AI automation for freight forwarders, brokers and carriers

A business built on attachments

A freight broker's day is a stream of emails: a shipper asking for a rate on a pallet from Chicago, a carrier sending a rate confirmation, a driver sending a photo of a signed receipt. Each one carries data that someone types into a TMS. Customers also ask the same question all day: where is my load?

Margins are thin and speed wins loads. The shipper who gets a quote in ten minutes usually books it. That is the clearest measure of what automation is worth here.

Documents and the fields we pull out

The speed gain is in the first row. A structured quote request can be priced from your rate tables in minutes, with a dispatcher approving the number.

What we build

• An inbox reader for shared mailboxes that classifies each message and extracts the lane details into a structured request.
• A quote assistant that looks up your lane rates, adds your margin rule and drafts the reply for approval.
• A tracking responder that checks the TMS or carrier feeds and answers status questions, escalating when a load is late.
• An invoice preparation flow that attaches the proof of delivery to the right load and flags missing signatures.
• A carrier document tracker with reminders when insurance and authority documents expire.

We work with the TMS you have. Many offer APIs or EDI, and others only allow file imports. For the reading step, see AI document processing. Our n8n automation page explains the builder we use most.

Limits we set

The tool never books a carrier, sends a rate above the approved margin or promises a delivery time on its own. Carrier selection and compliance checks carry legal and insurance consequences. Cargo claims, hazardous goods and customs paperwork remain with trained staff.

Freight data can include customer names, addresses and sometimes personal data of drivers. Treat it under the privacy rules that apply to you, such as GDPR in Europe. Transport regulators publish carrier and broker rules for each country, and we do not interpret them. Check with your compliance lead.

How a project runs

1. Pull a week of emailWith a sample from the shared inbox we sort messages into types and count each.
2. Pick the first document typeQuote requests or proof of delivery, whichever eats more time.
3. Test against past loadsWe replay old messages and compare extracted fields with what your staff entered.
4. Go live in shadowThe tool prepares entries and staff accept them with one click, then we reduce checks as accuracy is proven.

We are in Pune, and our working day overlaps your afternoon if you are in Europe and your early morning if you are in the US.

Price and what changes it

Projects start at $1,500 and our rate is $30 an hour, with a fixed quote within one working day of a short call. One document type into a spreadsheet or TMS is near the minimum. Several document types, EDI links, multiple branches, languages and a TMS with limited access increase the price.

Hosting and model usage are monthly costs listed separately. See the AI automation cost guide for the drivers and the AI automation ROI calculator to test payback. The service overview is on AI automation.