Best Freight Procurement Software in 2026: Bids, Spot and Tenders Compared

Best for: Small and mid-sized US shippers that want to run bids, get instant quotes and manage carriers without a contract or sales call.

• Integrates with SAP, NetSuite, Oracle and Microsoft Dynamics, plus project44, FourKites and Macropoint
• Dock and yard management built into the TMS, linked with Opendock scheduling
• The site says ShipperGuide is free but does not spell out limits or what triggers paid services, so confirm terms at signup.

Our take: ShipperGuide is Loadsmart's shipper TMS, and its main selling point for smaller shippers is access: the site says it is free to use with no contracts and no sales call required. You can upload your existing carriers, run mini-bids or RFPs on specific lanes, compare live rates with Instant Rates, tender loads and track carrier performance with scorecards. FreightWaves SONAR data adds a market benchmark to bids. ERP connections to SAP, NetSuite, Oracle and Dynamics, and visibility links to project44, FourKites and Macropoint, mean it can grow with a shipper. In a trial, run a small mini-bid on ten lanes and check how carriers receive and answer it, and how Loadsmart's own capacity appears alongside your carriers. Compared with Emerge, ShipperGuide is easier to start but has less public detail on enterprise procurement features; compared with Uber Freight TMS, it is lighter and self-serve.

Best for: Shippers of all sizes running contract truckload procurement and spot quoting who want market benchmarks and optional extra carrier capacity.

• Can be used with only your own carriers, without the marketplace
• SOC 2 Type II with US and EU data hosting options
• Contract procurement, Emerge AI and integrations are priced as add-ons, so compare total quoted scope rather than the base platform.

Our take: Emerge is a freight procurement platform built around ProcureOS, which handles annual RFPs, mini-bids and spot quoting, plus reporting and benchmarking. Shippers choose between a platform-only licence, using their own carriers, or a marketplace option that adds a network of more than 45,000 pre-vetted carriers. Emerge reports more than 55,000 shippers and carriers on the platform and over $30 billion in freight moved through the marketplace. LTL quoting was added in August 2026. That makes it a strong fit for shippers whose core problem is running better truckload bids and filling gaps when routing guides fail. In a demo, ask which features are in the base price versus add-ons, how benchmarks are built and how awards flow into your TMS. Compared with ShipperGuide, Emerge is more procurement-specialized; compared with Transporeon, it is more US truckload-focused.

Best for: Importers and exporters that tender ocean, air and some road freight to carriers and forwarders and want market benchmarks at award.

• Freightos says Procure can be implemented in under two weeks
• Procure was formerly known as Shipsta
• Freightos is strongest in international ocean and air; domestic truckload shippers may find dedicated truckload tools a closer fit.

Our take: Freightos Enterprise is a modular suite for shippers buying international freight. Terminal provides market intelligence and rate benchmarking with daily ocean and air data, Procure automates RFQs and tenders, and Rate, Book and Manage handles live pricing, booking and tracking with ERP and TMS integration. Procure, formerly Shipsta, can send a tender to more than 200 carriers and thousands of logistics providers, standardize their responses, run sanity checks and compare rates against the FBX and FAX indexes at the point of award. For an importer with seasonal ocean contracts and urgent air shipments, that combination of tendering and benchmark data is useful. In a demo, ask which modules you need to start, how forwarders are invited, how index data is licensed and how contracted rates flow into booking. Compared with Transporeon, Freightos is more ocean and air oriented; compared with Emerge, it is international rather than domestic truckload.

Best for: Mid-sized and large shippers that want a TMS with procurement tools and direct access to Uber Freight's carrier marketplace.

• Uber Freight reports $17B+ in freight under management and 18M shipments a year
• TMS in use with shippers since 2005, per the product page
• Because Uber Freight also operates as a broker and managed transportation provider, confirm how your own carriers and its marketplace are ranked in awards.

Our take: Uber Freight TMS combines transportation management with freight procurement. Shippers can run spot auctions and instant multi-carrier quotes, upload contract rates and routing guides, analyze procurement scenarios and keep awards and carrier communications in one hub. Predictive pricing models estimate spot costs, and procurement integrations give direct access to Uber Freight's marketplace when your routing guide fails. Uber Freight also offers managed transportation, so a shipper can start with the TMS and later outsource parts of operations. In a demo, ask how procurement scenarios are modeled, how your contracted carriers are prioritized relative to Uber Freight capacity and what data you keep if you leave. Compared with ShipperGuide, Uber Freight TMS is aimed at larger, more complex networks; compared with Transporeon, it is more US-focused and tied to one provider's capacity.

Best for: Large enterprises that source freight alongside other categories and need optimization across many lanes, constraints and scenarios.

• Associated British Foods reports $3.5M saved in 2024 from ocean freight alone (vendor-reported)
• Kai orchestrator and agents automate RFIs, scenario creation and spot quotes
• Keelvar optimizes sourcing decisions but does not execute shipments, so it works alongside a TMS rather than replacing one.

Our take: Keelvar is a sourcing optimization platform used by large enterprises for complex bids, and transport and logistics is one of its main categories. Its Sourcing Optimizer handles events with many lanes, carriers and constraints, such as capacity limits, incumbent preferences, risk and sustainability, and lets teams compare award scenarios. A spot quote agent automates logistics quotes, and the Kai orchestrator sets up events from plain-language requests. Customers named include Mars, Coca-Cola, Siemens and Maersk. Integration with Xeneta gives ocean and air freight rate data. In a demo, bring a past freight tender with its real constraints and ask Keelvar to model award scenarios, then compare with what you actually awarded. Compared with Freightos or Emerge, Keelvar is stronger on optimization logic and multi-category use; compared with Uber Freight TMS or Transporeon, it does not handle execution.

Best for: Large shippers and retailers, especially in Europe, that want spot, seasonal and contract sourcing connected to execution, dock and audit tools.

• Part of Trimble since 2023, with the Trimble Arc AI agent and Transporeon NEXT
• Autonomous Quotation and Autonomous Procurement apply AI to spot freight decisions
• Transporeon is an enterprise platform with no published pricing, so smaller shippers may find setup and contract scope heavier than they need.

Our take: Transporeon, owned by Trimble since 2023, is one of the largest transportation networks in Europe, connecting more than 1,500 shippers and retailers with more than 210,000 carriers and logistics providers. Its Freight Marketplace handles spot, seasonal and long-term contract sourcing, while AI tools such as Autonomous Procurement and Market Insights support spot buying and rate forecasts. Because the same platform covers execution and visibility, dock and yard scheduling and freight audit, awarded rates flow into daily operations. That suits manufacturers and retailers with high road freight volumes across European countries. In a demo, ask which of your carriers are already connected, how autonomous spot procurement decisions are controlled and how contract awards update execution. Compared with Uber Freight TMS, Transporeon is more European and carrier-network oriented; compared with Keelvar, it executes shipments but has less multi-category sourcing optimization.