Loadsmart Expands Options to Rail, LTL

Digital freight broker Loadsmart has expanded its North American shipping options so customers can select rail and less-than-truckload (LTL) in addition to full truckload (FTL), port drayage and transload.

Several Class I railroads have partnered with Loadsmart, according to the company, and shippers can book rail moves with its account management team; FTL, LTL and drayage bookings can be done on the Loadsmart website.

Loadsmart is also offering mode optimization to help shippers “secure lower rates and more reliable capacity by selecting the best mode for each load in real time,” the company said. Recent testing with a select number of customers showed that moving loads originally planned as FTL to partial, LTL or rail reduced costs by as much as 24%, according to Loadsmart.

“Loadsmart is now a one-stop-shop logistics solution for domestic freight,” Co-founder and President Felipe Capella said. “We want shippers to focus on their core business instead of having to select and manage multiple providers to solve their many logistics needs.”

“Having invested in digital infrastructure by partnering with companies like Oracle, BluJay, MercuryGate and Blue Yonder, we’re now building on this foundation by offering a broader range of logistics services across LTL, partial and rail,” Capella added. “Looking ahead to 2021, we will be adding these services to existing TMS integrations.”