Mid-size Shippers: Calculate How Much You Can Save On Freight By Implementing Software

Progress is all about getting things done better and quicker. And with recent advances in technology, the possibilities in terms of progress are endless. Take your freight management, for example. Once you break down the individual activities involved in the organizing of shipments, you’ll realize the incredible opportunity to save massive amounts of money and time, while gaining access to invaluable insights. 

This can have a powerfully positive impact on your life, freeing you up for more high-value activities, while driving a positive and lasting shift in your business's financial performance. 

We’ll take a closer look at what this process currently looks like for you, and then explore ways to streamline it completely. 

What The Process Looks Like Currently

Here’s the typical process a midsize shipper experiences when trying to move goods from one point to another. While you may not relate to every single point, we’re sure the overall process resonates with you.

Step 1: Identifying your Shipment Needs

You identify the items that need to be shipped, including volume, weight, dimensions, and delivery requirements.

You gather the required documentation, such as BOLs, shipping instructions, and compliance paperwork.

Step 2: Sourcing a Carrier

Now begins the manual process of sourcing a carrier. You contact several carriers individually to gather quotes. This might involve calling or emailing them directly, visiting carrier websites to check pricing and availability, or contacting a broker. 

You’ll then need to compare the rates, usually on a spreadsheet based on emails you’ve received, with little additional information to go on. 

Step 3: Scheduling the Pickup

Once a carrier is selected, you need to coordinate a pickup. This involves back-and-forth communication via email or phone to finalize details such as pickup times and loading requirements. 

Step 4: Tracking the Shipment

Shipment tracking is often limited. You might need to rely on calling carriers for status updates, or checking tracking numbers on carrier websites. Any delays are often discovered so late that it’s exceedingly difficult – if not impossible – to make alternate arrangements. 

Step 5: Billing and Record Keeping

The process of manual invoice reconciliation can be draining. Once the shipment is delivered, you receive your invoice, which needs to be manually compared against quotes and delivery confirmations to ensure accuracy.

And where do you store your shipment records? These are usually kept in spreadsheets, email threads, or physical files, making it challenging to analyze trends or identify cost-saving opportunities.

Key Challenges in This Process

To summarize the key challenges faced by midsize shippers like you: 

1. Time-Intensive: The manual coordination of quotes, bookings, and tracking consumes significant time and labor.
2. Limited Visibility: Without a centralized system, tracking shipments and anticipating problems is difficult.
3. Error-Prone: Manual data entry and communication increase the risk of errors, such as incorrect rates or miscommunications with carriers.
4. Missed Savings: Shippers may not have the tools to analyze costs effectively, leading to higher freight spend over time.
5. Scalability Issues: As shipment volumes grow, the manual process becomes increasingly unsustainable.

How Portex Solves These Challenges with a Centralized Platform

Portex transforms freight management by centralizing and automating every step of the process, offering a seamless solution for midsize shippers. Here's how it addresses key issues:

1. Save Time with Instant Carrier Sourcing and Booking

Portex eliminates the need for manual carrier outreach by providing instant access to real-time rates from a curated carrier network. All quoting, booking, and scheduling are handled in one place, reducing the back-and-forth of traditional methods.

2. Reduce Errors with Automation

Shipment details and documentation are automatically populated, reducing human errors in booking and record-keeping. Portex ensures consistency across shipments, from generating BOLs to reconciling invoices.

3. Optimize Freight Spend

Easily compare rates from multiple carriers, selecting the best options for cost and transit time. Portex provides actionable analytics on lanes, costs, and carrier performance, driving better decision-making.

4. Scale Effortlessly

Portex is designed to handle growing shipment volumes without requiring additional resources. Access a broad and reliable network of carriers, allowing you to scale operations seamlessly.

How Much Real Customers Have Saved with Portex

Portex empowers businesses to optimize their shipping budgets with real-time automated cost analysis, communication, and tracking. Here's how some real customers have transformed their freight operations:

Chancey Metals

Industry: Metal Fabrication
Cost Savings: 20%
Time Savings: 3 hours 40 minutes per day
Transportation Spend: $100k–$200k/year
Volume: 15–30 FTL/LTL monthly

"If you want to save time and be more efficient, go with Portex all day long. Best system I’ve ever used and the most user-friendly."
— David Perez, Logistics Manager

Community Coffee

Industry: Food & Beverage
Cost Savings: 20%
Time Savings: Up to 25 hours per week
Transportation Spend: $3M–$5M/year
Volume: 150–300 FTL per month

"Good customer service and making sure deliveries are on time are my #1 priority. Portex has reduced 100 emails a week from my inbox, making it way easier to track and resolve issues quickly."
— Jacob Haydel, Transportation Supervisor

Armorock

Industry: Building Materials
Cost Savings: Tracking to $1.5 million over the first year
Time Savings: 9 hours 30 minutes per day
Transportation Spend: $6M–$8M/year
Volume: 150–200 loads per month

"You have no idea the impact Portex has made; it has improved my quality of work-life tenfold. It’s reduced the amount of time I spent quoting from 10 hours to just 30 minutes."
— Nichole Caldwell, Corporate Logistics Manager

Franklin Foods

Industry: Food & Beverage
Cost Savings: $250,000 first-year savings
Time Savings: 4 hours 30 minutes per day
Transportation Spend: $8M/year
Volume: 100+ multi-stop FTL shipments per month

"Portex reduces stress for my team—the transportation managers are happier, more productive, and make fewer mistakes. They and our partner carriers found Portex to be very intuitive and easy to use."
— Doug Jenkins, Transportation Manager

Pacific Southwest Container

Industry: Packaging
Cost Savings: $2 million over 13 months
Time Savings: 3 hours 40 minutes per day
Transportation Spend: $3M–$4M/year
Volume: 50+ FTL per month

"Portex completely changed our process. It’s now easier to get competitive pricing in a hurry. We’ve reduced our spend by over $2 million over the last 13 months by leveraging the platform."
— Steve Bardonner, Transportation Manager

These success stories highlight the power of Portex in helping companies reduce costs, save time, and improve operational efficiency. With a centralized platform, businesses of all sizes can unlock similar benefits tailored to their unique freight needs.

Calculate How Much You Can Save with a Centralized Platform

A centralized solution has the potential to save significant amounts of time and money while delivering insights that empower you to make better decisions. Let’s explore how you can measure these potential benefits for your business.

1. Time Savings

Estimate the hours your team spends weekly on freight tasks like sourcing quotes, booking shipments, and tracking orders. A great place to start is talking to your frontline workers, and having controllers or transport managers involved in the process. Involving these key personnel from the beginning also helps with effective adoption of the product.  

A centralized platform like Portex can reduce these manual efforts by up to 80%, giving your team the bandwidth to focus on more strategic, high-value activities. For example:

• Quoting and booking tasks that take hours can be reduced to minutes
• Shipment tracking and issue resolution are managed proactively, saving additional time

2. Cost Reductions

Analyze your current freight spend. By leveraging Portex's real-time rate comparisons and automated processes, businesses typically achieve a 10-15% reduction in transportation costs. This is achieved through:

• Selecting the most cost-effective carriers for each shipment
• Reducing errors that lead to overcharges or unnecessary expenses
• Gaining visibility into key cost drivers

3. Increased Operational Efficiency

Consider your shipment volume and the scalability challenges of your current process. Portex simplifies operations, allowing you to handle more shipments without increasing resources. With tools like automated documentation and centralized tracking, your team’s workload stays manageable even as business scales.

4. Enhanced Decision-Making

Portex’s analytics tools provide actionable insights into your shipping trends, carrier performance, and cost breakdowns. These insights help you:

• Identify long-term savings opportunities
• Negotiate better contracts with carriers
• Improve service levels and customer satisfaction

See the Results for Yourself: Imagine the impact of cutting hours of manual work each day and saving thousands or even millions of dollars annually. Portex can provide a detailed analysis of your freight operations to show exactly how much you could save, giving you a clear path toward operational excellence.

Ready to transform your freight management? Let Portex help you uncover hidden savings and take control of your logistics with confidence. Get started with Portex here.

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