FourKites, Inc., a provider of freight tracking technology, recently introduced FourKites CarrierLink, a free mobile app and tracking service for small to mid-size brokers.

Once freight brokers sign up for the app through the company’s website, FourKites begins to notify drivers of load assignments and starts tracking the load every 15 minutes until it is delivered.

FourKites is a cross-platform tracking service that aggregates data from major fleet technology providers like Omnitracs, PeopleNet, and 30 others serving the trucking industry. Delivering high-frequency tracking updates, FourKites CarrierLink is free for brokers to track up to 2,500 truckloads a month.

FourKites is committed to keeping this service free forever for any broker tracking 2,500 or fewer loads per month, the company said, in a statement. Beyond 2,500 truckloads per month, per-load charges apply.

“We’re offering a top-of-the-line and robust software program for free to encourage the greatest number of users to experience FourKites’ innovative platform,” said Matt Elenjickal, the Chicago-based company’s CEO. “Empowering small brokers with tracking and logistics tools normally only afforded by large firms is going to allow the entire industry to become more competitive.”

FourKites CarrierLink offers several operational benefits to freight brokers, including geo-fencing and automatic alerts that let brokers know critical updates, such as when a load is within five miles of a delivery point. This real-time information enables brokers to better service customers by, for example, allowing time to gather an unloading crew to meet the truck and shortening the carrier’s wait time.

“If you’re a broker paying anything at all for load tracking using a driver’s smartphone, you’re paying too much,” said Elenjickal.

For now, FourKites CarrierLink is available for Android smartphones only. An app for Apple iPhones is in the works.