Frequently asked questions.
For freight brokers, 3PLs, and forwarders evaluating Simple Freight.
Product
What exactly is Simple Freight?
An AI middleware that automates the freight quoting workflow. It reads inbound emails, extracts freight details, follows up on missing data, and submits structured quote requests to your TMS, then sends the rate back to the customer. We're the layer between unstructured email and your structured systems.
Is this a TMS replacement?
No. We sit on top of your existing TMS. If you run Oracle OTM, Blue Yonder, MercuryGate, McLeod, or anything else with an API, we work with it.
What kinds of freight does it handle?
Standard LTL, FTL, and pallet movements are quoted automatically. Over-dimensional, heavy haulage, multi-stop, hazmat, and specialized timing jobs are escalated to your brokers with all the data already gathered.
How accurate is the parsing?
The AI handles the unstructured-text part. The actual rate calculation is done by your TMS, using your contracted rate cards. So the rate is as accurate as your TMS. Simple Freight just makes sure the right inputs get there.
Setup and integration
How long does setup take?
Most brokerages are live in under 30 days. The work is on us: connecting your inbox, mapping your TMS API, ingesting your customer list from your CRM, and tuning escalation rules.
Will I need a developer?
No. We handle the integration. If your TMS exposes an API, we'll plug into it. If it doesn't, we'll work with you on alternatives.
Can I test it on a small slice first?
Yes. Most clients start by routing a single customer or a single sales alias through Simple Freight, watch the results for two weeks, then expand.
Risk and control
Who's liable if the AI sends out a bad quote?
Hard guardrails (margin floors, quote ceilings, customer-specific rules) sit outside the language model and are deterministic. Anything outside those bounds escalates to a human before it ever reaches the customer. You stay in control of every binding number.
What happens if the system goes down?
Inbound emails queue. Nothing gets lost. When we come back up, the queue clears in order.
Where does my data live?
On secure cloud infrastructure. LLM calls go through zero-retention enterprise APIs. Your customer emails are not used to train shared models. Full data export and deletion on request.
Customers and relationships
Will my customers know they're talking to AI?
The agent writes professional emails, not chatbot fluff. Most shippers can't tell the difference. We can also brand replies as "the [Yourbrokerage] team" or "Sarah on the dispatch desk." Your call.
What if a customer wants to talk to a human?
The agent recognises that intent and hands off immediately. We're not in the business of trapping people in AI loops.
Pricing
Why $1 per quote?
Because that's the only model that lets you respond to every RFQ, including the small ones, without it being a labor tax. Manual quotes cost you $19 each in loaded labor. We cost a dollar.
Is there a contract?
Month-to-month. Cancel anytime.
What about quote caps or rate limits?
None. The system scales with your volume.