Transportation consulting services for every mode

One expense area, transportation. That's all we do, and we dig deep.

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30+

YEARS IN BUSINESS

600+

SHIPPERS SERVED

$800M+

Saved for THE SHIPPERS

Parcel, LTL, truckload, air,
ocean, intermodal

Freight Rate Negotiation

Goal: Cut your multi-mode rates by 15 to 25%
Fit for: When service is fine but current rates are the problem.
The work: LTL, truckload, air, ocean, and intermodal. Base rates, fuel, accessorials, minimums, and the terms buried in the service guide.
Sample results: Seven figures cut from international air and ocean freight for a multi-billion-dollar equipment manufacturer, on lanes too specialized to bid competitively.

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See how we negotiate freight

Parcel Rate Negotiation

Goal: Cut parcel rates by 10 to 35%
Fit for: When your parcel bills grow faster than your volume does.
The work: We negotiate with DHL, Amazon, and other “regional carriers” on your behalf. For FedEx & UPS, we coach your team. We rebuild the rate structure, then negotiate base discounts, accessorials, DIM and cubic pricing, minimums, or how fuel gets applied.
Sample results: $21M saved for a top pharmaceutical company that could not run a competitive bid. We benchmarked their pricing against other large pharma shippers, and the incumbent carrier accepted that number.

See how we negotiate parcel

Carrier Sourcing & Competitive RFP

Goal: Optimize the network, picking the carriers and services that best fit
Fit for: When simply renegotiating with incumbents will not get you there, or when service is the real problem.
The work: We run your RFP from start to finish. Carriers get matched to your lanes and freight type, we shift modes where a cheaper one still delivers, and we fill empty return trips on the lanes where that lowers your rate.
Sample results: $2M+/yr saved for a US pizza franchise chain. We moved its inbound freight off supplier-managed rates and onto contracted common carriers, which also locked pricing for twelve months at a time.

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How we run RFP & Carrier sourcing

Transportation Operations Audit

Fit for: When you suspect the operation is costing you money but cannot point at where.
The work: We benchmark rates, carriers, technology, staffing, and process over 8 to 12 weeks, then hand you the data and support implementation.
Case: Uncovering the system and staffing gaps that blocked a 3PL's expansion into new modes.

Operations audit service detail

Freight Bill Audit & Recovery

Fit for: When you negotiate rates and want to ensure you are billed properly.
The work: We audit parcel, truckload, air, and ocean invoices against your contract, then file and pursue the claims.
Case: Novavax recovered over 60% of claims we filed.

Freight bill audit service detail

Network Design

Fit for: When you are opening, closing, or consolidating a facility, or when a model you were handed does not add up.
The work: We model your network on your actual shipment, warehouse, and inventory data.
Case: $24M savings model disproved for a medical device maker.

Network design service detail

Vendor & TMS Selection

Fit for: When you need to justify a TMS, a 3PL, or an audit firm.
The work: We run a gap analysis on what you actually need, then select the vendor that meets it.
Case: Logistics costs cut by 15% with new 3PL and better service.

Vendor and TMS selection service detail

Cold Chain Logistics

Fit for: When your product ships temperature-controlled and cost is not the only priority.
The work: We qualify carriers and lanes, negotiate the rates, and settle the active versus passive pallet decision.
Case: Hoffman La Roche saves $1M/year on PDMA sample distribution.

Cold chain logistics service detail

Why a specialist

	Trans-Solutions	Parcel Rate Software	Large Consulting Firm	Expense Reduction Firm	Your 3PL or Freight Forwarder	Your Own Team
Covers every mode	Yes	Parcel only	Yes	Most modes	Yes	Yes
Negotiates on your behalf	Yes, with coaching	No, flags only	Rarely	Yes	No	Yes
Paid from your savings	Yes, contingency	No, subscription fee	No, fixed fee	Yes	No, built into margin	No
Depth of expertise	Yes, since 1997	Yes	No, more breadth	No, more breadth	Yes	Yes, among many
Proprietary pricing & negotiation tool	Yes, Xact Negotiator	No, flags only	No, not specialized	No, not specialized	No, not specialized	No

We are a fit when:

You spend $1M or more a year moving freight and/or parcel.
You ship across more than one mode, or parcel is a large share of your cost.
Someone inside your company owns the outcome and can act on what we find.
You are integrating two transportation programs after an acquisition, or preparing for one.
Your board or sponsor has asked for cost out this year.

We may not be a fit when:

You spend under $1M a year. Gainshare may not be the best option.
You want a firm that pays your freight bills after audits. We do not hold client money.
You want software to license. Ours is not for sale as of today.

We guarantee the same or better service, or we will fix it for free.

The cost reduction you'll achieve with us will not mean slower or reduced service levels. We model service alongside cost on every engagement, not after. We have walked away from savings that only looked good on paper, including a $24M network model that would have required pushing client’s ground shipments onto expedited service.

Their expert carrier sourcing and freight negotiations cut costs significantly, wildly exceeding our expectations. Their tailored solutions freed up millions in budget capital.

Katie Wright Sr. Director of Logistics, semiconductor equipment manufacturer

Who does the work

Paul Brinkman, the President, participates in every engagement himself. He reviews every analysis, sits in the negotiations, and stays through implementation.  

No junior consultant individually inherits your account after the sale.  

Behind Paul is a bench of analysts and engineers who build the data and the models, plus founder Giles Taylor, who started the firm in 1997 and still weighs in.

More about Paul

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