Case Study
Automated Rate Shopping and Tendering: Freight Control for Aftermarket Auto Parts
Company Overview
A leading North American auto glass and shop accessory distributor, supplying installers across the U.S. and Canada from 130 distribution branches.
22% lower average costs on auto-tendered shipments
59% of shipments priced through the client’s internal system
95% of bid responses returned within two hours
The Challenge
With truckload, LTL, and parcel volume moving across 130 locations, the client had no systematic way to put lanes out to bid, no status data from carriers outside their integrations, and no automated path to their freight audit partner. Savings depended on how much time the logistics team could spend chasing rates by hand.
- No systematic way to run competitive bidding or automated tendering on high-volume lanes, leaving spend difficult to control
- Manual rate shopping against internal systems and multiple carriers slowed booking and put savings at risk
- Carriers without EDI or API connections had no way to log transit events or proof of delivery, leaving gaps in shipment visibility
- Shipment data reached A3, their freight audit and payment partner, only through manual entry, adding work to every invoice cycle
- Reporting was too limited to surface consolidation or cost-savings opportunities at the point of booking
The Agistix Solution
Agistix implemented a comprehensive execution and visibility platform to unify rate shopping, competitive bidding, and shipment visibility across all modes in the client’s complex carrier network.
Integrated Rate Shopping
- Agistix connected directly to the client’s internal rate-shopping system, returning a single rate comparison at quote and booking.
- 59% of shipments now price against the client’s own rate-shopping system automatically
Self-Serve Microsites
- Agistix deployed browser-based forms to enable branches to request shipments directly, and carriers to post status updates by scanning a QR code on the BOL.
- Non-integrated carriers now add transit events and delivery photos from any device, closing visibility gaps after pickup
Bidding & Autotender
- Higher-volume lanes were routed to competitive bid or automated tender, replacing manual carrier selection with defined rules.
- 22% lower average cost per shipment on autotendered freight compared to competitive bid across the first half of 2026
Reporting & Analytics
- Agistix reports across every shipment, bid, and tender, giving the client one view of carrier performance and cost.
- 50+ carriers were found to have never answered a bid request, giving the client the evidence to prune the bid list
Results in Action
The client now runs freight on defined rules rather than available time, with measurable savings and a closed loop on shipment status:
- 22% lower average cost per shipment on auto-tendered lanes versus competitive bid across the first half of 2026, with autotender winning 64% of all tenders sent in Q2
- 90% of bid responses return within one hour and 95% within two, so booking decisions no longer wait on carriers
- 59% of shipments price against the client’s internal rate-shopping system automatically, without a second manual rate check
- Consolidation reporting surfaced 1,404 LTL shipments in Q2 2026 that could have moved as roughly 60 truckloads, a savings opportunity that was invisible before
- QR-code Transit Update forms let carriers with no EDI or API connection post transit events and delivery proof, so more shipments reach confirmed delivery sooner
- Freight audit and payment data now flows to A3 automatically, removing the manual entry that slowed invoice processing and introduced errors
- Bid response reporting has removed 50+ carriers from the bid list over the course of the engagement, so requests go to carriers that quote and lanes price faster
What’s Next
- Roll out updated Shipment Request and Transit Update forms to bring more branches onto self-serve booking and status reporting
- Add carriers through the Carrier Request Form as lanes and volume shift, keeping the bid list competitive as the network changes
- Expand the autotender analysis dashboard to compare carrier bid and tender performance quarter over quarter and direct more volume to autotender
- Raise transit-update adoption among non-integrated carriers to eliminate the remaining gaps in delivery visibility
The client is expanding their use of Agistix to push more volume through automated decisions:
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