Rate Management Overview (Modes, Rate Types, and How It Feeds Quoting)

Rate Management in Velocity is your centralized system for storing, standardizing, and governing shipping rates so your team can generate consistent quotes faster without relying on scattered spreadsheets, outdated versions, or manual comparisons. It is designed to support multiple transport modes, multiple rate sources, and the full quote lifecycle from lane selection to shareable customer outputs.

What Rate Management Is (and What It Replaces)

Freight rate management is the “single source of truth” for pricing and charge data used to build quotes.

It replaces common spreadsheet-based workflows such as:

• Multiple rate files per carrier or trade lane, saved across email threads and shared drives
• Manual rate lookups and copy/paste into quote templates
• Inconsistent surcharge naming and charge structures between providers
• Uncontrolled edits (no clear ownership, no version control, no audit trail)
• Time-consuming comparisons across carriers and modes

With Rate Management, your team stores rates once, updates them in a controlled way, and uses them repeatedly across quotes and customers—reducing pricing errors, rework, and quote turnaround time.

What Rate Sources You Can Manage (Upload / Spot / API)

Velocity supports managing rates from different sources so you can mix stable long-term pricing with time-sensitive market rates.

Uploaded Rates (Contract / Tariff Sheets)

Use uploaded rate sheets when you have negotiated or published pricing that needs to be available consistently across your team.

Typical use cases:

• Contract ocean freight base rates + fixed surcharges
• Air freight buy rates by carrier and weight breaks
• Courier rate cards for standard services

Spot Rates

Use spot rates when pricing changes frequently or is secured per shipment / per request.

Typical use cases:

• Ocean spot rates for a specific sailing window
• Air spot rates for capacity-constrained periods
• Ad-hoc rates for special equipment or urgent moves

API / Live Rates

Use API-connected rates when you need real-time data such as:

• Updated pricing at the time of quoting
• Transit times for better service selection
• Availability/capacity signals (where provided)

Best practice: use APIs for speed and freshness, with uploaded contract rates as your fallback and baseline.

Supported Transport Modes and When to Use Each

Rate Management supports multi-modal pricing so you can quote the most relevant service option for the customer.

FCL (Full Container Load)

Use when customers ship higher volumes and need container-based pricing.
Best for:

• 20’/40’ container moves
• Stable lanes with repeatable pricing

LCL (Less than Container Load)

Use when customers ship smaller volumes and pricing is driven by volume/weight brackets.
Best for:

• Consolidated cargo
• Frequent shipments that vary by CBM

Air Freight

Use when speed matters and pricing is driven by chargeable weight and service level.
Best for:

• Time-sensitive deliveries
• High-value goods

Courier

Use for parcel and box shipping with standardized service levels.
Best for:

• Small shipments
• Urgent documents/parts

How Rates Feed Quoting (Door-Door, Door-Port, Port-Door, Port-Port)

Rate Management is structured so quoting can assemble the correct components based on the shipment scope.

Port-to-Port

Used when the quote includes only the main international leg (e.g., ocean or air).
Rate composition typically includes:

• Base freight
• Carrier-related surcharges
• Optional add-ons (insurance, documentation fees, etc.)

Door-to-Port

Used when pickup is included but delivery is not.
Rate composition typically includes:

• Origin pickup / pre-carriage
• Export handling (if applicable)
• Main freight leg

Port-to-Door

Used when delivery is included but pickup is not.
Rate composition typically includes:

• Main freight leg
• Import handling (if applicable)
• Destination delivery / last mile

Door-to-Door

Used when the quote includes the full logistics chain.
Rate composition typically includes:

• Origin pickup and handling
• Main freight leg
• Destination handling and delivery
• Any customer-specific markups/fees (if configured)

Practical outcome: quoting can select the correct scope and assemble a consistent, itemized cost breakdown using the same governed rate data.

How You Share Outputs (PDF vs Real-Time Link)

Once a quote is built from Rate Management data, you typically share it in one of two ways:

PDF Quote (Export)

Best when:

• Customers require a formal attachment for approval
• You need a snapshot that is time-stamped and easy to forward
• You want a fixed version for recordkeeping

Real-Time Share Link

Best when:

• Customers want a quick, interactive view
• Your team expects changes (dates, scope, optional services)
• You want one living version rather than multiple emailed attachments

Best practice: use real-time links during negotiation and iteration; export to PDF when the customer is ready to approve.

Common Setup Path (High-Level Checklist)

Use this checklist to implement Rate Management quickly and avoid rework:

1. Define your coverage

   • Modes you will quote first (FCL, LCL, Air, Courier)
   
   
   • Primary lanes (top origins/destinations and trade routes)
   
   


2. 
   

   Choose your primary rate sources

   
   
   • Upload contract/tariff rates
   • Add spot rate process (who enters, who approves)
   • Connect carrier APIs if you use live pricing
   
   


3. 
   

   Standardize charge structure

   
   
   • Decide on consistent charge naming (base freight, documentation, handling, fuel, etc.)
   • Define how surcharges are stored and applied
   
   


4. 
   

   Set governance rules

   
   
   • Ownership by mode/lane
   • Update frequency (weekly/monthly/seasonal)
   • Versioning policy and approvals
   
   


5. 
   

   Validate with test quotes

   
   
   • Run a set of “known” lanes
   • Compare outcomes to existing spreadsheet quotes
   • Confirm door/port scope logic and totals
   
   


6. 
   

   Roll out to quoting teams

   
   
   • Train on source selection (contract vs spot vs API)
   • Define fallback behavior when live rates are unavailable
   • Standardize how quotes are shared (link vs PDF)