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Freight Department In A Box

The complete freight operations system we use inside Freight OS to run a full freight operation with a tiny team and a lot less chaos.

You already know how painful it is to run freight with scattered emails, spreadsheets, and phone calls.

This page explains what it is, who it's for, and how you can use it to run your own freight—either with us handling the moves, or with your team running the system in-house.

Talk About Implementing This System
Complete System
Not Just Software
Ready to Plug In

What Is "Freight Department In A Box"?

A complete freight operations system, not just a piece of software.

It Combines:

Light, Flexible TMS

Built on tools you already know (like Google Sheets)

Automation Workflows

Email → load → quote → dispatch → POD → invoice

AI Assistance

For quoting, communication, and paperwork

SOPs & Training

Standard operating procedures, checklists, and training material

💡

Think of it as:

"The freight department we wish every shipper had—designed, documented, and ready to plug in."

Right Now

We use this system to run freight as Freight OS for our customers.

When You're Ready

We can help you bring the same system inside your own company.

The Problem It Solves

Most companies outgrow "just call a truck" long before they're ready to hire a full internal freight department.

Load Details Scattered

In emails and texts everywhere

Manual Quoting

Quotes done manually, delayed, or inconsistent

No Visibility

No single place to see "what's moving today"

POD & Invoice Chaos

Operations and accounting fighting over documents

No Real Process

Freight handled by whoever has time, with no consistency

Freight Department In A Box Gives You:

One Consistent Way

To intake, track, and manage loads

Automation Working

Doing the repetitive work for you

Humans Focused

On decisions and relationships, not data entry

System Components

Three integrated layers that work together to power your freight operations

Automation Layer

Simple, reliable workflows that handle the repetitive work:

  • New load requests auto-captured
  • AI-assisted quoting with suggested rates
  • Booking detection from email replies
  • Carrier confirmation emails
  • Automatic status update notifications
  • POD handling & invoice triggers
  • Weekly summary reports

Built with: Gmail, Google Sheets, Zapier, AI (OpenAI), QuickBooks/Wave

Data / TMS Layer

Structured "mini TMS" you can understand and control:

  • Loads: Every shipment in one place
  • Carriers: Who you move freight with
  • Customers: Who you serve plus history
  • Status & Dates: Booked, dispatched, delivered
  • Financials: Rates, margins, invoice status

Start with Google Sheets—graduate to bigger platforms as you grow

SOPs & Training

Documented "this is how we do it" materials:

  • Intake SOP: How loads come in
  • Quoting SOP: How rates are built & sent
  • Carrier Sourcing: How to pick & vet carriers
  • Dispatch & Tracking: Status updates & timing
  • POD & Billing: How docs flow to invoicing
  • Exceptions: Handling delays & claims
  • Training Outlines: For VAs & junior ops

What turns the system into something a real team can follow

Software alone doesn't run freight. People do.

That's why we include the playbooks, processes, and training to make your team successful.

Who It's For

Freight Department In A Box is a fit if you recognize yourself in these scenarios

You're a shipper moving enough truckload freight that your inbox is a mess

You're running freight part-time and want a real, repeatable process

You want to increase volume without immediately hiring a full freight team

You like automation, but you don't want to build it yourself

You eventually want in-house operations instead of relying solely on outsiders

For Shippers

Get professional freight operations without the overhead of building and managing an entire logistics team.

For Small 3PLs & Brokers

Modernize and systematize your operations without building your own software from scratch.

How We Deliver It

Two main ways companies work with Freight Department In A Box

We Run It For You

Done-For-You Freight

You send us your lanes or loads. We run them on our Freight OS system, acting as your freight department.

Freight handled professionally

Visibility into what's moving and what's invoiced

Benefit of the system without setting it up

✨ This is the simplest way to start

We Build It With You

Implementation & Handoff

As the relationship grows and timing is right, we help you bring the system in-house.

Map your current freight workflows

Adapt playbooks & automations to your lanes

Set up your own version in your accounts

Train your team or VA to operate it

🎯 You end up with your own freight department framework

How It Works to Get Started

1

Discovery Call

We talk through how you ship today, your lanes, volume, pain points, and what tools you use.

2

Pilot Period

We start with a small scope—run shipments using our system so you see how it works from your side.

3

System Decision

Decide together: keep us running it, implement in-house, or do a hybrid approach.

What This Is NOT

Let's be clear about what you're NOT getting

NOT random software you figure out alone

We guide you through setup and operation

NOT a big, expensive TMS install

No months-long configuration or massive upfront costs

NOT a black box

You understand what's happening with your freight every step of the way

What It Actually IS:

A practical, working freight operations stack that you can understand, operate, and refine over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to See If This Fits Your Operation?

Tell us a bit about your freight, and we'll follow up with next steps—whether that's starting as a freight customer, a systems client, or both.

We'll give you an honest answer about whether our system is a fit and what a pilot could look like