Managed Transportation for Manufacturers & Distributors
We manage the freight.
You manage the business.
You built a manufacturing business, not a logistics operation. TLI takes full ownership of your freight program. We handle carrier procurement, invoice auditing, routing, and claims so your team can focus on what actually grows your company.
30+
Years managing shipper freight programs
12%+
Average freight savings
$0
Cost to access ViewPoint TMS
5
Core services included in managed program
The Real Problem
Your team is managing freight.
It should be managing growth.
Your team's time is your most expensive freight cost. TLI takes the carriers, invoices, and vendor routing off their plate entirely. What they do with that time is up to you.
WITHOUT TLI
Your team owns all of this
- Manually auditing hundreds of invoices for billing errors
- Calling carriers to chase delayed shipments
- Managing routing guide compliance for every vendor
- Filing and following up on cargo claims
- Running annual carrier RFPs from scratch
- Building reports from disconnected spreadsheets
- Reacting to freight surprises with no data to prevent them
WITH TLI
TLI owns all of this
- Automated invoice auditing catches every overcharge before you pay
- TLI operations team routes, tracks, and resolves exceptions
- Vendor routing compliance managed directly by TLI
- Claims filed, documented, and recovered by TLI
- Annual carrier bids managed and negotiated on your behalf
- Power BI dashboards, always current, always accessible
- Monthly reviews with your account manager, no surprises
DEFINITION
What is managed transportation?
Managed transportation is when a manufacturer, distributor, or importer outsources the strategy, technology, and daily execution of their freight program to a 3PL that acts as a dedicated extension of their team.
Freight brokerage covers a shipment. Managed transportation covers your operation. TLI owns the carrier relationships, handles the invoices, manages the exceptions, and reports the data. You see the results without doing the work.
How It Works
From first call to fully delegated — in weeks.
The hardest part of outsourcing freight is gathering data. TLI's onboarding is designed to go live fast with minimal disruption to your current operations.
01
DISCOVERY
02
Analysis
03
Proposal
04
Go Live
Most clients are fully operational within 2–4 weeks of signed agreement.
What's Included
What TLI handles — so you don't have to.
Every TLI managed transportation program includes all five of these services. Not as add-ons. Not as upgrades. As the standard.
ViewPoint TMS
Enterprise TMS at no cost. Real-time visibility, carrier selection, invoice management, and Power BI analytics that are all in one place.
Operations Team
TLI schedules carriers, tracks shipments, manages exceptions, and runs your inbound vendor routing program.
Freight Audit
Every invoice audited automatically. Reweighs, reclassifications, added accessorials are all caught and mitigated before you pay.
Cargo Claims
TLI files, documents, and follows up on every claim. You stop tracking; we start recovering.
Analytics & Reviews
Monthly or quarterly account reviews with your dedicated manager. Spend by lane, carrier KPIs, and trend analysis on demand.
Carrier Procurement
TLI launches your annual RFP, benchmarks rates, and negotiates custom contracts so you have the best carrier network built around your lanes.
Client Results
What delegation actually delivers.
33+ years of managed freight programs. Here's what that experience produces for manufacturers and distributors.
3.5%
LTL freight recovered annually
A leading materials supplier was overpaying on LTL due to carrier billing errors and inconsistent routing. TLI deployed freight audit and routing guide enforcement, recovering 3.5% in annual freight costs and delivering consistent KPI reporting for the first time.
↑ CSAT
Customer satisfaction + visibility gained
A contract chemical supplier struggled with carrier inconsistency, no freight cost visibility, and a team overwhelmed by logistics admin. TLI's managed program gave leadership a real-time view of transportation spend and eliminated the daily operational firefighting.
Ready for a Proven Strategy?
Get a free analysis of your freight spend. We'll show you exactly how TLI can support you, and what it's worth.
What to Expect:
Initial Meeting
Data Analysis
Official Proposal
Go Live / Onboarding
Continuous Optimization
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about managed transportation.
What is managed transportation in logistics?
Managed transportation is a full-service freight program run by a 3PL on your behalf. Your partner handles carrier procurement, routing guides, invoice auditing, shipment tracking, and claims. Shippers get the data, the savings, and the time back.
What's the difference between managed transportation and freight brokerage?
Freight brokerage is transactional, meaning a broker covers individual shipments on a spot basis. Managed transportation is a strategic, ongoing program. The 3PL manages your entire freight operation: carrier contracts, invoice auditing, inbound routing, claims, and reporting. Brokerage provides capacity; managed transportation provides control, data, and continuous cost reduction.
What does a managed transportation provider do on a daily basis?
On a daily basis, TLI's operations team routes and schedules shipments, coordinates with carriers, manages delivery exceptions, tracks inbound vendor compliance, and processes freight invoices through automated audit. Shippers receive real-time shipment visibility through ViewPoint TMS without having to manage any of these tasks themselves.
How much does managed transportation cost?
TLI's managed transportation programs are custom-quoted based on freight volume, mode mix, and service scope. TLI includes ViewPoint TMS access at no additional cost. Many clients find that freight savings generated through invoice auditing and carrier procurement offset the total program cost typically within the first year. Contact TLI for a freight analysis and custom proposal.
How long does it take to implement a managed transportation program?
TLI's onboarding process typically moves from discovery call to go-live in 2–4 weeks. This includes freight data analysis, program design, TMS setup, carrier onboarding, and team introductions. The process is designed to be minimally disruptive to current shipping operations.
What size company benefits from managed transportation?
Managed transportation programs typically deliver the strongest ROI for manufacturers, distributors, importers, and wholesalers with at least $1M or more in annual freight spend. Companies managing multiple modes (LTL, FTL, intermodal), complex inbound vendor programs, or high invoice volumes are especially strong candidates.
Can I keep my current carriers when switching to managed transportation?
Yes. TLI evaluates existing carrier relationships during onboarding. Carriers with strong performance and competitive rates remain in the routing guide. TLI adds value by benchmarking those rates, filling network gaps, and managing the annual RFP process to ensure the best carrier mix for your freight profile.
What is ViewPoint TMS and is it included?
ViewPoint is TLI's proprietary Transportation Management System. It provides real-time shipment tracking, multi-carrier rate comparison, freight claim submission, automated invoice auditing, and access to Microsoft Power BI analytics dashboards. ViewPoint TMS is included at no additional cost for all TLI managed transportation clients.
Save on Freight Cost Today!
According to research highlighted by ARC Advisory Group, 32% of surveyed shippers achieved freight cost reductions exceeding 12%. These savings were driven by improved transportation planning, carrier management, freight bill auditing, shipment consolidation, and ongoing supply chain optimization.

At TLI, our Managed Transportation Services help manufacturers and distributors gain greater control over freight spend through carrier procurement, freight audit and payment, inbound vendor routing compliance, shipment consolidation, routing guide management, and transportation analytics. The result is a more efficient supply chain, reduced administrative burden, and improved transportation performance.
Source:
ARC Advisory Group, "Managed Transportation ROI Keeps on Truckin."
The difference
Choosing the right shipping solution starts with understanding the difference between managed transportation and freight brokerage. TLI offers both, tailored to fit your needs. While both support the movement of goods, freight brokerage connects shippers with carriers for individual shipments, whereas managed transportation provides full-spectrum oversight of your transportation operations.
Freight Brokerage
A short-term strategy to source capacity for an individual shipment. involves quickly assessing available carriers based on the shipment's specific needs, such as route, timing, and load size.
Managed Logistics
A long-term strategy for managing your transportation program starts with evaluating your current needs, setting key performance metrics, and creating a plan that supports your business goals.