No single shipment view
Status is spread across carrier portals, the TMS and warehouse systems, so teams check several screens to answer one question.
Impact: Slow customer responses and manual exception handling.
Logistics and supply chain analytics
Connect Fleet, Shipment and Freight Data to Control Logistics Costs
Shipment, fleet, warehouse and carrier data are held by different systems and partners. We build integrated analytics that show shipment status, delivery performance and freight cost in one view, so operations can act on exceptions before they become delays.
Illustrative scenario
Freight invoice matching: illustrative
This is an illustrative scenario, not a verified client result. Measured outcomes are shared only from real projects, with their baseline and method.
The challenge
A logistics operator receives carrier invoices in several formats and checks them against shipments manually. Discrepancies are found weeks after billing.
The approach
- Standardise invoice lines and shipment legs into one model
- Match each invoice line to its shipment using agreed keys and tolerances
- Route unmatched or disputed lines to a review queue
- Publish a weekly freight cost report by carrier and lane
What we measure: Share of invoice lines matched automatically, disputes raised, and time from invoice to resolution. Measured against a baseline.
Operational friction
Where delivery, fleet and cost data fall short
Freight costs are reconciled late
Carrier invoices are checked against shipments after the billing period, often with gaps.
Impact: Overpayments and disputes found after the money has left.
On-time performance is measured inconsistently
Each carrier and site uses its own delivery definition and timestamps.
Impact: Carriers cannot be compared fairly, and service improvement is hard to track.
Fleet and warehouse data are not linked
Route, load and dock data are not connected to delivery outcomes.
Impact: Capacity decisions are based on estimates.
Operations context
Checking screens to answer where a shipment is
Logistics operations depend on data from many parties: the transport management system, the warehouse, carriers, fleet telematics and the ERP. Each party reports status in its own format and at its own pace. Operations teams spend much of their time checking screens to answer a simple question, and carrier invoices are reconciled long after the work is done.
We standardise shipment legs, timestamps and carrier identifiers, so on-time delivery and cost per shipment are calculated on one basis. Logistics cost reduction works best when the reporting is reliable, which is why many clients begin with this foundation before adding AI-driven route and cost optimisation. Forecasting shipment demand and fleet capacity is covered in our guide to predictive analytics for logistics.
Network systems
Carriers, warehouses and fleet in one model
We confirm what each system exposes, how often it can be refreshed and who owns the data, before the design is final.
Transport management system
Shipments, routes, legs and milestones
Warehouse management system
Orders, picks, dispatch and dock times
Carrier portals and EDI feeds
Tracking events and carrier invoices
Fleet and telematics
Vehicle location, utilisation and fuel
ERP
Orders, customers and freight costs
Shipment data architecture
One shipment leg, one set of timestamps
Ingestion
Frequent tracking-event loads from carriers and the TMS, with daily loads from WMS, ERP and fleet systems.
Storage and modelling
A shipment-leg model with standard event timestamps, carrier mappings and a common delivery definition.
Calculations
On-time delivery, cost per shipment and invoice-to-shipment matching implemented once and reused.
Serving
Shipment exception dashboards for operations, freight cost reports for finance, and carrier scorecards.
Implementation plan
Five phases, from network audit to carrier reviews
Each phase ends with a defined output. Timelines are estimated after the assessment, once sources and scope are confirmed.
- Phase 1
Network and data audit
We map the TMS, WMS, carrier feeds and fleet data, and identify the events each source provides.
Output: Network data map and event inventory
- Phase 2
Shipment model design
We agree the standard shipment-leg model, timestamp rules and the definition of on-time delivery.
Output: Shipment data model and KPI definitions
- Phase 3
Integration build
We build the tracking-event and invoice pipelines, with matching rules for invoice lines and shipments.
Output: Integrated pipelines and matching rules
- Phase 4
Exception and cost dashboards
We publish shipment exception views for operations and freight cost reports for finance.
Output: Operations and finance dashboards
- Phase 5
Carrier review
We review carrier scorecards with operations and procurement on a regular cycle, and update the rules as carriers join or change.
Output: Carrier scorecards and review cycle
Network measures
On-time delivery and cost per shipment, defined once
Each measure is baselined before the project starts, so improvement is shown against your own starting point.
| Measure | How it is calculated | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| On-time delivery rate | Share of shipments delivered within the agreed window, one definition for all carriers | Shows service performance on a fair basis |
| Cost per shipment | Total freight cost divided by shipments, by lane and carrier | Shows where cost can be reduced |
| Invoice match rate | Share of carrier invoice lines matched automatically to shipments | Shows how much manual reconciliation remains |
| Exception resolution time | Time from exception flag to resolution | Shows how quickly operations respond |
| Data freshness | Time between a carrier event and its appearance in the dashboard | Shows whether teams can act in time |
Operations and finance outputs
Dashboards for the control room and the finance team
- Standard shipment-leg data model across carriers and sites
- Shipment visibility dashboard with exception alerts
- Freight invoice matching and cost analysis
- Carrier performance scorecards with agreed definitions
- Fleet utilisation reporting linked to delivery outcomes
Data rules
Carrier data, rates and location data handled with care
Controls are agreed for each project, based on the sensitivity of the data and the rules that apply to your organisation.
- Access control for carrier rates and contract terms
- Data quality checks on timestamps and event sequences
- Agreed definitions shared with carriers where scorecards are used
- Retention rules for location data
- Audit trail for changes to cost allocation rules
Logistics questions
Logistics and supply chain analytics: FAQs
Can you integrate our TMS and WMS?+
Usually, through their exports, APIs or database access. We confirm what each system provides, including refresh frequency, during the assessment.
Do we need every carrier to share data with us?+
No. Carriers that provide tracking events or invoices in usable formats can be included first, and others can be added as their data becomes available.
How do you define on-time delivery?+
We agree one definition with operations and customer service, based on the timestamps you have, and document it so every carrier and site is measured the same way.
Can telematics data be included?+
Yes, where the data is available. Location data is subject to retention and privacy rules, which we agree before collection starts.
Can we see live tracking for all our shipments?+
Live visibility depends on how often each carrier publishes events. We show the freshness of each source, so teams know how current the information is.
Does this replace our TMS?+
No. The analytics layer reads from the TMS and other systems. It adds consistent reporting and cross-system views, but it does not replace the operational tools.
Find out where your reporting delays come from
A data platform assessment maps your systems, the reports that matter and the decisions they support, then gives you a practical first step.