Consulting · Freight forwarders
AI transformation for freight forwarders
We start by mapping what is actually worth automating, then build the data infrastructure, dashboards, and AI agents that turn a forwarder into a data-native operation. Implementation has an end date — year-two cost goes to zero.
- Cargowise-native: integrations and extracts that respect your support agreement.
- Rating-system-fluent: 7LFreight, MercuryGate, and CargoSphere on day one.
- AI-first: agents that talk to your real systems, not toy demos.
- Implementation that ends: year-one build + training, year-two cost goes to zero.
The gap
It is not a technology problem. It is a strategy problem.
Most forwarders already have the raw material — Cargowise, rating systems, accounting, even some AI. The problem is that it is siloed, pointed at the wrong tasks, and unmeasured. That gap — not the technology — is why most AI efforts stall, and it is what everything below is built to close.
AI & Data Strategy Roadmap
A fixed-scope diagnostic that maps which workflows AI should (and should not) touch, audits whether your data is actually ready, and defines the KPIs we will move — before you commit to a single build.
- Workflow map (the jagged frontier)
- Data-readiness audit
- KPIs & sequenced roadmap
Get the data right
The foundation everything else runs on — your data, clean, governed, and in one place.
BI Stack: DOMO + Snowflake
Stand up the BI foundation we recommend for freight forwarders — Snowflake as the warehouse, DOMO as the BI layer — sized and priced for your scale.
Learn moreMoves: Manual data cleanup removedCargowise Database & Implementation
Cargowise-experienced developers on a structured implementation engagement that ends — not a permanent retainer that bills forever.
Learn moreSee your business
Turn that data into the dashboards your leadership actually opens every morning.
Automate the busywork
Point AI agents at the repetitive, well-defined work — quoting, cross-system tasks, and inbound calls.
AI Agents for 7LFreight & Rating Systems
AI agents that quote, compare carriers, and explain rate decisions by talking to 7LFreight (or your rating provider) on behalf of your sales and ops teams.
Learn moreMoves: Manual handoffs eliminatedAI Agents for REST API Endpoints
Custom AI agents that read from and write to any REST API in your stack — TMS, CRM, accounting, custom internal tools — so workflows that touch three systems become one conversation.
Learn moreMoves: % of after-hours calls answeredAI Voice Agents for Forwarder Operations
Hyper-realistic voice agents that answer tracking, quote-status, pickup, and after-hours dispatch calls 24/7 — every call logged, transcribed, and routed, so nothing goes to voicemail.
Learn moreHow we work
- 1
Phase 1
Discovery
We map your systems, your data, your team, and the questions leadership keeps asking that no dashboard answers today.
- 2
Phase 2
Foundation
Stand up the BI stack and the data warehouse. Get the data flowing reliably before anything intelligent runs on top of it.
- 3
Phase 3
Intelligence
Build the dashboards, then layer the AI agents on top. Each piece earns its keep before we move to the next.
- 4
Phase 4
Handoff
Train your team, document everything, stand down. We stay on call for major upgrades; we do not bill for our absence.
FAQ
Why specifically freight forwarders?
Because the data problems are unusually well-shaped: Cargowise is universal, the rating systems are a known set, the KPIs are consistent across companies, and AI agents have a clear ROI surface (quoting, ops exceptions, customer service). We can move faster here than in industries we are learning from scratch.
What size of forwarder do you work with?
Sweet spot is $20M–$500M in revenue. Below $20M the implementation cost usually outweighs the ROI; above $500M you typically have internal teams that can lead this work, and we play a different role (advisory, audit, specific integrations).
How do you price an engagement?
Fixed-price per service, with a clear scope and end date. We do not bill hourly because hourly billing creates the wrong incentives — we want to ship, hand off, and exit. Implementation team cost goes to zero after year one except for major upgrades.
Can we start with one service and add more later?
Yes — most engagements start with the AI & Data Strategy Roadmap, which names the highest-ROI place to begin and the order to expand in. From there, teams typically build the data foundation or the rating-system agent first and grow once we have proven results inside your business.
Do you work with non-forwarders?
Selectively. The patterns transfer to customs brokers, 3PLs, and trucking carriers; we will scope an engagement if the data shape is close enough to forwarders. We turn down work that is too far from our core competence.
Ready to talk specifics?
Pick a service, pick a time. We will tell you in 30 minutes whether this is a fit.
Book a consultation