In a freight tender the key question looks simple at first: which carrier offers the lowest price? In practice, that question is harder to answer than it seems.
A total price can give a good first overview. But it does not necessarily show how a quote affects a company's individual transports.
Freight rates usually consist of many components: lanes, weight brackets, base rates, surcharges, accessorial services and different transport modes. A carrier can therefore be very competitive on certain lanes and considerably more expensive on others.
That is why ShipCheck takes a data-based approach to tenders: quotes are calculated by their cost components and evaluated against actual transport volumes. The results can be shown by transport mode and lane in a best-price matrix.
The decisive question is therefore not only: „Which carrier quoted the lowest total price?“ but: „What would our actual shipments cost under each quote?“
Why the total price of a freight quote can be misleading
A total price condenses many different transports into a single number. That is convenient. But it can hide important differences.
A simplified example: carrier A is very cheap on lane 1, expensive on lane 2 and average on lane 3. Carrier B is slightly more expensive on lane 1, considerably cheaper on lane 2 and cheap on lane 3. Which carrier is better overall does not depend on their individual prices alone.
What also matters is how many shipments the company actually moves on each lane. If lane 2 accounts for a large share of the real transport volume, a small price difference there can have a bigger effect than a large difference on a rarely used lane. This is exactly why ShipCheck uses historical shipment data to evaluate quotes realistically.
A freight rate is more than a single number
A freight quote rarely consists of just one price. Depending on the type of transport, different cost components can be relevant: base rate, lane, weight bracket, surcharges, accessorial services and further tariff cost positions.
A comparison that only looks at a total amount flattens these differences. A data-based comparison goes deeper. It asks: what costs arise for the transports that actually matter under each quoted rate? This also reflects the ShipCheck tendering logic: quotes are not treated as a final price only, they are calculated by cost component and evaluated against real transport volumes.
Why the real shipment profile is decisive
A rate can only be assessed meaningfully in the context of the actual transport structure. Relevant factors include: which lanes are used regularly, how many shipments run on those lanes, which weight brackets occur, which transport modes are used and which cost components are actually relevant.
Two companies can therefore receive the same rate quotes and still reach different conclusions. The reason: their shipment profiles differ. A carrier that is particularly cheap for company A is not automatically the best economic choice for company B.
ShipCheck uses historical shipment data for exactly this evaluation. Instead of working with average prices only, quotes can be applied to the actual shipment profile.
From rate comparison to shipment comparison
A classic rate comparison asks, for example: carrier A charges 120 euros on lane X. Carrier B charges 115 euros. So B appears cheaper.
A shipment-based evaluation goes one step further. It asks: what would each of our actual shipments have cost under rate A or rate B? This makes it possible to account for differences that a single base rate does not reveal, such as different weight brackets, different lanes, surcharges and other cost components.
The principle is: shipment profile + rate A = calculated cost. Shipment profile + rate B = calculated cost. Shipment profile + rate C = calculated cost. Only then can the results be compared meaningfully.
Why weight brackets can change the quote comparison
Many transport rates differentiate by weight. As a result, one carrier can be cheap for lighter shipments while another performs better for heavier ones. A pure average can hide that difference.
That is why it matters which weight brackets actually occur in the real shipment profile. A rate should not be assessed in isolation. It should be calculated with the transports it will later be used for.
Why lanes should be reviewed individually
The same applies to lanes. A carrier does not necessarily have the same cost position on every route. A quote can therefore be very attractive on one lane and less so on another.
ShipCheck presents tender results by lane, among other views. This makes an important question visible: which carrier is cheapest on which lane? That is far more informative than only asking which carrier submitted the lowest total quote.
Why surcharges belong in the comparison
In tenders too, the base rate should not be the only consideration. Diesel, tolls and further tariff cost components can influence what a transport actually costs. A carrier with a lower base rate can therefore still be more expensive overall under certain rate structures.
For a reliable evaluation, the relevant cost components have to be calculated together. ShipCheck describes its tendering approach explicitly as evaluating quotes by their individual cost components. This turns a comparison of list prices into a comparison of expected actual costs.
What a best-price matrix shows
When several carriers are compared across many lanes, a single overall table quickly becomes hard to read. A best-price matrix condenses the results differently. It can show which carriers perform best on which lanes, how the results differ by transport mode, where a carrier is particularly competitive and where other quotes are cheaper.
ShipCheck presents tender results by transport mode and lane in a best-price matrix. This makes clear that there does not have to be one single cheapest carrier for the entire network. Different carriers can perform better on different parts of the transport network.
Does that mean the business always has to be split across several carriers?
No. A best-price matrix does not automatically mean that every lane should be awarded to the cheapest carrier. The software first creates transparency about the cost structure. The actual award decision can take further requirements into account that go beyond pure cost calculation.
The value of the analysis therefore does not lie in fully automating an award decision. It lies in creating a better data basis for it. The software answers: how do the quotes differ based on our actual transport profile? How the business is then awarded remains a commercial decision.
Why historical shipment data beats a pure budget assumption
A tender needs an assumption about which transports will occur in the future. Historical shipment data provides a concrete basis for that. It shows, for example, which lanes were actually used, which volumes occurred there and which shipment structures were relevant.
ShipCheck uses historical shipment data to evaluate quotes realistically and to simulate scenarios. The calculation is therefore not based on a flat budget figure alone. It is tied to the operational transport structure.
What scenarios add to the quote comparison
Past transport data is a good basis. However, the future transport profile does not have to be exactly identical. It can therefore make sense to look at different scenarios.
ShipCheck explicitly names scenario simulation as part of data-based tendering. This makes it possible to examine how quotes develop under changed assumptions. The basic benefit: a carrier that is cheapest in the historical profile is not necessarily ahead under a significantly different transport structure. Scenarios therefore allow a more robust evaluation than a single static calculation.
Why average prices quickly become too coarse
Average prices are useful for management overviews. For evaluating complex freight rates they can be too coarse. An average combines different lanes, weights, shipments and surcharges into one number. This can lose exactly the differences that are decisive between two quotes.
That is why ShipCheck evaluates quotes against the actual shipment profile and not exclusively through average values.
Example: why quote A does not have to be better everywhere despite a lower total price
A simplified example: a company tenders three important lanes. Munich → Hamburg accounts for 50 % of the volume: carrier A is cheaper, carrier B more expensive. Munich → Vienna accounts for 35 % of the volume: carrier A is more expensive, carrier B cheaper. Munich → Prague accounts for 15 % of the volume: both are similar.
An aggregated comparison might show carrier A as the winner. But it does not follow automatically that A is the best option on every lane. The key insight is: the cheapest overall carrier and the cheapest carrier per lane are two different pieces of information. A shipment-based calculation makes exactly these differences visible.
Comparing freight quotes and analysing freight costs are two different tasks
Freight cost analysis looks at the current or historical cost situation. It answers questions such as: what did we pay? Which lanes cause which costs? How are carriers developing? Which surcharges apply?
The quote comparison uses this data for a different question: what would the same or comparable transports cost under the new quotes? The existing shipment data thereby becomes the basis for the tender.
Comparing freight quotes and digitising freight rates
Rate digitisation also plays a different role here than in freight invoice auditing. In invoice auditing, a rate is used to determine what a completed shipment should have cost according to the contract. In a tender, several quoted rates are compared to determine what the relevant shipments would cost under each of those quotes.
The underlying principle is similar: rate rules have to be calculable. The question being asked, however, is a different one.
Why software is especially helpful with many quotes
Even with a few carriers, a freight rate can contain many combinations. With several carriers, lanes, weight brackets, surcharges and cost positions, the number of combinations to calculate rises quickly. A manual comparison can become very time-consuming.
Software makes it possible to calculate the same transport data systematically against several quotes. The advantage is not only speed. Above all, every carrier is evaluated using the same calculation logic.
How ShipCheck compares freight quotes
The process can be described in simplified form as follows:
- Shipment data forms the comparison basis: historical transport data provides the shipment profile against which quotes are evaluated.
- Quotes are calculated by their cost components: instead of comparing only a final price, the relevant rate components are taken into account.
- Quotes are applied to real transport volumes: this produces an evaluation that fits the company's actual transport structure.
- Results become comparable by lane and transport mode: ShipCheck can present the results in a best-price matrix.
- Scenarios can be simulated: this allows different assumptions about the transport profile to be considered.
This creates a far more granular basis for the award decision than comparing aggregated quote totals alone.
Conclusion: the best freight quote only shows itself in your own shipment profile
A low total price is important. But it is not always enough to evaluate a freight quote properly. What matters is how the rate affects the company's actual transports.
A quote comparison should therefore answer questions such as: which lanes do we actually run? Which weight brackets occur there? Which surcharges apply? What would each shipment cost under quote A, B or C? Which carrier is particularly cheap on which lane?
ShipCheck uses historical shipment data, calculates quotes by their cost components and makes the results comparable, among other things via a best-price matrix by lane and transport mode.
The most important question in a freight tender is therefore not only: „Who has the lowest total price?“ but: „Which quote fits our actual transport profile best in cost terms?“
Frequently asked questions
How do you compare carrier quotes correctly?
A meaningful comparison should not look at a total price alone. The quoted rates should be applied to the company's actual shipment profile so that lanes, transport volumes and relevant cost components are taken into account.
Why is the lowest total price not enough?
Because a carrier can be cheaper on some lanes or shipment structures and more expensive on others. The total price can hide these differences.
Which data do you need for a data-based quote comparison?
Historical shipment data is an important basis. It shows which transports and volumes are actually relevant and can be used to apply the different quotes to a real shipment profile.
What is a best-price matrix in a freight tender?
A best-price matrix compares the results of different carriers, for example by lane and transport mode. This shows which carrier performs best in which area. ShipCheck uses such a view in tendering.
Can freight quotes be compared at shipment level?
Yes. ShipCheck uses historical shipment data to evaluate quotes against the actual shipment profile instead of relying exclusively on average or total prices.
What role do surcharges play when comparing freight quotes?
Surcharges and further cost components influence the actual transport costs. That is why the base rate alone should not be the focus, but the cost structure of the entire quote.
Why is historical shipment data used?
It provides a concrete basis for which lanes and transport volumes are actually relevant for the company. This allows quotes to be evaluated more realistically than with a flat budget figure.
Can ShipCheck compare different scenarios in a tender?
ShipCheck describes scenario simulation as part of data-based tendering. Quotes can therefore also be assessed under different assumptions about the transport structure.
Does the software decide automatically which carrier wins the business?
The focus of the software is the data-based calculation and comparability of quotes. The actual award decision stays with the company.
What is the difference between freight cost analysis and quote comparison?
Freight cost analysis examines the existing cost situation. In a quote comparison, new rates are applied to the relevant shipment profile in order to calculate how the different quotes would perform for the actual transport structure.
