Tabi Connect and Kleinschmidt Partner to Automate Freight Quoting Process

A new partnership between Tabi Connect and Kleinschmidt is set to streamline the freight quoting process for transportation companies. The integration of their systems will enable brokers to automate freight quotes, reducing the time spent on responding to quote requests while maintaining consistency in pricing strategies across teams.

The collaboration brings together Tabi’s Pricing Logic Engine with Kleinschmidt’s Intelligence Network. This allows freight quote requests to be sent directly into Tabi, where a brokerage’s pricing rules are automatically applied before the quote is returned to the shipper. The integration aims to reduce manual effort and improve efficiency in the quoting process.

Tabi’s system enables brokerages to set rules based on various factors such as customer, lane, equipment type, and market conditions. These rules are then applied to incoming requests using Tabi’s Pricing Logic Engine, eliminating the need for brokers to manually determine each rate. This approach ensures consistency in pricing strategies across teams.

Ricky Gonzalez, CEO of Tabi Connect, emphasizes that speed and consistency are crucial differentiators in a crowded freight brokerage market where margins continue to thin. He notes that automation is key to success, allowing brokers to quote with more confidence rather than just faster.

The partnership also connects Tabi with Capacity IQ, Kleinschmidt’s predictive freight-capacity platform. This platform analyzes over 150,000 loads moving across North America each day to predict where trucks are likely to become available. By incorporating this capacity data into the pricing process, brokers can factor in expected carrier availability when setting rates.

Dan Heinen, president and CEO of Kleinschmidt, highlights that Tabi helps brokers consistently apply their own pricing strategy to every opportunity. Combined with the Intelligence Network, it can dramatically shorten the time between receiving a quote request and responding. The integration aims to provide brokers with another data point when setting rates, particularly in markets where available capacity can change quickly.

Tabi currently connects with over 88 shipper TMS platforms, bid boards, and freight marketplaces through its API connections or robotic process automation (RPA) integrations. These connections enable the platform to return quotes within three seconds for API connections and around 35-50 seconds for RPA connections. The company’s broader platform captures freight quote opportunities from various sources, applies a brokerage’s pricing rules, and returns a rate.

Tabi says its platform is used by more than 100 logistics companies, including over 20 of the Top 100 U.S. brokerages. Additionally, it processes over 1 million quotes per month. The company connects with freight rating and market-data providers such as DAT, Greenscreens, C4, Sonar, and Truckstop.

The partnership builds on Kleinschmidt’s existing role as an integration provider for transportation and other supply chain companies. The company provides managed EDI, API, and B2B integration services that connect businesses with their trading partners. This connection enables the flow of capacity data into pricing, allowing brokers to quote with more confidence rather than just faster.

The Tabi-Kleinschmidt partnership brings together automation tools for freight quoting and predictive capacity analysis. By integrating these functions, brokers can consider expected carrier availability alongside their own pricing rules when setting rates. This could provide another crucial data point in determining how difficult a load may be to cover, particularly in markets where available capacity changes quickly.

Kleinschmidt’s acquisition of eBase Solutions in May expanded its integration capabilities, combining external B2B connectivity with internal enterprise integration capabilities. The Tabi partnership brings these connectivity capabilities into the freight brokerage pricing process, linking incoming quote requests with automated pricing and predictive capacity information.