3PL Software

3PL software for freight, and how to choose it.

A third-party logistics provider runs freight for many customers at once, each with its own rates, rules and reporting. Here’s what 3PL logistics software has to handle, what AI actually automates, what it costs, and the questions worth asking before you sign.

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Polt Command

LIVE

ACTIVE LOADS

1,284

▲ 6.2%

ON-TIME %

99.7%

▲ 0.4%

AT RISK

AI flagged

Active Loads

Auto-built by AI

Chicago, IL → Dallas, TX

#PL-48213 · Ryder Fleet

IN TRANSIT

Atlanta, GA → Miami, FL

#PL-48219 · Knight-Swift

BOOKED

Newark, NJ → Columbus, OH

#PL-48224 · Werner Ent.

AI BUILT

Phoenix, AZ → Denver, CO

#PL-48231 · Schneider

DELIVERED

Live Tracking

99.7% visibility

Chicago, IL

Dallas, TX

On-time · ETA 4h 12m

Load Volume · This Week

▲ 18% vs last

Intake to Invoice

One Record

Carrier Vetting

Margin by Customer

Load Intake

Carrier Sourcing

Rate Confirmation

Tracking & Check Calls

Documents & POD

Invoicing & Settlement

Margin Reporting

No Per-Seat Fees

What 3PL logistics software has to handle

A 3PL doesn’t just move a load. It manages freight for customers who each expect their own rates, updates and reports. Third party logistics software has to keep all of that in one place, without adding people for every new account.

Built for 3PLs and brokers.

Not fleet software with the truck fields hidden, and not a shipper TMS built for one company’s freight.

One system of record.

Every customer, load, carrier and document in one place, so nobody exports from three systems to answer one customer’s question.

Priced to grow.

Volume-based pricing means adding a customer or a rep doesn’t get weighed against the software bill.

$999

Per month, up to 225 loads

Volume

Based pricing, not per seat

Open

API & EDI access

Where AI changes the work

Specific about what is automated — and what still needs a person.

⚡LOAD BUILDERLIVE

TENDEREMAILEDI→

Chicago, IL → Dallas, TX

AI BUILT

LOAD

#PL-48213

CARRIER

Ryder Fleet

RATE

$2,310

4.2s

Reads the tender

Turns a tender email, PDF or EDI request into a fully built load, without manual re-typing.

⚡RATE AGENTLIVE

Carrier asks $2,450

Polt counters $2,180 · live market

AGREED · $2,310 ✓

MARGIN FLOOR $2,050ASK $2,450

Negotiates rates

Works customer and carrier rates in real time against live market data.

⚡CHECK CALLSLIVE

#PL-48213Chicago → DallasON TIME ✓

#PL-48219Atlanta → MiamiON TIME ✓

#PL-48224Newark → ColumbusON TIME ✓

0 CALLS MADE BY YOUR TEAM

Runs the check calls

Handles carrier check calls and status updates without your team picking up the phone.

⚡EXCEPTIONSLIVE

Detention risk · Newark, NJ

Rescheduling dock window…AGENT

Resolved · dock 14, 6:40 PMDONE ✓

Surfaces exceptions

Flags the loads that need a person, instead of leaving them to be discovered late.

⚡ANALYTICSLIVE

MARGIN / LANE▲ 18%

78.6

% ON-MARGIN

99.7%VISIBILITY

50+ hrsSAVED / MO

Shows the margin

Operational data on where margin is made or lost, by lane, customer and rep.

⚡FRAUD SHIELDLIVE

✓Ryder FleetMC 412887VERIFIED ✓

✓Werner Ent.MC 118330VERIFIED ✓

✕FastHaul LLCMC 998102BLOCKED ✕

Checks the carrier

Vetting and fraud checks that act on risk, not just alert on it.

3PL software, 3PL TMS, third party logistics software: is there a difference?

The names overlap. Third party logistics software is the broad term: it can mean a warehouse system, a transportation management system, or both. A 3PL transportation management system, or 3PL TMS, is the part that runs freight: quoting, building loads, booking carriers, tracking and billing.

Polt is 3PL freight software for the transportation side. It does not manage warehouse inventory. If your 3PL arranges freight for customers, this is the system you run the loads in.

3PL Software FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Software a third-party logistics provider uses to run its customers’ freight or inventory. On the transportation side it is a TMS: it builds loads from customer tenders, sources and vets carriers, tracks shipments, handles documents, invoices customers and reports on margin.

Pricing models vary. Some vendors charge per user per month, which rises as you hire; others charge by shipment volume. Polt starts at $999 per month for up to 225 loads, with no user fees. When comparing, ask for the total cost across every tool you would still need alongside it.

No. A warehouse management system runs inventory and fulfilment inside a building. A 3PL transportation management system runs freight between locations. Many 3PLs use both. Polt covers the transportation side.

Usually yes, through integrations or an API. Polt integrates with Truckstop for load posting, Descartes MacroPoint, Descartes MyCarrierPortal and Telegram, and provides an open API. Ask any vendor which integrations are live today rather than on a roadmap.

Polt includes a customer portal and automated shipment updates, so customers can follow their freight without calling your team. Ask any vendor what customers can see and what stays internal.

It depends on how many integrations are involved and how much historical data is migrated, and it varies by plan tier. Ask for a written timeline and who is assigned to it before signing.

For a 3PL that arranges transportation, it is largely the same system. The work is the same: quote, build the load, book and vet the carrier, track, invoice. A 3PL usually needs more per customer: separate rates, reporting and updates for each account.

Ask which integrations are live today, how pricing changes as volume grows, what customers can see, how carriers are vetted, and who handles implementation. Then ask to see it run one of your own loads.

See it run one of your own tenders.

Book a demo and bring a real load. It is the fastest way to judge any 3PL software.

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