Automating Freight Quoting
The automation of Load Meter (LDM) calculations and seamless integration of carrier rates enabled faster, more accurate quoting and route selection for the transport mediator
About The Client
The client specialized in connecting businesses and customers who needed to import or export goods between the Netherlands and other European countries. They relied heavily on Excel-based workflows, manually calculating LDM metrics for each shipment, and then referencing up to 20 different carrier sheets—each with its own format and rate structure—to determine the optimal shipping solution. As shipment volumes grew and regulations varied by country, managing these data sources became increasingly time-consuming, error-prone, and unsustainable.
Business Challenges:
With a vast array of carriers, differing formats, and separate country-specific sheets, finding the right rate and terms required significant manual effort
Staff needed to repeatedly calculate load meter metrics by hand, extending processing times and increasing the risk of inaccuracies
Without a single source of truth, operations struggled to quickly compare carriers, slowing down the quoting process and impacting customer responsiveness
As demands grew, the company’s reliance on manual methods made it difficult to scale operations or handle surges in shipping requests
Our Solution:
Users simply input shipment dimensions, weights, and destination details. The system instantly calculated the LDM without manual intervention
We programmed the tool to ingest data from the different carrier sheets, normalizing formats and creating a centralized, searchable database
With a single click, the platform displayed all carrier rates side-by-side, highlighting the most cost-effective option and providing a comprehensive cost breakdown
The solution featured an intuitive dashboard that allowed staff to quickly generate quotes, reduce handling time, and maintain high service quality
Business Value:
By automating tedious calculations and consolidating carrier data, the company’s staff could focus on higher-value tasks and customer engagement
Eliminating manual data entry and referencing ensured more reliable quotes, reducing errors that could erode trust and profitability
Instantaneous comparisons meant faster quotes, improving customer satisfaction and increasing the likelihood of securing new business
With a flexible, automated system at its core, the transport mediator could easily expand its carrier network and handle increased shipment volumes
Ascend team worked on client's business needs and achieved the following results
The quoting process was accelerated by over 60%, allowing faster turnaround times for client requests
Automated calculations and standardized data formats significantly minimized pricing discrepancies and booking mistakes
Quicker, more accurate quotes translated into improved client confidence and a measurable increase in accepted proposals
The streamlined process enabled the company to handle a larger volume of requests without additional staffing needs
