Convoy introduces new free TMS

Seattle-based digital freight broker Convoy announced today it has rolled out a new free Transportation Management System (TMS) equipped with pre-configured access to Convoy’s high-quality carrier network.

Entitled, Convoy Connect, company officials said that this TMS enables shippers to manage all of their existing carriers and also provide them with instant access to Convoy’s capacity with guaranteed, real-time pricing.

Lindsay Watt, head of product for Convoy Connect, told LM that there were a few different factors that led to the rollout of this offering.

“Our customers continuously asked us to expand the Convoy experience to their entire carrier network,” explained Watt. “They wanted help moving away from spreadsheets and emails as their primary way of managing freight, while also getting the ease and efficiency of Convoy’s instant booking.  We launched Convoy Connect to provide customers a single, free tool to manage and book all their freight, across all their carriers, including immediate access to Convoy’s network.”

As for the benefits Convoy Connect provides shippers, Watt cited two benefits compared to what they had before.

“First, their tendering process is dramatically accelerated because what was previously a time-consuming process done by email and spreadsheet is now done in seconds via Connect. What took hours a day now takes minutes,” he said. “Secondly, when shippers need to find additional capacity it is now instantaneously available via Convoy's network.”

As for the biggest competitive advantages of Convoy Connect from the company’s perspective, Watt pointed out that Convoy Connect is free and gives shippers access to Convoy’s nationwide capacity, while reducing time to tender by half.

“To our knowledge, there has never been a free TMS with pre-configured access to a digital freight network,” he said. “As more shippers and carriers access Convoy’s digital freight network, the more efficient shipping becomes, for everyone involved.”