Automation in Freight Forwarding Companies. How to Do It Right? [Guide]
In a business where every minute of a freight forwarder’s work can mean profit or loss, it’s becoming harder to ignore the rising costs of manual operations. Hundreds of hours are lost each month to repetitive tasks, while paper-based documentation still decides the fate of claims. Meanwhile, technology that doesn’t require a full-blown revolution can turn these inefficiencies into competitive advantage. The key lies in understanding where your time and resources are leaking—and how to stop it.
One of the biggest hidden challenges for freight forwarding companies is invisible inefficiency. We’re talking about daily, repetitive tasks that, when added up, result in very real losses of time and money. Carrier verification, transport order handling, and document management are still performed manually in many large organizations. The result? Delays, customer complaints, and—ultimately—loss of competitive edge.
This article outlines which processes in forwarding operations can be measured, and how automation can significantly improve them.
Carrier Verification: A Costly Daily Routine
Every freight forwarder knows that without proper carrier verification, transport risk skyrockets. But this process is time-consuming. A thorough check—including company registration data (CEIDG, KRS, NIP, REGON, VIES), transport licenses, insurance coverage, reviews, and fleet details—can take up to 30 minutes per carrier. In large companies, that easily adds up to dozens of verifications a day—translating into hundreds of hours lost every month.
The challenge:
Even with dedicated teams, verification remains a manual and slow process. It overloads employees, delays order processing, and limits your ability to respond quickly to new transport inquiries.
The solution:
Automate the entire carrier verification process. FreightON pulls data directly from official sources, verifies transport licenses and insurance status—all in one place.
The result:
Carrier verification goes from 30 minutes to just a few seconds.
Transport Order Management: Repetition vs. Automation
Freight forwarders perform countless manual actions daily: route planning, posting offers, contacting carriers, tracking loads. According to Motor Transport data, these repetitive tasks consume an average of 2.5 hours per day per employee—over 50 hours monthly.
The challenge:
It’s not just about time. Manual processes lead to communication chaos and a high risk of human error. Many forwarders juggle multiple tools to communicate with carriers—emails, messengers, SMS, phone calls, and freight exchanges.
Security is also an issue. Working only with verified carriers through a secure platform reduces the risk of fraud and theft.
The solution:
FreightON fully automates this process. Offers are first sent to your network of trusted carriers. If there’s no response within 30 minutes, the system expands the reach to other verified partners. Eventually, if needed, the load is posted on a Private Exchange—and finally, to a Public Exchange with access to over 25,000 verified carriers.
The result:
Over 50 hours saved per month per freight forwarder.
Real-Time Tracking: Stay in Control—Without the Calls
Many freight teams still rely on manual phone calls to drivers to get load updates—and then input this data manually (if the shipper even requests it).
The challenge:
Manual tracking is time-consuming, inefficient, and error-prone. Without real-time data, teams can’t react quickly to issues.
The solution:
Use automated GPS-based tracking integrated with real-time status updates from carriers. With FreightON, forwarders are notified instantly of key milestones—loading, unloading, or reported issues—without chasing drivers.
The result:
Fewer interventions, time savings, better delivery control, higher OTIF (On-Time In-Full) performance, and full supply chain transparency.
Profit Doesn’t Come From More Work—It Comes From Efficiency
The biggest transformation doesn’t come from optimizing a single step—it comes from automating the entire workflow. Carrier verification, order handling, tracking, yard management, and document control are all part of the same chain.
Full automation means:
- Dozens of hours saved monthly per forwarder
- Reduced error rates and fewer claims
- Higher OTIF and better data quality
- More loads handled without growing your team
Modern freight forwarding isn’t just logistics anymore—it’s data and process management. For managers who want to stay competitive, it’s time to evolve from traditional operations to a digital ecosystem.
FreightON isn’t the future. It’s the answer to today’s problems.
Automate—before your competition does.