Rising transport costs do not necessarily mean that the only solution is to renegotiate carrier rates or redesign the entire logistics model. In many companies, potential savings can be found much closer to home – in the way day-to-day processes are organized.
Scattered rate cards, quotation processes handled by email, manual comparison of carrier offers, or the lack of a complete history of arrangements can create extra work, make cost control more difficult, and limit the ability to make data-driven decisions.
That is why transport optimization should start not only with the question: “How much are we paying for transport?” but also: “What does the process behind selecting a specific offer actually look like?”
Streamline the transport quotation process
In many organizations, requests for quotes are still sent to carriers individually by email or handled over the phone. With only a few shipments, this may not be a problem. But with hundreds of transport orders each month, the process starts generating a large volume of messages, arrangements, and data that later need to be collected and compared.
Automating the quotation process makes it possible to publish a single transport order to a selected group of carriers and collect their quotes in one place. This means employees no longer need to contact each carrier separately, and all quotes can be compared using the same criteria.
This saves more than just time. A larger pool of comparable quotes also provides a stronger basis for selecting the most advantageous option.
Keep rate cards and terms of cooperation in one place
Carrier rate cards often exist in multiple formats: Excel files, contract attachments, PDF documents, or information shared by email. The challenge appears when someone needs to answer a simple question quickly:
Does the received quote match the agreed rate? If an employee has to search for the right file, check which version is current, or contact someone else for confirmation, the process takes longer and the risk of error increases.
Keeping up-to-date rate cards in one central place makes it possible to verify submitted quotes automatically or semi-automatically and identify discrepancies more quickly.
Compare quotes using the same criteria
The lowest rate does not always mean the best offer. When selecting a carrier, other factors may also be important, including:
- delivery time,
- carrier availability,
- terms of cooperation,
- type of transport,
- previous delivery performance,
- the number of issues or irregularities,
- whether the quote is consistent with the agreed rate card.
When data is scattered across emails and spreadsheets, it can be difficult to take all of these factors into account every time a decision is made.Collecting quotes in a structured system makes it possible to standardize how they are assessed and reduce decisions based only on the information available at that particular moment.
Increase transparency in carrier selection
Transport costs can also increase when an organization lacks full visibility into how transport orders are assigned.
In a traditional process, it can sometimes be difficult to verify:
- which carriers were invited to submit a quote,
- what rates they offered,
- why a particular carrier was selected,
- whether the selected rate was consistent with the agreed rate card.
A structured quotation process creates a clear record of each decision. This makes it easier to reconstruct the history of a specific transport order and verify whether the carrier was selected in line with established rules. This is important not only from a cost perspective, but also for internal control.
Use historical data in future negotiations
Data from transport processes can be a valuable source of insight when negotiating with carriers. If a company collects this data systematically, it can analyze, among other things:
- average rates for individual routes,
- differences between submitted quotes,
- how often specific carriers are selected,
- deviations from agreed rate cards,
- the number of quotes received for a particular type of transport.
Over time, this creates a reliable data base that helps assess whether a given rate is truly competitive. Instead of relying only on declarations or isolated examples, the company can base negotiations on its own history of cooperation with carriers.
Automate the process after carrier selection as well
Transport optimization does not end with selecting the best quote. The next area to consider is the execution of the transport itself, including transport documents, confirmations, status updates, and issue reporting.
If this information is collected manually, some data may arrive with a delay or require additional re-entry. Mobile applications can allow drivers to report completed activities directly from the road, with the data transferred immediately into the system.
What does this look like in practice?
In one of the processes implemented on the Qalcwise platform, the client managed an annual transport budget of approximately PLN 100 million.
Before automation, arrangements with carriers were handled mainly by phone and email, while rate cards were stored in different places, including Excel files and contract attachments.
After implementation, the system automatically imports transport orders from SAP. Users can then publish an order to a selected group of carriers, who submit their quotes directly in the system.
All quotes are collected in a single view, making it easier to compare them and select the best option. The system also stores rate cards for regular carriers, allowing users to quickly verify whether a submitted quote is consistent with previously agreed rates.
The client estimates that automating the process generates savings of around 1–1.5% of the annual transport budget, which at this scale translates into approximately PLN 1–1.5 million per year.
At the same time, the process handles around 600 transport orders per month, with both the client’s employees and carriers using the platform.
You don’t always need to replace your ERP or implement a new TMS
Companies often postpone the automation of logistics processes because they assume it will require a major IT project or the replacement of an existing system. That is not always the case.
An application supporting quotation, approval, or transport documentation processes can work as an additional layer within the existing IT environment.
For example, the ERP system can continue to handle core data and transport orders, while an additional application supports:
- distributing orders to carriers,
- collecting quotes,
- comparing rates,
- managing approvals,
- storing rate cards,
- reporting on transport execution,
- handling transport documents.
With the right integration, data can flow automatically between systems without the need for manual re-entry.
Where should you start looking for savings in transport?
The first step does not have to be a large-scale optimization project. It is worth looking at the processes carried out every day and checking:
- how much communication takes place outside the systems,
- where rate cards and arrangements are stored,
- how quotes are compared,
- whether the history of carrier selection can be reconstructed,
- how much data is entered manually,
- what information can be used in future negotiations.
Automation does not have to mean a complete overhaul of logistics. In many cases, the greatest impact comes from streamlining the parts of the process that have so far relied on email, phone calls, and spreadsheets.
Od czego zacząć optymalizację kosztów transportu?
Transport optimization does not always require a major technology change or a complete redesign of the logistics process. In many cases, it makes sense to start with the areas that involve the most manual work, fragmented communication, and decisions made without full access to data.
If the quotation process is handled by email, rate cards are stored in several places, and the history of arrangements with carriers is difficult to reconstruct, simply organizing these elements can already deliver measurable benefits.
At scale, even a small improvement in the process can translate into real savings. That is why, instead of starting with the question “Which system should we implement?”, it is often better to first identify which parts of the transport process generate the most cost, time, and unnecessary manual work.
Qalcwise makes it possible to digitize these areas step by step – from quotation and rate comparison, through approvals, to document handling and reporting on transport execution.