How Shipping Software Innovation Led FreightPOP Into Freight Management!

FreightPOP

Have you ever been extremely frustrated with a process at work? That was where we were six years ago. Our technology business, Horizon Technology, was being hindered by our shipping processes.

Our outdated manual methods were wasting a lot of time and money, which we attempted to solve by subscribing to a transportation management solution; however, we were sorely let down by the lack of customization. We couldn’t make existing shipping software work for our business, at least at a cost we could afford.

So we had to develop our own. As a technology company, we had the resources and experience. And we were so satisfied with the results, we brought our solution to market with a start-up known as FreightPOP. 

FreightPOP’s mission is simple. We seek to simplify all aspects of shipping through enterprise-level tools that are attainable to medium and small businesses. For companies that handle their shipping in the current climate of same-day shipping, having a robust transportation management system (TMS) – one that was built by shippers, for shippers – is invaluable.

How well our TMS performs can be seen by how quickly we have grown. And earlier this year, we were recognized by Logistics Tech Outlook in their Top 10 Transport Management Solution Providers

So what makes our solution different? 

Our CEO Kurt Johnson explains, “Our customers want one login for all logistics management, including inbound and outbound freight across parcel, LTL, FTL, ocean, and international air. Our fast growth validates our vision of creating an easy to use logistics platform that seamlessly integrates into a shipper’s current warehouse and inventory workflows.”

Our solution is trusted across industries and companies, large and small. We support 300+ carriers and integrations, with real-time updates for all modes and carriers – a game-changing endeavor!

FreightPOP’s TMS brings the separate functions of order management, carrier management, audit management, and side-by-side rate shopping together into one single platform. 

What does our TMS accomplish?

  • We have eliminated the need for shippers to log into separate carrier websites to obtain quotes and find the best deal. 
  • We have removed the hassle of spot rate quoting, which can be an arduous game of email-tag and lost opportunities as correspondence delays make shippers miss spots on trucks.  
  • We have beefed up supply chain visibility, enabling faster movement of goods and superior customer management.
  • We have automated shipping management and tasks to the point that most of our customers can reallocate personnel up to 20-30%. 
  • We save shippers time and money with every single shipment.

All of our TMS features help shippers “ship smarter, and ship easier”. And we do this by targeting all the stages of shipping and creating tools to make each stage smoother.

There are five stages to shipping: Shop – Ship – Track – Analyze – Audit. 

Shop

Every single shipment begins with shopping for your carrier rates. You may already have contracted rates. You may require a spot quote for freight outside your current shipping class or lane. But you should always be shopping for your rates. You can also compare marketplace rates listed in FreightPOP to your current rates. Think Expedia for carrier rates. 

Rates fluctuate wildly. Shippers should constantly be on guard to ensure they are getting the best prices. We give shippers the means to quickly double-check rates against existing contracts and to obtain spot quotes with a single on-screen view. No logging in and out of carrier websites required.

Ship

Preparing a shipment through FreightPOP’s TMS is as easy as clicking a few buttons to obtain NMFC codes, BOLs, international labels, return labels, custom labels and documents for retail compliance, Customs EEI submissions, air and ground documents, and much more.

As mentioned, we are integrated with over 300 Parcel, LTL, FTL, Air, and Ocean carriers. There are tools to manage HAZMAT shipments, to schedule shipments for all modes, and to manage multileg shipments and batch shipping. There are automated customer shipping notifications for improved customer management and there are routing guides and end of day manifests readily available. 

Track

Real-time tracking across all modes gives shippers an accurate overview of their supply chain, enabling them to manage customers better, avoid warehouse bottlenecks, and stay on top of inventory. Issue alerts and notifications allow management to troubleshoot issues and proactively manage customers, carriers, and drivers.

Our TMS is continuously evolving. We are currently developing an automated truckload tracker, real-time ocean tracking, integrations into airline tracking for freight forwarders, and a carrier/driver mobile app.  

Analyze

Shippers should analyze their shipping results to make better decisions in the future. To analyze your shipping, you require data. Our TMS gives you data on your rate shopping across carriers and modes, to include 3rd party shipping data. 

You can quickly generate custom reports and analytics, view end of day manifests, create better strategies with lane analysis, and generally prove how well you are shipping at the lowest possible cost to management.

A broker reporting module and predictive diagnostic tools are being developed as well. 

FreightPOP

There is a “hustle and bustle” nature to shipping and freight and many things can go unexpectedly. Freight classifications can be off, leading to higher charges, contracted rates can go up, spot quotes can go awry. Shippers should be diligent and ensure all carrier charges are accurate. 

Our TMS enables painless freight invoice auditing, and soon this will be a feature in-app, whereby shippers can use their mobiles to begin the process of following up on erroneous charges. 

Our platform also makes claims management a straightforward process, which saves our customers a lot of money. All too often, the stringent and varied deadlines and lack of notifications to keep track of claims, lead to shippers leaving claims untapped. FreightPOP aims to ensure shippers never leave money on the table. 

FreightPOP’s transportation management system is a “plug and play” system with easy integration into customer ERP and WMS systems. We feature carrier, partner, customer, and vendor portals to bring the entire supply chain together digitally to help shippers easily manage all the moving parts. 

FreightPOP Contact: Kurt Johnson

Phone Number: 949.454.4611       

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Article and permission to publish here provided by FreightPOP.com. Originally written for Supply Chain Game Changer and published on December 4, 2019.