Optimizing Deliveries by Integrating a Freight Management System’s API: IT Craft’s Practical Guide for Shippers

A large network can be an opportunity for logistics providers facing rapid spikes in seasonal demand or relying on a specific type of trailer, as it ensures the needed flexibility. However, managing a large network can also increase the workload and decrease the fulfillment pace.

Integrating a freight management system (FMS) can help with process efficiency. Moreover, integration can be done directly into a TMS or ERP system via an API, allowing shippers to retrieve data provided by carriers and manage it from the familiar interface without significant code changes. Here is how it works.

Freight management tools solve the problem of automated data exchange and search for the best offer among multiple carriers and further shipment management quick, effective, and cost-efficient.

As a logistics provider, you can:

Connection to a freight management platform can help you build a transparent and predictive supply, ensuring:

• Operational Efficiency

Eliminate the time managers must spend on manual information sourcing, processing, and entries. Decrease risks of human error and ensure quick, informed shipment decisions.

• Real-Time Updates

Evade guesswork by providing real-time notifications on shipment statuses from multiple carriers in one place. Require minimum time on status checks, shipment tracking, and customer updates.

• Automated Document Sharing

Reduce the coordination work needed to retrieve the required documentation from the carrier. The documentation becomes available after the carrier produces it and can be downloaded automatically via the provided API. 

As a result, your logistics company can increase flexibility, enhance performance, and calculate the exact costs of every delivery.

Let’s check the quotation process as an example:

Usually, logistics providers must interact with every carrier directly by requesting quote rates and availability on every carrier’s website, repeating the same activity, which increases order processing time.

Logistics providers can send only one request to get quote rates from all connected carriers using an API provided by a freight management system.

The same goes for monitoring the dispatched shipments and retrieving documentation. 

Without an API, logistics providers must visit carriers’ websites to check status updates. With an integrated tracking API, shipment status updates are sent to the provider’s TMS once the connected freight management system receives them from the carrier’s API.

The tracking API also returns shipment documents, such as proof of delivery (POD), signed bill of lading (BOL), and invoice, so the logistics provider does not need to request documents via a call or email.

Multiple systems are available in the market. Provided freight management systems can vary based on:

Here, let’s consider the top eight freight management systems in 2025 that can provide you with comprehensive features, ease of operation, and streamlined onboarding:

SMC3  is a leading tool for managing LTL shipments. It offers a comprehensive platform for the entire shipment workflow, from quoting to retrieval of delivery documents. The platform provides top experiences, enabling shippers to easily manage multiple carriers and quickly find the best shipment conditions for each specific order.

The platform is characterized by flexibility and streamlined onboarding, providing necessary integration tools and rich documentation.

Website: https://www.smc3.com/.

The team trusted with the API integration project needs to:

Let’s review the integration process step-by-step.

At this step, the project team completes a list of transportation operations across the TMS and determines all TMS sub-processes that will connect to the specific API. 

The typical list includes:

• Setting up the integration between the shipper location(s) and carrier(s) (capacity provider).
• Requesting the quote rates based on the shipment details.
• Showing the quote rate to the user.
• Dispatching the shipment with the most beneficial carrier’s rate.
• Updating the shipment status with the information provided by the carrier (location, status, exceptions) to create real-time visibility.
• Provide the shipper with the documents assigned to the shipment by the carrier.

Generally, freight management platforms provide a RESTful API using JSON, XML, or similar formats to send information.

Shippers and integration partners must acquire valid credentials to use the platform and provide the required authentication to the API endpoints.

The freight management system can provide a Software Development Kit (SDK) to simplify the integration process. The SDK can include client library code for all APIs, simplifying access with the integration team’s preferred languages.

Using an SDK, you do not have to handle every request and response (authorization, managing tokens, etc.). You only need to specify your credentials and start data exchange without extra coding.

Data Mapping involves aligning the entities and their types between the shipper’s TMS and the selected FMS. Effective data mapping ensures that both systems can communicate seamlessly and that the data remains consistent and meaningful.

Software developers must ensure that the data is transformed into fields with the correct names and data types (integer, numeric, string, DateTime format, etc.). Similarly, the data returned from the FMS platform must be converted into the expected and accepted format. 

Transformations ensure accurate information transfer, interpretation, and use within the TMS.

The list of APIs supporting the entire transportation management flow includes:

When logistics providers want more rates returning to the quote, they require more carrier connections.

A freight management platform needs to grant access to carriers’ APIs with which the logistics provider has already established a connection to run multiple quotes from different carriers and make dispatches.

A logistics provider can have several locations connected to the company (warehouses, factories, etc.) where the shipment can be picked up or delivered. Every location can require integrations for carriers with a specified location inside their service areas.

To create a location, the logistics provider has to send:

• detailed address, 
• first name, 
• last name, 
• phone number, and 
• email of a contact person. 

The location is created for the logistics provider account only once and can be changed/deleted in the future.

To create location integration, the logistics provider needs to send the carrierэs API credentials, which the carrier representative has assigned. These credentials grant access to the carrier API for quoting, dispatching, and tracking the shipment statuses within the freight management system.

Quoting API serves as a loop between the shipper and every carrier’s API. The shipper specifies all required quote details to get accurate rates, including:

• pickup and delivery addresses,
• pickup date, 
• unit descriptions, such as: dimensions, weight, requested accessorials, special instructions, hazardous materials information, and others.

The shipper can also request special services called accessorials:

• notify before pickup and/or delivery, 
• inside pickup and/or delivery, 
• inbound freight, 
• protection from the freeze, 
• etc.

In response, the freight management system’s API returns a combined list of quote rates that it retrieves from every integrated carrier. Each rate includes:

• carrier code, 
• price (total/detailed), 
• transit time, 
• carrier’s notes, if provided, 
• details on requested accessorials (availability and applied additional fees), 
• and so on.

Even if the carrier returns an error, the shipper can review it, amend quote details, and request the rate again.

Carriers can also provide several delivery options (Service levels), such as:

• guaranteed by noon, 
• guaranteed by 5 pm, 
• expedite, 
• etc. 

In this case, the shipper receives several rate options from each carrier with different prices and delivery times, which can be useful for resolving deliveries on short notice.

After reviewing carrier proposals of quote rates, the shipper chooses the best fit and requests a pickup for the shipment, i.e., makes a dispatch request. In the request, the shipper provides detailed information about the shipment. Usually, it includes the following: 

• detailed pickup and delivery address, 
• time slots for pickup and delivery, 
• billing address, 
• detailed description,
• special details, e.g., of hazardous materials, 
• shipment identifiers (BOL Number, Customer Reference Number, Purchase Order, PRO Number), 
• and others. 

After successful dispatch, the carrier returns confirmation via the FMS platform with shipment references, such as pickup or PRO number. The shipper will use these identifiers, along with the BOL Number, Customer Reference Number, and Purchase Order, to request tracking updates from the carrier.

Technically, when the shipper makes a dispatch request, the FMS platform also automatically sets up a scheduler or job that, based on pickup and delivery dates, starts requesting updates from the carrier using the above-mentioned shipment identifiers. This process is called ‘Tracking Initialization’.

A platform can also allow shippers to initialize the tracking directly by hitting a dedicated endpoint. This feature is similar to “Manual Dispatch” functionality widely used in TMSs. However, unlike with a TMS, the shippers do not send a dispatch request to the carrier. Instead, they initialize shipment tracking on the FMS side. 

This process requires manual action from shippers. A manager must call the carrier and provide them with all the shipment information needed for pickup. Once the shipment appears in the carrier system, the FMS will receive updates and send them to the shipper’s TMS using Webhook technology.

Shipment Tracking API ensures visibility of the shipment delivery from the TMS. After dispatching or tracking initialization, the freight management system retrieves shipment updates according to a schedule using the provided identifiers. 

As a result, the TMS does not need to send requests to get tracking data. Instead, the freight management system sends them back using Webhook. In tracking updates, the FMS provides detailed information about the shipment transition, such as:

• address of each interline point,
• date and time of arrival, and 
• statuses description. 

The tracking information also contains links to shipment documents, which the shipper can download as soon as the FMS receives them from the carrier.

Logistics is one of our key industries, while our software developers have acquired extensive expertise in building flexible management systems, integrating required third-party services, and ensuring cost-efficient software maintenance.

You can receive necessary tech assistance across the entire software development lifecycle, including:

Our team can help you assess your tech needs and find an optimum solution based on your budget and specific limitations.

MyCarrier TMS is a leading system that connects shippers and carriers seamlessly, ensuring efficient negotiations and shipment tracking via an intuitive web portal.

The IT Craft development team helped the client build and launch the software MVP while completing a complex integration with a freight management platform under development. 

Later, the team helped the client transfer to another provider of freight management services without interrupting ongoing processes to meet changing business needs.

Modern freight management platforms provide comprehensive tools that simplify connecting them to client software. To connect your TMS/ERP software to a supply chain visibility solution, you need:

In turn, freight management systems empower logistic providers’ software by automating routine activities and establishing transparent quoting/transportation processes.