Freight Request for Pricing

Conducting an Effective Transportation RFP

Full Truckload

freight rfp

Spot Market Benchmark

Compare your costs to the current spot market rates.

3pl rfp

Contract Rate Benchmark

Benchmark your current rates against TLI's contracted rate network.

rfp freight

Optimization Analysis

After a pricing request, an optimization analysis finds cost-saving opportunities through smarter routing, mode choices, and shipment consolidation.

Less than Truckload

freight rfp

Blanket Rate Benchmark

Analyze your current data against TLI's blanket contracts.

trucking rfp

Custom Contracts

A formal request for pricing from  regional and national carriers.

rfp in logistics

Lowest Cost Analysis

Our team provides different analysis scenarios based off lowest cost, service levels, and more. We give you the tools to make an informed decision.

Request for Pricing

We may require a data sample of your shipment history to build a shipper profile.

RFP Form Fill

Transportation RFP Process

At TLI our Transportation RFP (Request for Proposal) service is designed to optimize how shippers compare motor carrier rates, benchmark contracts, and source reliable partners across all modes of transportation. Whether you're managing LTL or FTL we help you launch competitive bids that result in lower rates and better service.


Our team manages the entire RFP process for you—from data cleansing to final analysis—so you can focus on strategy, not spreadsheets.

Benefit Description
Cost Savings On average, clients reduce transportation costs by 10–15%.
Time Efficiency Avoid the hassle of manual spot quotes—our team manages every detail.
Transparency Apples-to-apples bid comparison across all carriers and modes.
Carrier Quality We vet all participants through Highway, TIA Watchdog, and DOT tools to protect your executive team.
Strategic Insight Our TMS generates actionable reports, not just spreadsheets.

01

Initial Meeting

Discuss what you need in your transportation program.

02

Data Analysis

Our team will rate and/or source pricing on your behalf.

03

Proposal

After creating scenarios, our team will present our options for your shipping.

04

Start Shipping

Get started with TLI with quick onboarding.

Items to Consider when Launching an RFP:

What do Carriers Care About?

Carriers pricing technology has significantly improved which enables them to use analytics to measure operating cost, such as calculating the space component to investigate how loaded or dense the cube is.  “Load-ability” lets carriers qualify if your freight fits or stacks ideally with other shippers’ pallets. 


Carriers want to ensure assets and drivers are not tied up, and this has a direct impact on pricing. Pickup & delivery windows, along with the distance from your facility to the local terminal along with the amount of time a driver spends on-site will all factor into the pricing equation.  Carriers have even asked on a recent truckload bid – are drivers allowed to use the shipper’s restroom?


What is meant by Risk?

We must not forget about the risk component! Not all freight is equal, for example even though granite countertops are dense, they still have high cargo liability cost.  Carriers will have concerns over whether the shipper is moving freight that presents excess claims risk, and this directly correlates to how well the freight is packaged along with the overall shippers’ claim ratio. 


Carriers need to balance the physical demands of the driver and those expectations all ahead of time for accurate pricing, as worker’s compensation is also a serious concern.  For example, if there is a heavy snow fall, and that driver needs to tarp that flatbed the premium may be higher than a sunny spring day, if it is not included on the bid launch.

Another important consideration for shippers to remember, is what to do when the RFP results arrive back? Different discount ratios are not very helpful when the bases are all over the place. It is important to partner with a logistics solutions provider who have a rating engine to run simulations for you to keep the pricing comparisons all-in & who can swap in/out carrier contracts based off your actual historical spend.


The Pricing Golden Rule

Shippers may have clients that require unique accessorials such as excess length, hazmat or lift gate services.  It is important to have logistics experts at TLI extract this data to uniquely tailor the contracts to the accessorials that are regularly used. 


The golden rule that carriers live by, is “if I have to guess, I have to hedge.” The pricing for shippers is tedious and poorly managed when measured manually on a shipment-by-shipment basis. This is a sophisticated data-driven market now and to get the ideal pricing it is time to customize it to your supply chain profile. It is important to delegate the RFP to a managed transportation provider like Translogistics that know the shippers best interest, and know what carriers need to price competitively. An expert like TLI also keeps their eye on the market.  Seasonality, along with carrier capacity lead to massive volatility within the logistics industry, knowing when to launch the bid is just as important as knowing what to include within it. 


TLI BUILT TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

ViewPoint TMS

We think your TMS should be simple and easy. So we've created a TMS friendly to everyone.

Instant Quote Across All Modes

Designed to simplify quoting across multiple modes, ViewPoint compares costs and transit times for small parcel, less-than-truckload (LTL), and truckload—all in one place.

Auto-Tendering Capabilities

Connected with Less-than-Truckload carriers systems, instantly book your shiopment. No more calling or emailing carriers to setup your pickup.

Simplified Tracking

Connect to carriers with EDI/API technology to receive up-to-date tracking information. Access tracking updates, set email notifications, and share public tracking links for your customers.

Generate and Access Reports

ViewPoint uses multiple reporting features to help you gain visibility into your shipments. Automate tracking reports, gain insights through Power BI, and unlock full visibility into your supply chain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are many common questions we get concerning logistics RFP management.

  • What is a Transportation RFP?

    A Transportation RFP is a structured process where a 3PL invites multiple motor carriers to submit bids for shipper specific freight lanes based around volume commitments. This enables you, as a shipper, to:


    • Benchmark current carrier rates
    • Validate incumbent pricing
    • Discover new carrier options
    • Improve service coverage and response times
    • Deploy a national and regional pricing strategy

    TLI makes this freight RFP process easy, accurate, and data-driven.



  • How long does it take to launch an RFP with TLI?

    If the data is provided properly from the shipper on the front end. Typically it takes the carriers 2-3 weeks to price accordingly. Within another two weeks of contracts being published shippers can begin routing freight using their new custom contracts.

  • What if I do not like the carriers you come back with?

    The customer is always right! TLI runs simulations through the rating engine & can provide you scenarios with your existing spend priced out against any carrier options you care to include.

  • Why am I being asked for dimensions?

    While this is not important in the truckload RFPs, in the less-than-truckload market dimensions are used to determine class. Dimensions help carriers have accurate cube/density data so they develop an accurate pricing program.

  • Why are you asking me for pictures of my freight?

    Carriers want to see the packaging & configuration. Red flags to carriers would be overhang, not enough banding or lack of corner boards.  Having proper protection of your precious cargo will ensure that the freight moves through the network claim free.

  • Why are you asking for three months of shipment data?

    Carriers want to see if vendors or consignees are already customers within their network.  They want to get visibility of lanes and customize the hundred weight pricing aggressively based off excess capacity.  Different markets have different labor cost, and weather so these factors collectively impact the price.  Using historical data will also enable a true comparison, as the existing sample can be rated against the new contracts, so you know the savings or price impact to the penny.

  • How can I be a Shipper of Choice?

    Always provide accurate information when routing your freight. Package your pallets well. Leverage data that a managed transportation provider can equip you with to consolidate loads.  Pay your invoices within your net terms. Be respectful to drivers!

  • What makes TLI’s RFP service different from a standard freight broker?

    Unlike many freight brokers who only offer FTL brokerage on niche lanes, TLI provides full managed transportation across all modes—LTL, FTL, parcel, expedited, and intermodal. We also offer freight claims management, freight invoice auditing, and use dynamic routing guides to continuously optimize freight flows—not just populate static rate sheets.

  • How are carriers vetted during the RFP process?

    Every carrier is screened through TIA Watchdog, Highway, and DOT databases to ensure they have their operating authority. We review the data in Highway such as safety history, and validate addresses to prevent fraud or the risk of double-brokering. Only thoroughly vetted and compliant carriers are invited to bid.

  • Can TLI help us benchmark existing carrier contracts?

    Yes, this is a very economical service. We can load your current contracts into our TMS, simulate pricing against market bids, and identify savings opportunities. This helps you validate incumbent carriers or justify change with hard data.

  • Is this service only for large shippers?

    No. While we serve large publically traded enterprise clients, our RFP services are scalable for mid-sized businesses too. Whether you manage 50 lanes or 5, we help you source smarter and save more.

Still have a question?

Reach out to our experts!

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