For smaller and more independent shippers, it can be incredibly difficult to access the best LTL shipment rates around the country. Many shippers are limited by their brokerage networks and their relationships (or lack thereof) with major carriers.
Many LTL carriers won’t necessarily negotiate with less established shippers. Now, TMS provider Logistically is leveling the playing field with its freight marketplace and making competitive rates more accessible to shippers and brokers across the board.
According to Matt Wright, director of business development at Logistically, even those shippers with exceptional buying power may not have access to the best rates without an established network. “Reaching these marketplace sellers directly is one of the best ways to optimize your network and find the best market value,” he said.
Because a variety of shippers, brokers, and 3PLs use the Logistically TMS Marketplace to manage spot freight, the scope of the marketplace allows even smaller organizations to compete and potentially establish long-term relationships.
“One of the key benefits to our marketplace is that it lowers the barrier to entry,” Wright said. “No buying power, no problem. The Logistically TMS Marketplace has the buying power,” he said.
One user, Alan N., wrote in to comment on his company’s success with the Logistically TMS Marketplace:
As a new 3PL company, gaining access to competitive rates from quality carriers was one of our biggest challenges. That’s when we turned to the Logistically TMS Marketplace. The platform has been an absolute game-changer for us. Not only is it incredibly intuitive and easy to use, but it also gives us access to low rates with top-tier carriers that we wouldn’t have been able to secure on our own. The marketplace has helped us build credibility and deliver cost-effective, reliable solutions to our customers right from the start. We wouldn’t have gotten where we are so quickly without Logistically TMS and their Marketplace.
Even for those more established freight companies, being able to supplement day-to-day operations, carrier mix and geographic coverage with other competitive options is invaluable.
It never hurts to have more flexibility and more opportunities to potentially score the best rates. “You can still use your own existing partners,” Wright said. “The Marketplace is simply an additional avenue.”
The Logistically TMS Marketplace also has no acquisition cost for Marketplace buyers, making it a no-brainer for anyone hoping to enhance their LTL Carrier options.
While the Marketplace is a standalone solution, anyone who signs on as a buyer gets access to the entire TMS. LTL freight, drayage, multimodal TMS, container tracking, customer portals – whatever your niche, the Logistically TMS Marketplace is a complete package that can scale with your business at any size.
Logistically’s customer portal function is a popular way for freight brokers to work directly with shippers and other direct customers; and with Logistically’s TMS Marketplace, sellers can track loads and invoice the buyers directly, meaning every step of the process can be completed within the TMS.
“You can always pick the best carrier for your freight and lane, because you can compare all carrier rates on a single, easy-to-read screen and book the loads yourself,” Wright said.
The good news for established shippers and brokers is that Logistically integrates with whatever platforms subscribers are already using for their other needs. Having an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) partner that can integrate with existing platforms is essential to organizations of any size.
“We have our own open APIs and can integrate with virtually anything,” Wright said. “Not everyone wants the whole TMS, and integrations make it seamless to use the parts you need.”
Likewise, Logistically’s independent tech support team is as flexible as their platform and capable of adapting to those external changes that might affect software compatibility.
“Our support is second to none,” Wright said. “If a carrier changes their APIs, we fix them fast, usually on the same day. We don’t have to wait for any third party.”
Click here to learn more about the Logistically Marketplace.
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