The increasing complexity of global supply chains has made automation necessary for freight-forwarding businesses. Legacy tools such as Excel just don’t cut. It’s prone to errors and unable to handle increasing complexity, making it ill-equipped for handling complex processes like rate procurement. Traditional freight-forwarding software lacks the sophistication required to match today’s need for constant access to updated, real-time data.
Unlike these legacy tools, modern freight forwarding software is equipped with instant rate procurement features, freight tracking , real-time data visibility , sophisticated analytics tools , and the ability to coordinate and manage data from multiple carriers. Ti-insights notes that the performance of digital forwarders matches the performance of incumbent forwarders against ten different criteria, including cost, speed of service and customer service/account management.Â
Thus, integrating the right freight forwarding software into your business has several benefits that increase operational efficiency and reduce costs. However, with the range of available freight forwarding software and its features, it is important to pick what suits your business’s needs and helps you achieve your goals.Â
‍‍Freight Forwarding Software to Manage All Your Rates, Quotes and Schedules in One Place
What is Freight Forwarding Software? Freight forwarding software is a digital solution designed to simplify and streamline the complex processes involved in managing logistics, transportation, and shipping . It automates tasks such as rate procurement, shipment tracking, and documentation, ensuring freight forwarders can handle operations more efficiently.
With real-time data and analytics, a freight forwarding software helps businesses make informed decisions, reduce human errors, and optimize their supply chain performance.
Freight forwarders, shippers, and logistics companies of all sizes use freight forwarding software to manage their day-to-day operations. For freight forwarders, it offers the ability to manage rates, track shipments, and improve customer service through automation. Shippers benefit from better visibility into their supply chain, ensuring that goods reach their destination on time. Logistics companies use it to optimize routes, reduce costs, and increase operational efficiency.
Whether you're a small freight forwarding business or a global logistics enterprise, adopting freight forwarding software can significantly enhance your capabilities. By automating manual tasks and providing real-time insights, it frees up valuable resources, allowing you to focus on growing your business.
Top 7 Freight Forwarding Software to Consider in 2024: Comparison Table
Software
Key Features
Strengths
G2 Rating
Ideal For
Freightify
Rate Procurement
Instant Quote Generation
Track & Trace
Customer Portal
API Integration
Best-in-class rate management system aggregating rates from 30+ carriers
End-to-end tracking for complete visibility
Customizable digital storefront to enhance customer experience
4.8/5
Freight forwarders seeking an all-in-one solution for rate management, quoting, and tracking
GoComet
Fleet Management
Load Planning
Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs)
Customer Management
Comprehensive fleet and load management
Efficient task management and collaboration across stakeholders
4.8/5
Companies looking for robust fleet and load management tools
Descartes Aljex
Workflow Automation
Mobile Access
Document Management
Accounting and Invoicing
Advanced analytics tools
Seamless integration with ERP and warehouse management systems
4.5/5
Businesses needing advanced analytics and ERP integration
Magaya
Warehouse Management
Order Management
Invoice Management
CRM
Rate Management System
Centralized inventory and carrier management
Strong reporting and order management features
4.5/5
Companies needing centralized inventory and carrier management
GoFreight
Finance Management
Vendor Management
Quotation & Booking Management
Integration Capabilities
Strong finance and vendor management
APIs for seamless integration with third-party systems
4.3/5
Freight forwarders requiring strong vendor and finance management
CargoWise
Global Trade Management
Real-time Visibility
Transportation Management
EDI & Integration
Predictive analytics for supply chain management
Comprehensive global trade and transportation management tools
4.3/5
Global logistics companies needing predictive analytics and compliance tools
Cargo Chief C4
Freight Brokerage
Load Optimization
Capacity Matching
Custom Transportation Solutions
Strategic carrier outreach
Data-driven decision-making
Effective capacity matching to minimize empty miles
4.5/5
Freight brokers and shippers looking to optimize load capacity and carrier relationships
Detailed Review of the 7 Best Freight Forwarding Software Freightify is a freight forwarding software designed to simplify and manage logistics operations. It offers a comprehensive Rate Management System (RMS) that consolidates SPOT, FCL, LCL, and AIR rates from 30+ ocean carriers and 90+ airlines into a single, user-friendly platform. Key features include instant quote generation, real-time tracking, and integration with other systems.
Freightify is built for freight forwarders and logistics professionals who need to manage complex shipping operations. It helps businesses efficiently compare rates, streamline booking processes, and provide real-time shipment visibility, making it easier to meet customer demands and manage operations smoothly.
Freightify stands out because it reduces manual tasks, improves decision-making, and ensures transparency throughout the shipping process. With its ability to automate key tasks like quoting and tracking, it saves time and reduces errors, helping freight forwarders operate more efficiently and stay competitive in the market.
Key Features 1. Rate procurement
Aggregates 30 live ocean carrier rates, 90+ airlines, and inland charges into a single view, encompassing SPOT, FCL, LCL, and AIR rates from various carriers and NVOCCs.
2. Rate management
Efficiently add rates individually or in bulk through agent inputs, automated uploads of rate sheets, ensuring detailed information like origin, destination, local charges, surcharges and cargo specifics are included. View rates in concise tables or exportable rate cards. Automate margin management with customizable rules across products, ports, and global operations.
3. API Integration
‍ API integrates with carrier websites, TMS systems, CRMs, to procure live rates and schedules, enable track-and-trace, access past customer information, automate workflows, etc.s
4. Instant quote generation
Quickly generate and customize quotes from search results, including fee adjustment and profit calculation, with the option to email directly or download as a document.
5. Track & trace
Experience comprehensive visibility with live end-to-end tracking, monitoring cargo from pickup to delivery. Leverage insights for prioritizing clients and maintaining relationships. Freightify's Analytics dashboard offers detailed insights on shipments, quotations, win ratios, and staff performance, enhancing operational efficiency and decision-making.
6. Customer Portal
A digital storefront that can be provided by freight forwarders to their customers. Freight forwarders can customise rates for each of the customers, and set customer specific margins. Their customers will have the flexibility to choose rates and raise requests for quotes. Helps freight forwarders have a global reach and connect without the need to have a physical office in that location.
Ratings G2: 4.8 out of 5 stars
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‍‍Instantly procure spot rates from 30+ LCL and FCL Carriers & NVOCCs
2. GoComet GoComet is a freight forwarding software that offers a suite of tools to streamline logistics operations. It includes GoProcure for comparing vendor quotes, GoPlan for end-to-end shipment planning, and GoTrack for real-time shipment tracking. Additional tools like GoShipment handle task management, while GoInvoice simplifies freight invoice reconciliation.
GoComet is designed for freight forwarders and logistics teams who need a comprehensive solution to manage quoting, shipment planning, tracking, and invoicing. It helps businesses enhance collaboration, improve task management, and streamline their overall shipping process.
GoComet simplifies complex logistics by automating key tasks like freight quotation, shipment planning, and tracking. With tools that improve collaboration and ensure accurate invoicing, GoComet enables freight forwarders to increase efficiency and reduce errors across their operations.
Key Features 1. Fleet management
‍ Increases fleet efficiency, tracks and manages vehicles through GPS, manages vehicle maintenance activities, and monitors performance. Provides tools for managing driver efficiency and communication.
2. Load planning
‍ Maximizes the efficiency of available space, minimizing transportation costs, and managing loading and unloading of cargo to make it hassle-free.
3. Electronic logging devices
‍ Uses ELDs to ensure that transport safety standards and compliance regulations, such as Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations are being met, enables tracking of drivers' hours.
4. Customer management
‍ Tools for managing end-to-end customer experiences such as inquiry, booking, order, feedback, and real-time assistance in case of issues
Ratings G2: 4.8 out of 5 stars
3. Descartes Aljex Descartes Aljex is a freight management software offering advanced transport management capabilities. It provides tools for freight invoicing, shipment planning, yard management, and more. The software is designed to integrate smoothly with ERP systems, warehouse management systems, and accounting platforms.
Descartes Aljex is ideal for businesses that need to manage complex logistics operations and integrate their freight management with existing systems like ERPs and warehouse management tools. It helps logistics teams and freight forwarders improve operational efficiency by centralizing tasks in one platform.
With its comprehensive range of transport management features, Descartes Aljex helps businesses streamline operations, from invoicing to yard management. Its ability to integrate with key systems like ERPs and warehouse tools makes it a flexible and powerful solution for optimizing logistics workflows and reducing manual work.
Key Features 1. Workflow automation
‍ Tools to automate routine tasks such as comparing rates, generating quotes, documentation, etc. to free up resources and boost productivity.
2. Mobile access
‍ A centrally managed cloud-based database that enables access to dashboards and tools through mobile app and interface, ensuring usage flexibility and constant support.
3. Document management
‍ Provides tools for creating, storing, and managing important shipping documents such as bill of lading and invoices. Ensures documentation standards are met for a hassle-free shipping experience.
4. Accounting and invoicing
‍ Tools for generating and storing customer and carrier invoices that facilitate efficient payment tracking.
Ratings G2: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4. Magaya Magaya is a freight forwarding software powered by a centralized database that tracks inventory records across warehouses and retail locations. It offers flexible inventory dashboards for monitoring stock levels and robust reporting tools to compare sales performance. Magaya also includes a comprehensive carrier management system to track and manage carrier data.
Magaya is designed for freight forwarders and logistics companies that need to manage inventory across multiple locations and efficiently track carrier performance. It helps businesses streamline inventory management, optimize stock levels, and track shipments effectively.
Magaya simplifies logistics by providing a unified system for tracking inventory and managing carriers. With its powerful reporting tools and flexible dashboards, it enables businesses to improve inventory oversight, boost efficiency, and enhance decision-making across their supply chain.
Key Features 1. Warehouse management ‍
Handles inventory management, stock management, order fulfilment, picking, packing, and other warehouse operations.
2. Order Management
‍ Assists with end-to-end processes involved in fulfilling an order such as order entry, handling order particulars, and order processing.Â
3. Invoice Management ‍
Features to automate billing and invoicing, automated rate calculation, invoice generation, and other accounting functionalities.
4. Customer Relationship Management(CRM)
‍ A complete tool to manage customer relationship capabilities such as customer support, customer connects, track lead generation, maintaining customer profiles, and understanding customer preferences.
5. Rate Management System ‍
A single window to consolidate freight rates for all three shipping modes, for searching and comparing rates, and stream line RFQs.Â
Ratings G2: 4.5 out of 5 stars
5. GoFreight GoFreight is a freight forwarding software known for its strong API capabilities, enabling seamless data exchange between different systems. It offers real-time container tracking to enhance visibility and automates routine freight forwarding tasks, reducing errors and improving efficiency.
GoFreight is ideal for freight forwarders and logistics teams that need to streamline their operations by automating repetitive tasks and improving data accuracy. It helps businesses manage container tracking, automate workflows, and integrate systems smoothly.
GoFreight reduces manual work by automating key processes, allowing businesses to save time and reduce costs. Its real-time tracking improves shipment visibility, while its strong API integration ensures data flows smoothly across systems, enhancing overall operational efficiency.
Key Features 1. Finance management ‍
Tools for managing tasks related to financial operations such as invoice generation, invoice management, billing, accounts receivables, and payables.
2. Vendor management ‍
Tools for managing and maintaining relationships with vendors, procurement capabilities, purchase order creation and tracking, and tracking vendor performance.
3. Integration capabilities ‍
APIs to integrate with third-party software such as carrier systems and accounting tools for seamless data exchangeÂ
4. Quotation and booking management ‍
Features to manage rates, compare rates, manage quotes, book shipments, and track shipments from source to destination.
Ratings G2: 4.3 out of 5 stars
6. CargoWise Cargowise’s freight software comes with predictive analytics abilities that improve decision-making by providing smart insights into the supply chain process. It provides customers with a portal to automate several tracking and recording activities involved in the shipment processes, such as quote creation, shipment monitoring, and documentation management.
Key Features 1. Global trade management ‍
Management of tasks involved in international trade such as documentation, customs compliance, and managing regulatory requirements related to international shipping.
2. Real-time visibility ‍
Visibility into the end-to-end supply chain operations that enables tracking and tracing of shipments and helps in planning against delays.
3. Transportation management ‍
Tools to manage transportation operations, encompasses fleet management, route optimization, and carrier management.
4. Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) and other integration capabilities ‍
APIs and tools such as EDI to establish a seamless and standardized process of data exchange with external systems.
Ratings G2: 4.3 out of 5 stars
7. Cargo Chief C4 Cargo Chief's C4 takes carrier management one step ahead with its strategic carrier outreach. They leverage the customer's networks to vet carriers, going beyond transactional relationships and cultivating stronger relationships with preferred carriers. Their data-informed implementation harnesses the power of data trends and valuable insights for data-driven intelligence-backed decisions.
Key Features 1. Freight brokerage ‍
Acts as a broker between shippers and carriers and manages end-to-tasks for a hassle-free shipping process.
2. Load optimization ‍
Provides capabilities to maximize the efficiency of shipments, monitor delivery schedules, and consolidate partial loads.
3. Capacity matching ‍
Helps to minimize empty miles for carriers by matching shipping demands to available capacity. Maximizes the efficient utilization of shipping resources.Â
4. Custom transportation solutions ‍
Provides customized transportation solutions to suit specific customer needs and cater to industry-specific verticals.
Ratings G2: 4.5 out of 5 stars
What are the key Features to Look for in a Freight Forwarding Software? Even though there are multiple freight softwares to pick from, certain features lie at the core of every efficient freight-forwarding software. Below are some features to remember while looking for the best freight-forwarding software in 2024.
1. Rate procurement Managing, consolidating, and presenting rates from multiple carriers is a cumbersome task that a freight forwarding software can streamline with its rate procurement feature. It is essential to look for freight rate management software that combines and presents data in a standardized format and allows integration with third-party software to consolidate carriers and their rates in one place.
2. Quotation Creating and sending error-free quotes with accurate rates in the proper format can put freight forwarders ahead of their competitors. Webcargo reports that 43% of a freight sales executive’s time is spent on pricing and RFPs and the average turnaround time for spot quote requests is 67 hours . An efficient freight forwarding software must automate workflows and help manage freight quotations, such as creating and sharing quotes in proper formats, keeping track of their statuses, and more.
3. Track & trace One of the biggest advantages shippers get working with digital freight forwarders is visibility and tracking. 88% of respondents to Ti-insight’s study reported that they are satisfied with the way digital freight forwarders endow visibility and tracking over their shipments. A freight forwarding software with accurate tracking features makes it possible to provide stakeholders with real-time shipment updates at their fingertips. Those that offer API take it a step further, allowing seamless scaling and integration with third-party systems to make available the tracking data wherever required.
4. Intuitive and user-friendly interface Quality freight software takes care of most of the complexities involved in a shipping process at the backend while keeping the front end simple and user-friendly. Freight forwarding software with intuitive, user-friendly UI makes it easy for users to navigate the tools and use them to do their work effectively.Â
5. Customer service A good freight forwarding software comes with access to customer support systems to address challenges while using them. A reachable, reliable custom service ensures you have your onboarding queries answered, somewhere to reach out to for assistance, and overcome any hiccups you face while using their freight software.Â
6. Ability to integrate with other systems Integrations with integrating with TMS systems, SAP, rate procurement platforms, and CRM/financial systems facilitate meticulous rate management and enable real-time tracking of freight movements, ensuring streamlined communication and data accuracy across various logistical functions. This interconnected ecosystem supports businesses in optimizing rate procurement and management in terms of higher accuracy and improving overall customer satisfaction.
Why Does a Freight Business Need Freight Forwarding Software? Fluctuating rates, changing international regulations, rising fuel costs, and other complexities that accompany transporting goods make it imperative to work with the right freight-forwarding technology that simplifies the tasks associated with freight management.Â
1. Real-time visibility With technology enabling accurate tracking capabilities, shippers, freight forwarders, and customers expect regular updates on their shipment's position, progress, and ETA. Visibility data from freight forwarding software allows freight forwarders to capture and send accurate tracking data to all their stakeholders, which adds significant value to customer satisfaction. Real-time visibility data also helps predict delays and streamline the chain of operations based on this information.
2. Freed up resources One of the prime advantages of integrating freight management software into a business is the automation of manual tasks and the resulting human error-free operations. This frees up a significant chunk of the freight forwarder’s resources that would otherwise be engaged in routine activities but can be redirected to perform other important, value-adding tasks for a profitable freight forwarding business .
3. Reporting and analytics Availability of data and access to an analytics dashboard equips with information that can help foresee the important details associated with shipping process and improve the decision-making pipeline. Insights into tracking data, carrier rates, and compliance regulations can help make effective strategies to plan shipments and take steps to combat bottlenecks.
4. Improved documentation A cumbersome yet integral part of every shipping process is its documentation. Freight forwarding software with automated documentation tools and tracking dashboards ensures that no vital documents and their details are missed during shipping. This helps accelerate the shipping process and helps to avoid delays due to missed or incorrect documents.
5. Cost savings Introducing freight forwarding software in your business streamlines and automates the complexities of a shipping process. Freight rate management helps compare and access the best available rates. Analytics helps to prevent delays and avoid losses. Route optimization tools help select the best possible route for the shipment. All these and other benefits come with reduced human errors and faster, more accurate operations, resulting in significant cost savings for the business.
6. Data integrity and security SaaS-based freight software stores all the data in the cloud. This data is encrypted with security algorithms, allowing only the concerned people to access it. Availability of data on-cloud comes with the flexibility to access it anywhere, enabling users to perform necessary tasks from any digital device.
Wrapping up The freight forwarding business is a complex cesspool of opportunities. If tapped into with the right tools, it can skyrocket your business's potential. Managing end-to-end tasks efficiently is the answer, and the right freight-forwarding software can help you achieve this. Today, cutting-edge, multi-faceted freight forwarding software such as Freightify is what you need to accelerate your business and advance it in the right direction.Â
Freight forwarding software - FAQs What are the benefits of using freight forwarding software? Fluctuating rates, changing international regulations, rising fuel costs, and other complexities that accompany transporting goods make it imperative to work with the right freight-forwarding technology that simplifies the tasks associated with freight management. Some benefits of working with freight forwarding software include real-time visibility, freed-up resources, reporting and analytics, improved documentation, cost savings, and data integrity and security.
Can freight forwarding software integrate with other systems? Freight forwarding softwares that provides API facilitates seamless scaling and integration with third-party systems to make available data wherever required.
Does a freight forwarding software offer rate management? Managing, consolidating, and presenting rates from multiple carriers is a cumbersome task that a freight forwarding software can streamline with its rate procurement feature. It is essential to look for freight forwarding software with a rate management tool that combines and presents data in a standardized format and allows integration with third-party software to consolidate carriers and their rates in one place.
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