New Shipping Platform Looks to Eliminate Markups on Freight Rates

Milwaukee, WI, January 30, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Almost any product, during its manufacturing or sale, was at one time shipped, and that shipping is factored into the cost of every product. It's an essential part of business. In fact, more than $650 billion is collected annually in revenue by the trucking industry alone, accounting for about 5% of total GDP (trucking.org). With so much money going around in transportation, it's easy to see why so-called, "Middle-Men" such as 3PLs, brokers, and freight forwarders, have made their way in over the last 20 plus years. They are the largest growing segment of the industry with $133.8 billion in gross revenue in 2011 (scmr.com). FreightConnections looks to decrease the revenue made by third parties based on commissions or "rate markups," with its game-changing online platform.

FreightConnections was started by John and Vince Aslin, a father and son team, whose own experiences in the industry led them to an idea for a new kind of online shipping marketplace. "After three decades working in the transportation industry, I realized that technology had gotten to a point where a platform could be built to connect shippers and carriers directly, taking a lot of waste out of the system, and ultimately leading to higher profits for both parties," says John Aslin, Chairman. "Both sides have always viewed third parties as a necessary evil and maybe they're not so necessary with proper use of technology."

The platform itself is currently auction-based, but company President Vince Aslin says, "We can really see a lot of innovation in the future from the way our bids are offered, we hope to see a new release sometime this year." Key innovations of FreightConnections include no markups or commissions of any kind and a true "Automatch" system that will connect compatible shippers and carriers in unprecedented ways. It's already in action and has seen some excellent results. Thus far, FreightConnections is reporting saving their shippers an average of 17% per shipment against their previous shipping methods (FreightConnections Statistics).

Mario Cherubini, Director of Continuous Improvement for Johnson Level & Tool in Milwaukee, WI had this to say about his current experience with FreightConnections. "FreightConnections is the most innovative online shipping site that I've seen, creating carrier competition for all volume levels of LTL and TL shippers. They have thought of everything - it was clearly built for and by real freight industry professionals. The site's auction-based bidding system and true 'Automatch' innovations will benefit both shippers and carriers."

With FreightConnections there are also a plethora of carriers to choose from. Present carriers range from independent owner operators to large asset-based carriers like RoadRunner Transportation Services, FedEx, Central Transport, and Landstar. This is what creates great competition based on carriers' daily needs.

FreightConnections is available in both Free and Premium subscriptions to shippers and carriers alike. Their premium subscriptions for both shippers and carriers is $39.99 per month, and only $10 per month for any additional accounts. Anyone interested in learning more can visit www.FreightConnections.com.

http://www.trucking.org/Newsroom/Trucks%20Are/Trucking%20and%20the%20Economy.pdf
http://www.scmr.com/images/site/SCMR_JulAug_2012_Top_50_3PLs_Q103.pdf