Share this
What It Takes to Build a Complete TMS: The ShipperGuide TMS Story
From Procurement to Pay: The Evolution of Loadsmart’s ShipperGuide TMS
2021: Listening First - Building RFP Guide
When Loadsmart launched its first digital tool for shippers, it wasn’t called ShipperGuide, and it wasn’t a transportation management system yet. It was RFPGuide, a focused tool built to solve a clear problem for enterprise shippers: freight procurement. In 2020, RFPs were clunky, inconsistent, and time-consuming. So, we built a logistics-native tool to make the process faster and more consistent. That one use case was the start of everything that came next.
As Loadsmart grew from a tech-enabled brokerage to a logistics software provider, we stayed close to our customers and kept building. With every new challenge they shared, we adjusted our roadmap. What we heard next was direct: they needed more than procurement. They needed to act on rates, book shipments, and manage day-to-day execution. Customers like Red Gold, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Athletic Brewing, and Cabot Creamery joined us early and helped shape what came next.
Over four years, RFPGuide became ShipperGuide TMS: a transportation management tool that supports every phase of the shipment lifecycle, from procurement and execution to tracking, analytics, and now, freight audit and pay.
Here’s the story of how we got here—and why that evolution matters for shippers who want a right-fit TMS built with their needs in mind.
2022: From Procurement Tool to Execution Platform
By 2021, it was clear that shippers needed more than just a better way to run RFPs. They needed a platform where they could act on awarded rates, book loads, and manage shipments without jumping between platforms. So we started expanding RFP Guide into a lite version of a TMS.
We introduced execution features like load booking, carrier communication, and document management. These additions transformed RFP Guide from a procurement tool into a system that could support end-to-end shipment execution.
As the product grew, so did our user base and their influence. Many of our earliest enterprise shippers guided the roadmap with feedback rooted in real operational challenges.
That ongoing feedback made the next step clear. We weren’t just building add-ons, we were building the foundation for a complete transportation management system, one designed around how shippers actually work. So we kept building.
2022: Expanding Mode Support and Functionalities
In 2022, we expanded ShipperGuide to serve as a front-end for our brokerage, enabling us to support more freight modes beyond truckload. By integrating our brokerage’s capacity and carrier relationships, we were able to expand our platform to support additional modes including LTL, intermodal, and drayage.
Multimodal support gave logistics teams a consistent workflow, better cost control, and fewer handoffs. We introduced tools to compare rates, optimize carrier and rate selection, and quickly book the right carrier, all in one place. To support this, we added features like in-transit tracking, carrier scorecards, and centralized document storage for greater visibility and control.
For customers like Red Gold, this shift was a game-changer. Instead of managing shipments across disconnected systems, they could plan, book, and track everything in one place - no matter the mode.
We also focused on expanding our network of integrated partners, connecting ShipperGuide to ERPs, visibility providers, and financial tools. This made it possible to sync data across planning and execution, reducing manual entry and keeping records aligned.
2023: Driving Efficiency through Automation and Data Insights
After building the foundation for end-to-end execution across modes, 2023 was about helping teams move faster with fewer steps and fewer errors. We did this through introducing new automated capabilities, including auto-tendering and integrated tracking, which helps shippers handle high volumes with less manual work.
It was also the year we launched Co-Pilot, an AI-driven natural language interface that lets users ask questions like “Who were my most expensive carriers last quarter?” and get instant, tailored answers.
With automation and real-time insights working together, logistics teams gained the speed and visibility they needed to operate with more precision and confidence.
2024: The Full Picture
By 2024, we delivered on the original vision: a next gen transportation management system that empowers shippers across every stage of the shipment lifecycle, from planning to settlement.
We launched a Developer Portal to make integrations simple and scalable. Whether connecting to an ERP, WMS, or OMS, shippers can now sync their systems directly to ShipperGuide TMS. This reduces manual entry, makes shipment data easier to find, and helps users act on exceptions faster.
We also introduced FreightIntel AI, an analytics tool that works like a senior analyst on your team. It uses your transportation data and Loadsmart’s benchmarking data to find insights you can use—like spotting carrier overuse, missed consolidation, or mode shifts—without spending hours digging.
Focus on ROI
Saving time is helpful, but most teams aren't cutting headcount just because a tool saves a few clicks. We focus on where savings actually show up:
-
Running smaller, more targeted bids with mini-RFPs
-
Choosing the right mode to reduce shipment costs
-
Identifying overbilling through invoice review
With the first two already in use, we turned our attention to the last: freight audit and pay.
Freight Audit & Pay
Any TMS can help you move freight. Great ones help you reconcile it.
Our Freight Audit & Pay tool gives teams one place to compare invoices to expected charges, resolve discrepancies, and handle payments. No need for extra systems or extra headcount.
It comes baked into ShipperGuide TMS; no add-ons are required.
Key features include:
- Invoice comparison: View expected charges next to carrier invoices in one click
- Discrepancy resolution: Flag mismatches, choose a dispute reason, and start an in-app conversation
- Auto-approvals: Set smart thresholds by mode—dollar or percentage—and let the system handle approvals
- Document capture: Carriers upload invoices and PODs directly to the platform, keeping everything connected
- Settlement dashboard: Track statuses from Pending Review to Ready to Pay, with easy CSV exports
- Real-time alerts: Carriers and reps get notified automatically when disputes are opened
This tool helps teams catch errors, recover money, and avoid chasing paper trails - making your transportation team not just faster, but stronger.
Built with Customers, for Customers
ShipperGuide TMS wasn’t built in a vacuum. It came from real conversations with real logistics teams, the ones trying to make sense of a thousand moving parts every day. Multimodal support, automation, freight audit and pay — none of that came from guesswork. We built it because our customers asked for it.
And we keep it simple. No surprise charges. No setup fees. Open system access, invoice tools, and carrier automation are all included.
We believe software should make the job easier, not harder. ShipperGuide TMS is built to match how logistics teams already work—just faster and better organized.
2025: Building a Logistics Ecosystem that Connects the Dots
Now that the core platform is in place, we’re focused on the bigger picture — helping logistics teams connect everything. We are creating a logistics ecosystem.
Shippers need transportation systems that can handle more, from parcel management to yard visibility and tracking. That’s why the best TMS platforms are designed to work together with other tools, not try to replace them.
ShipperGuide TMS is part of an ecosystem of solutions offered by Loadsmart, including Opendock for scheduling, NavTrac for yard visibility, and our own brokerage and rate marketplace for added capacity. Whether your team is planning, booking, scheduling, tracking, or reconciling freight, ShipperGuide TMS fits into your workflow. It works with the systems you already use and can serve as your go-to platform. Either way, it keeps everything connected.
This year, we’re expanding these connections so systems talk to each other more clearly. That means better visibility, less duplicate work, and fewer delays. When tools are connected, teams move faster.
Whether you move 100 loads a day or 10,000, the future of logistics is connected. And ShipperGuide TMS is leading the way.
What’s Next
The freight market keeps shifting, and we’ll keep building. With a complete foundation, ShipperGuide TMS is ready to support the next generation of logistics teams.
Want to see how it all fits together? Let’s take a look.
Request a demo or see how Red Gold uses ShipperGuide TMS.
Share this
- Loadsmart Blog (156)
- Blog (116)
- Shipper (103)
- Market Trends (92)
- Enterprise Shipper (69)
- Carrier (66)
- News (63)
- Data Insights (51)
- Thought Leadership (45)
- Warehouse (40)
- SMB Shipper (38)
- Our Partners (34)
- ShipperGuide TMS (33)
- Opendock (29)
- Product Updates (29)
- Mode Optimization (25)
- Loadsmart (22)
- Case Study (18)
- Mid-Market Shipper (18)
- Brokerage Services (14)
- Managed Transportation (11)
- Video (9)
- Award (7)
- FreightIntel AI (5)
- Instant Execution (4)
- Asset (3)
- Food and Beverage (3)
- Freight Management (3)
- Logistics Solutions (3)
- YMS (3)
- eBook (3)
- 4PL (2)
- NavTrac (2)
- Podcast (2)
- Yard Management System (2)
- Cold Storage (1)
- International (1)
- Paper Packaging (1)
- Retail (1)
- Transportation Management System (1)
- UK (1)
- May 2025 (4)
- April 2025 (6)
- March 2025 (3)
- February 2025 (11)
- January 2025 (5)
- December 2024 (4)
- November 2024 (4)
- October 2024 (11)
- September 2024 (11)
- August 2024 (5)
- July 2024 (5)
- June 2024 (9)
- May 2024 (7)
- April 2024 (6)
- March 2024 (2)
- February 2024 (2)
- January 2024 (5)
- December 2023 (6)
- November 2023 (2)
- October 2023 (12)
- September 2023 (5)
- August 2023 (3)
- July 2023 (4)
- June 2023 (10)
- May 2023 (5)
- April 2023 (5)
- March 2023 (7)
- February 2023 (5)
- January 2023 (7)
- December 2022 (4)
- November 2022 (13)
- October 2022 (4)
- September 2022 (7)
- August 2022 (11)
- July 2022 (6)
- June 2022 (5)
- May 2022 (2)
- April 2022 (4)
- March 2022 (6)
- February 2022 (7)
- January 2022 (9)
- December 2021 (3)
- November 2021 (5)
- October 2021 (7)
- September 2021 (2)
- August 2021 (2)
- July 2021 (4)
- June 2021 (6)
- May 2021 (6)
- April 2021 (5)
- March 2021 (8)
- February 2021 (3)
- January 2021 (3)
- December 2020 (7)
- November 2020 (9)
- October 2020 (7)
- September 2020 (6)
- August 2020 (10)
- July 2020 (8)
- June 2020 (3)
- May 2020 (1)
- April 2020 (2)
- March 2020 (2)
- February 2020 (1)
- January 2020 (1)
- November 2019 (2)
- October 2019 (1)
- September 2019 (2)
- August 2019 (3)
- July 2019 (2)
- June 2019 (2)
- May 2019 (3)
- March 2019 (1)
- February 2019 (3)
- December 2018 (1)
- November 2018 (2)
- October 2018 (1)
- September 2018 (2)
- August 2018 (1)
- July 2018 (1)
- June 2018 (3)
- May 2018 (4)
- April 2018 (1)
- February 2018 (1)
- January 2018 (4)
- November 2017 (1)
- October 2017 (2)
- June 2017 (1)
- May 2017 (2)
- April 2017 (1)
- February 2017 (1)
- January 2017 (2)
- October 2016 (1)
- August 2016 (1)
- July 2016 (2)
- June 2016 (1)
- March 2016 (1)
- January 2016 (1)
- December 2015 (3)
- November 2015 (2)
- October 2015 (6)
- July 2015 (1)
- June 2015 (1)
- April 2015 (2)
- March 2015 (13)
- February 2015 (17)
- January 2015 (15)
- December 2014 (35)
- November 2014 (26)
- October 2014 (60)
- September 2014 (2)