Shipping costs can erode your revenue, whether you run a small business or manage a national operation. Learn how the right logistics solution vendor can help you spend no more than you need to move product.
A report finds that in 2025, the average cost to operate a truck was just over $2 per mile industry-wide that is up 3.4% from 2024. Only LTL operators and rapid exceeding 1,000 trucks maintained healthy, flat annual margins among the groups the institute examined.
Fleet managers are exercising cost discipline to stay afloat; teaming up with a service provider that offers carrier rate-shopping tools is key to seeing and securing the most competitive prices.
A good case in point is Broussard Logistics, whose Rate Shopper proved an effective logistics solution for reducing shipping costs. An automotive fabricator benefited from this tool after its business model couldn’t justify bringing in inventory to fill inbound truckloads. “Because of that, the team is always balancing inventory availability with order timing, and weighing that against freight costs,” Broussard Logistics adds.
The vendor provided a cost analysis and promised to save the client at least 31%. Also, it enables its team to compare them side by side and save 45% to 50% company-wide.
Distance is another important part of shipping costs as it affects fuel consumption. Carriers that use advanced technology can optimize routes and are better able to keep their operating costs in check and offer more competitive rates.
In 2025, 70% of fleet companies reportedly adopted AI solutions, and 35% of the executives cited gains in route optimization.
Logistics solutions are allowed to work with AI-driven carriers to find shorter routes; however, your savings still depend on the rates and conditions you can secure.
In regular substantial volumes, combining shipments may offer another way to control transportation costs. Shipment consolidation groups smaller orders or parcels into a larger shipment instead of sending each one separately.
Zone skipping helps consolidated parcels reach their destination region before a parcel carrier handles them to their final place. Bypassing part of the parcel network can reduce the number of pricing zones the carrier uses to calculate final-leg charges. However, you still need to account for the initial transport leg.
In 2023, researchers found that savings from collaborative partnerships increase with the number of stakeholders involved. Collaborations between two transportation service providers cut total miles by 12% and empty miles by 24%, while four-party partnerships reduced total miles by 22% and empty miles by 44% overall.
Even after selecting a carrier and shipping method, billing errors can leave you paying more than you agreed to. Consignment invoices draw on shipment details, classifications and contracted pricing, while manual handoffs and demanding schedules create opportunities for discrepancies.
The reviews on transportation management can flag duplicate bills and misclassifications of goods.
For example, Broussard Logistics helped Keystone Bros, a textile distributor, free up $78,000 in annual freight bill pre-audit savings.
“Keystone Bros’ purchasing and operations departments utilized four resellers and multiple carrier platforms to meet the shipping needs of its 18 locations. Furthermore, the company lacked benchmarks for negotiating with LTL carriers. These methods can burden the accounting department with extra carrier invoices.
The vendor’s centralized accounting, consolidated invoicing and customized weekly reporting services proved instrumental in catching freight billing errors before finalizing the transactions.
The right logistics solutions reduce shipping costs by addressing the expenses that matter most to your process. Choose your delivery partner wisely who matches your needs, so you can spend less time in transportation issues and more time serving customers.
Companies seeking logistics solutions often ask questions about shipping costs.
How can you find lower rates with various carriers?
Service providers offer tools to help you find lower rates with multiple carriers. They accumulate prices from several companies and let you compare them side by side to see which one offers the most favorable deal at the time.
How does shipment consolidation lower shipping costs?
Ship merger lowers shipping costs by combining smaller orders and parcels into a single shipment. This logistics approach also supports zone skipping, a method of moving packages and orders bound for the same place in bulk directly to regional facilities instead of sending them to early-sorting hubs operated by long-distance carriers, which may charge higher rates.
What should a freight bill audit check for?
A consignment bill audit should check for instances of overpayment, duplicate charges, cases of freight misidentification, and inconsistencies between conferred and billed rates.
