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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
This tool helps teams catch errors, recover money, and avoid chasing paper trails - making your transportation team not just faster, but stronger.
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.
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.
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.