One freight desk across UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, and the major LTL carriers. Live rate-shop on every shipment.
Why freight management exists
Almost every 3PL sells fulfillment on pick-and-pack pricing and quietly recovers the margin on shipping. Single-carrier rate cards with hidden surcharges, freight-class guesses that get reclassed three weeks later, and LTL bookings against a single broker that takes 8 to 12% off the top. The brand sees a clean pick-and-pack number on the invoice and a shipping line item that drifts up every quarter for reasons nobody can explain.
We run the freight desk differently. Every parcel rate-shops across the full parcel panel live at order time. Every LTL load rate-shops across the LTL panel on our panel with density measurement at our dock so the freight class is right the first time. TL, intermodal, drayage, and expedited all run through the same desk against the same shipper-of-record relationships. The pass-through pricing is what it is; we do not take a margin clip on the freight, and the carrier discount stack stays with you.
This page walks the six things our freight desk covers, the four-step rate-shop logic, the full parcel + LTL + TL carrier panel, the honest "when freight beats parcel" decision matrix, the pricing structure, and the cities we run from. The math sometimes says parcel wins, sometimes says LTL wins, and sometimes says expedited is the only honest answer. We will tell you which one is which on every shipment.
What freight management covers
Inbound from suppliers, outbound to retail DCs, transfers between our nodes, and B2B drop-shipments all run through the same freight desk. The six workflows below cover most of what brands actually need from freight management.
Spot and contract TL rates booked against our shipper-of-record relationships with Schneider, J.B. Hunt, Werner, Knight, and regional FTL specialists. Full pallet count, drop-and-hook on lanes that support it, sealed trailers for high-value loads.
Live rate-shop on every LTL shipment against SAIA, Old Dominion, Estes, XPO, TForce, and regional LTL specialists. Pallet count, freight class, density measurement, and BOL accuracy all handled on our desk so reclass disputes do not eat margin.
Live multi-carrier rate-shop on every domestic and cross-border parcel against UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, Purolator, and Canada Post. Carrier mix changes per zone, per service level, and per package profile. We rate-shop on every order, not on a rolling weekly average.
Container rail handoffs on the long-haul corridors (LA to NYC, Vancouver to Toronto, etc.) plus port drayage at LA/Long Beach, Houston, Savannah, Vancouver, and Montreal. The right tool when transit time can stretch by 2 to 3 days in exchange for 30 to 50% lower per-pallet cost.
Air freight, team-driver, and hot-shot coordination for shipments that have to land in 24 to 48 hours. Used sparingly because the cost is 4 to 8x standard ground; we will tell you when expedited makes sense and when it does not.
We coordinate the inbound leg from your supplier (overseas FOB or DAP, domestic LTL, or container delivery) into our nodes. Receiving appointment booking, dock scheduling, and trailer drop coordination all run through our freight desk.
How we run the freight desk
The four principles below are the standard workflow we run on every load, parcel, and pallet. There is no "premium freight tier" that gets these and no "standard tier" that gets a worse version.
Every parcel and every LTL load runs through our rate-shop engine. UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, Purolator, and Canada Post all return live rates per parcel based on zone, weight, dim, service level, and any negotiated discount we have on file. The cheapest rate that hits the SLA wins. We do not lock you into a single carrier in exchange for a deeper discount that only applies to certain zones.
LTL pricing turns on freight class, and freight class turns on density (pounds per cubic foot). We measure and weigh every pallet at receipt rather than guess the class at booking time. Class 60 vs Class 70 vs Class 100 can be a 2x rate difference; getting the class right at booking eliminates reclass disputes and chargebacks after the fact.
The freight desk owns the BOL paperwork (description, weight, class, NMFC code, dimensions, special instructions) and the receiver appointment booking. Retail DC receiving is appointment-only and missed-appointment fees can run $200 to $500 per occurrence. We book the dock window, confirm 24 hours in advance, and dispatch against the confirmed appointment.
When a load hits a problem (carrier delay, refused shipment, damaged pallet, address correction, weather closure), the exception lands on our freight desk first, not in your inbox. We resolve, reroute, or escalate, and the customer-facing communication happens after we have the fix. You see the exception and the resolution in the same Slack message.
LTL vs parcel decision matrix
Answer four questions about your shipment and we will recommend parcel, LTL, or a closer look from our freight desk. A portion of every brand's volume sits in the gray zone where the wrong call costs meaningfully on freight spend.
Recommendation
Answer the four questions above to see what we recommend.
Full carrier panel
The full active panel. Parcel runs through EasyPost for live multi-carrier rate-shop. LTL runs through direct shipper-of-record relationships with each carrier. The negotiated discount stack stays with you.
Small-parcel carriers
Live rate-shop on every order. Carrier mix per zone, not per account.
LTL carriers (national)
Class-based pricing with density measurement at our dock.
LTL specialists (regional + Canada)
Regional density specialists for the lanes the nationals do not serve cheaply.
TL + intermodal partners
Spot and contract pricing. Drop-and-hook on lanes that support it.
Freight pricing
Indicative pricing across the freight stack. Final pricing depends on lane mix, pallet volume, and your negotiated carrier discount stack. We pass through carrier rates with no margin clip; the freight desk is included in your operations fee.
| Service | Indicative pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Per-pallet inbound receiving | Custom | Standard 40x48 pallet, palletized inbound from supplier or freight forwarder; scoped on the discovery call |
| LTL freight quotes | by lane | Live rate-shop across SAIA, OD, Estes, XPO, TForce per shipment |
| TL freight quotes | by lane | Spot or contract pricing depending on volume commitment |
| Small-parcel rate-shop | no extra fee | Multi-carrier rate-shop included on every order pick-and-pack |
| Intermodal coordination | by lane | Container rail handoff + drayage coordination |
| Expedited / air freight | by quote | 24 to 48 hour service when ground will not hit the SLA |
| Inbound supplier freight | by lane | FOB / DAP / domestic LTL coordination from supplier into our nodes |
Where we run freight
The freight desk operates from every node. Inbound supplier freight, outbound LTL and parcel, and node-to-node transfers all coordinate through the same team regardless of which facility holds your inventory.
Canada
Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal
US West
Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Seattle, Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City
US Central
Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Memphis
US East
Atlanta, Charlotte, Lehigh Valley, Edison/Cranbury, Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa, Nashville, Indianapolis, Columbus
Ready to consolidate the freight desk?
Live multi-carrier rate-shop on every parcel and LTL load. TL, intermodal, drayage, expedited freight all from one desk. Pass-through carrier rates with no margin clip. One US + Canadian operations team.
