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Table of Contents

• What is Freight Software?
• What are the common features of Freight Software?
• What are the benefits of Freight Software?
• How much does Freight Software cost?
• Key considerations when purchasing Freight Software

What is Freight Software?

Freight Software, or logistics or freight management software, helps supply chain, shipping, and logistics businesses manage their transportation needs. With efficient freight software, you can handle cargo, plan and organize shipments, and manage documents to ensure faster deliveries and maintain healthy relationships with carriers.

Businesses can also use freight software to order third-party shipments on behalf of customers and track them to their destinations. The software’s real-time shipment tracking feature can help customers monitor the status and location of their goods.

What are the common features of Freight Software?

• Dispatch management: Manage the smooth dispatch of goods, vehicles, and drivers. The feature allows users to allocate customer orders to specific drivers while simultaneously monitoring real-time vehicle locations. It typically includes route optimization capabilities to calculate the most efficient delivery routes considering varied factors, such as weather, traffic, and road conditions.
• Document management: Store, organize, and retrieve various documents associated with the transportation and logistics industry, such as bills of lading and invoices. The software offers a centralized repository to store and categorize all based on criteria such as clients and shipment numbers. Users can also locate documents using keywords and other search criteria, such as data range and document type.
• Shipment tracking: Get real-time visibility into the location and status of your shipments, whether they are in transit, at the warehouse, or out for delivery. The software utilizes global positioning system (GPS) and telematics technologies to help you monitor shipments.
• Customer management: Maintain clients’ information database, including their contacts and billing addresses. The software can record and track all client interactions, including meetings and phone calls, providing complete communication history whenever required.
• Customer portal: Enable clients to access and manage their logistics-related information and interactions via an online portal. This portal is usually password-protected to ensure that only the authorized person can access the confidential information. It helps clients track and view their shipments' status, location, and delivery estimates.

What are the benefits of Freight Software?

• Enhances transparency into freight operations: Freight management software often includes shipment tracking features, such as real-time updates, automated alerts, and GPS tracking, to provide customers insights about the status of their shipments. This information is accessible to all stakeholders, including clients, internal teams, and shippers, promoting transparency and visibility in communication and increasing operational efficiency.
• Promotes secure data exchange: Freight management system employs various security measures and protocols to protect sensitive information. These might include encryption technologies, such as secure sockets layer (SSL) to encrypt data during transmission, role-based access to restrict data access within the software, authentication for secure login, and audit trails to record all actions and interactions within the software. The software also offers regular security updates to address vulnerabilities and prevent security threats.
• Facilitates optimized routing: The system utilizes mapping and geographic data to determine the most efficient shipment route. Freight management system considers road networks, traffic information, and geographical conditions to provide a foundation for route optimization. Moreover, it considers shipment-specific data, such as delivery location, weight, and delivery schedule, to determine the best vehicle route and ensure timely deliveries.

How much does Freight Software cost?

Most freight software products on the market are priced “per month,” and their entry-level pricing plan ranges from $26 to $549+*. An enterprise product that’s priced higher may include additional features such as import and export management, truckload management, and supplier management.

*The pricing included is for the entry-level/lowest-priced offerings found on vendor websites as of October 5, 2023.

Key considerations when purchasing Freight Software

• Assess the customer management capabilities. Before investing in the best freight software, ensure that it allows you to create and manage customer profiles, including their preferred shipping methods, delivery schedules, and pricing agreements. It should also offer freight managers complete access to a client’s order history, which includes their previous shipments and upcoming order details. Additionally, the software should facilitate communication tracking, pricing management, and document sharing to help businesses provide better customer service.
• Look for electronic data exchange (EDI) support. Freight software should be able to handle various EDI formats and standards, such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X12 and Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport (EDIFACT). These formats define the structure of electronic messages, including purchase orders, invoices, and shipping notifications. This is necessary to ensure seamless information exchange between partners, clients, and carriers.
• Consider multi-modal support. To ensure efficient customer service, consider a freight management tool that can handle various transportation modes, such as air, sea, and road, to accommodate diverse logistics operations. This allows logistics providers to manage shipments via a combination of transportation methods and enables clients to select the most appropriate shipment mode. It also assists logistic managers in assigning appropriate resources, such as vehicles and containers, to shipments.