TIO for Freight Forwarders
Your team moves freight. TIO handles the coordination.
Every shipment email read. Every job updated. Every TMS record pre-filled for your team's review. TIO is the coordination layer between your inbox and your TMS, from the first rate request to the final invoice.
How TIO Works
Six stages. One coordination layer.
Rate intake and quote blast
- TIO reads every inbound RFQ on arrival: direct email, forwarded portals, or attached spreadsheets
- TIO extracts lane, mode, commodity, weight, incoterms, and cargo ready date automatically
- TIO structures a rate request your team reviews and blasts to multiple carriers in one action
- Carrier responses arrive by email; TIO pulls rate, transit time, and availability from each reply
- All responses surface as a per-job comparison queue, with no inbox hunting and no thread switching
- Your team picks the carrier; TIO pre-fills the booking draft the moment you decide
Booking authorization and space confirmation
- TIO drafts the booking request with container type, commodity, ETD, port pair, shipper, and consignee pre-filled
- TIO routes owner-level authorizations directly to the decision maker's tray, separate from the ops queue
- TIO extracts the carrier booking confirmation number and ties it to the open job
- Origin agent and customer receive a confirmation update without your team composing it
- Nothing moves to execution until a named team member approves the booking
RFQ parsed from email
LaneShanghai → Los Angeles
ModeOcean FCL · 40HQ
CommodityConsumer electronics
IncotermsFOB Shanghai
Cargo readyJun 15, 2026
Carrier rate queue
EvergreenEGLV
Awaiting OOCLOOLU
$2,850 · Jun 18 ✓ Hapag-LloydHLCU
Awaiting 1 of 3 rates received Authorize booking →
Pre-alert intake to lot creation
- TIO reads the pre-alert the moment it arrives: HBL, MBL, container number, vessel, voyage, ETD, shipper, consignee
- TIO binds the email to the correct open job and pre-fills the OI master record in your TMS queue
- The same agent thread often carries ISF party data, commercial invoice, and packing list; TIO routes each to its own action queue
- Manual pre-alert intake runs 8 to 12 minutes per shipment; TIO completes the prep before your team opens the inbox
- Your operator reviews and approves lot creation in one click
ISF, customs docs, and arrival notice
- TIO extracts all 10+2 ISF fields from the origin agent's email: shipper, consignee, manufacturer, HTS, country of origin, stuffing location
- TIO flags missing fields against the ISF filing deadline before they become a late-filing penalty
- TIO drafts the customs document packet to your broker with all attachments once docs are complete
- TIO drafts the arrival notice to your customer from the same job record, same action queue
- Origin agent, broker, and customer stay synced without manual forwarding between threads
Pre-alert extraction 7 / 7
MBLEGLV14260111096299%
HBLSE2604005699%
VesselCOSCO UNIVERSE 012E97%
ETD/ETAJun 20 · Jul 8 LAXL95%
CtnrTCKU3456789 · 40HQ99%
ISF 10+2 staging 9 / 10
ShipperGuangdong Elec. Ltd.98%
COOChina (CN)99%
HTS8471.30.010074% ⚠
Rate consolidation and carrier assignment
- TIO reads every carrier rate response on arrival: ocean freight rate, surcharges, equipment availability, and transit time
- TIO structures all responses into a per-job comparison queue, one screen instead of switching between threads
- TIO auto-constructs the SCAC code from the MBL prefix; the TMS record is complete the moment your team approves
- Carrier selected, lot updated, no re-keying required
- TIO stores rate history per lane so your team can spot margin erosion across bookings
Booking confirmation and vessel exception tracking
- TIO matches carrier booking confirmations to open jobs automatically
- TIO flags rate discrepancies between the confirmation and the booked rate before your team approves the record
- TIO detects vessel rollover, blank sailings, equipment substitutions, and booking changes on arrival
- The affected job surfaces in the review queue with carrier message, booked details, and a suggested response
- Your customer gets a proactive update before they ask what happened to their shipment
Carrier rate queue
| Carrier / SCAC | Rate | ETD | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| EvergreenEGLV | $2,850 | Jun 18 | Selected ✓ |
| OOCLOOLU | $3,100 | Jun 22 | Declined |
| Hapag-LloydHLCU | $2,700 | Jun 25 | Review ⚠ |
Booking confirmation matched
Booking #EGLV2026061804X
SCACEGLV: MBL prefix match
Space40HQ · Jun 18 ETD confirmed
Lot updated · no re-keying Approve write →
LFD, port availability, and detention prevention
- TIO binds the port availability notice, LFD assertion, and detention window to the correct job on arrival
- TIO writes the LFD to the TMS field and sends auto-drafted notifications to the trucker and customer the same day
- At 100-plus active containers, one unread LFD email is a detention charge you did not need to pay
- TIO surfaces every port and LFD event within minutes of receipt
- Your team reviews the risk before detention accrues, not at the end of the week
Trucker dispatch, delivery appointments, and POD
- TIO drafts the trucker dispatch email with container number, pickup window, delivery address, and consignee contact pre-filled
- Your team reviews and sends in one click; TIO extracts the trucker confirmation and ties it to the job
- TIO links the appointment window and driver info to the lot without manual entry
- TIO detects POD arrival and drafts the customer notification with the POD attached
- Lot flagged for close: one named team member approval closes the transport leg
LFD risk queue
TCKU3456789
Available Jul 9 · LAXL
3 days
to Last Free Day
MSCU4872301
Available Jul 11 · LAXL
8 days
to Last Free Day
Dispatch · TCKU3456789
TruckerA&B Trucking: Confirmed
ApptJul 9 · 08:00–14:00
DeliveryOntario, CA warehouse
Dispatched · awaiting POD Notify customer →
Status answers from email and TMS combined
- TIO holds the full email history and TMS state for every job across every mailbox
- Any team member queries in plain English: container location, ETA, outstanding documents, customs status
- The answer pulls from both the TMS record and the full email thread, reflecting what actually happened and not just what was entered
- TIO forwards the CF7501 to the customer the moment the broker returns the customs entry
- Tracking updates, release confirmations, and document notices reach the customer without your team drafting anything
Exception detection and proactive customer updates
- TIO detects rolled cargo, blank sailings, booking changes, and customs holds on email arrival
- The affected job surfaces in the right operator's tray with full context: carrier, original booking, affected containers
- TIO drafts a suggested customer response, ready for your team to review and send
- Your customer gets a proactive update before they contact you about the delay
- TIO drafts a weekly shipment status report automatically for high-volume accounts, pulling live TMS state and email activity across all open jobs
Where is the Shanghai container?
OI-2026-04821 is on COSCO UNIVERSE 012E, departed Jun 20, ETA Los Angeles Jul 8. ISF filed, CBP accepted. A&B Trucking confirmed for Jul 9.
Source: pre-alert · agent@cosco.com · Jun 15
CF7501 sent to the customer?
Forwarded Jun 30 after NECB cleared customs. Customer confirmed receipt.
Ask about any job, email, or lot… ↑
Invoice-to-rate matching
- TIO matches every carrier invoice against the rate your team approved at booking
- Overbilling on drayage, undisclosed documentation fees, and wrong-job charges all surface before payment clears
- TIO routes per-delivery invoices and AP/AR evidence to the billing lane with full job context: carrier, original rate, affected lot, and the specific discrepancy
- Your team reviews the match result and approves or flags the dispute
- No reconciling from memory against a rate approved three weeks ago
Document completeness and lot close
- TIO checks every job for document completeness before billing closes: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, customs clearance, and POD
- Jobs with missing documents surface in the review queue before your team tries to close the lot
- TIO detects POD receipt when the trucker's delivery confirmation arrives and ties it to the job record without manual entry
- Lot close is a named team member action: POD matched, documents complete, invoices reconciled
- Your team approves and the lot closes
Invoice match: OI-2026-04821
A&B Trucking · Drayage $650: Match ✓
Evergreen · Ocean freight $2,850: Match ✓
Evergreen · Doc fee $75 — Not quoted ⚠
Billing status queue
OI-2026-04821 Send Invoice
OI-2026-04806 Pending
OI-2026-04798 Follow-up
OI-2026-04782 Closed ✓
4 jobs · 1 ready to invoice Close lot →
Ocean importOcean exportAir importAir exportDomestic truckingSales quotes
No rip, no replace
TIO connects to your existing TMS via API and pre-fills records for your team's review. CargoWise, Magaya, Descartes, GoFreight, or any TMS with a REST or SOAP API. Your filing path, your TMS, and your team's workflow don't change. Setup takes under a week for most forwarders.