Live Rates via Carrier APIs (Setup & What Syncs)

Live carrier APIs let Velocity pull real-time pricing and availability signals directly from connected providers so your team can quote faster and with fewer manual checks. Instead of relying only on uploaded contract sheets, live APIs can return pricing, transit time, and in some cases capacity/availability data at the moment you quote.

This article explains what live API rates are, what to expect from them, how to connect them, and how to troubleshoot the most common “no results” scenarios.

What Live API Rates Are (vs Uploaded/Contract Rates)

Live API rates are best used as a complement to your baseline contract rate structure. If you’re new to how Velocity organizes contract, spot, and API inputs in one place, start with the Rate Management Overview to understand how different rate types interact and when each one is used.

Uploaded / Contract Rates

Uploaded rates are your controlled baseline:

• Negotiated tariffs or contract pricing
• Stable validity windows (effective dates)
• Predictable quoting behavior (great for governance and margin control)

Best for: repeatable lanes, long-term pricing, and fallback when live APIs are unavailable.

Live API Rates

Live API rates are returned on demand:

• Market-driven pricing at quote time
• Transit times and service options (when provided)
• Capacity/availability signals (when provided)

Best for: volatile lanes, time-sensitive bookings, and faster comparisons across providers.

Recommended Operating Model

Use both:

• Live APIs for speed and freshness
• Contract uploads as a safety net and governance anchor

What Data Fields You Should Expect (Pricing, Transit Time, Capacity)

Live APIs can return different payloads depending on the carrier/airline and mode. Set expectations up front.

Pricing (Most Common)

Typical outputs include:

• Base freight (often as a rate per unit: container / CBM / kg)
• Surcharges or all-in totals (varies by provider)
• Currency
• Validity or “quote expiration” timestamp

Transit Time (Common, Not Universal)

Possible outputs include:

• Estimated transit days
• Routing / service options (direct vs via)
• Cutoffs or schedule indicators (mode/provider dependent)

Capacity / Availability (Provider-Dependent)

Some providers may return:

• Space availability indicators
• Limited capacity warnings
• Service restrictions for specific dates

Important: “Live” does not guarantee every field. Always define a fallback plan for missing charges or missing transit time.

Connection Checklist (Credentials, Access Scopes, Test Request)

Use this checklist for a controlled setup that reduces integration failures.

1) Confirm Provider Coverage and Mode Scope

Before connecting, confirm:

• Which modes you will query (FCL, LCL, Air)
• Which providers are enabled for your account (carriers/airlines)

2) Collect Credentials and Required Inputs

Depending on provider requirements, gather:

• API key / client ID / client secret
• User account or contract identifiers (if required)
• Allowed IPs (if provider enforces IP allowlisting)
• Environment: sandbox vs production (if applicable)

3) Define Access Scopes and Permissions

Ensure the credential has:

• Read access to rating endpoints
• Access to transit time or schedules endpoints (if needed)
• Access to availability endpoints (if offered)

4) Configure Defaults and Preferences

Decide and document:

• Preferred currency (for quote display)
• Preferred services (e.g., economy vs priority where applicable)
• Fallback order (API first, then contract rates; or contract first)

5) Run a Test Request (“Known Good” Lane)

Use one lane you know should return a rate:

• Common origin/destination
• Standard equipment/unit
• No special constraints (no hazmat, no out-of-gauge)

Success criteria for initial testing:

• You receive at least one rate result
• The result includes pricing and currency
• The quote can be generated end-to-end without manual fixes

Matching Logic (How Lane/Service Inputs Affect Returned Results)

Most “no results” problems are not credential issues, they are input mismatch issues. Live APIs only return rates when your query matches their expected structure.

What Typically Must Match

• Origin and destination format (codes vs names; port vs city vs airport)
• Mode (FCL vs LCL vs Air)
• Equipment/unit (20GP/40HC, per CBM, per kg)
• Dates (shipment/ready date; sailing/flight windows)
• Commodity constraints (hazmat, batteries, temperature control)
• Weight/volume thresholds (especially for Air and LCL)

Practical Guidance

• Standardize location identifiers across your organization (codes preferred where possible).
• Ensure users select the correct shipment scope and mode before expecting results.
• For Air and LCL, verify weight/volume inputs are present and realistic; many APIs will not price missing or zero values.

Carrier APIs often return charges using different naming conventions, structures, or groupings depending on the provider. When these variations are not aligned, some charges may appear duplicated, missing, or inconsistent across results. To understand how Velocity standardizes carrier-specific charge labels into a consistent pricing structure, review charge normalization

When deciding whether to rely on live API rates or fall back to your fixed tariff database, it helps to understand the underlying differences between the two data sources. See Live vs Fixed Rates to learn how live API pricing compares with fixed or uploaded rate tables, and when each option is most appropriate in Velocity’s pricing workflows.

Best Practices: Fallback to Contract Rates When APIs Fail

Live APIs improve speed, but they should not be a single point of failure. A robust quoting setup includes a fallback path.

Recommended Fallback Behavior

• If API returns no results within a defined timeout:

  1. Show contract/uploaded rates automatically (clearly labeled)
  
  
  2. Allow users to re-try live rates or switch providers
  3. Log the failure for admin review
  
  

Governance Recommendations

• Define “source priority” (API vs contract) by customer segment:
  • Key accounts may require contract-first for consistency
  • Spot-focused lanes may use API-first for competitiveness
  
  


• Store the returned API rate snapshot used in the quote (so results are explainable later)


• Maintain a list of “golden lanes” to test integrations after changes