate more efficiently and profitably.
“As the largest logistics marketplace, Central Dispatch has been a leader in moving the industry from fragmentation to integration,” added Joe Kichler, senior vice president, Digital and Supply Chain, at Cox Automotive. “We can’t wait to show what this next stage—optimization—looks like as we leverage the power of our data, technology and AI to give clients even more control over their supply chain and drive greater results for their businesses.”
