Manufacturing
Manufacturers pay for freight twice: bringing materials in and sending finished goods out. Those costs are often managed by different teams, on different terms. We look at both sides together and help you lower the total.
Examples we look for in a freight review.
Industry data
of surveyed shippers said they filled their trucks to capacity in 2022.
Flock Freight / Drive Research shipper survey, Mar. 2023of U.S. truckload capacity was estimated to be going to waste inside partially empty trucks.
Flock Freight / Drive Research shipper survey, Mar. 2023The survey covered 200 shippers in industries including food and beverage, retail, building materials, industrial machinery and packaging. Third-party figures from the sources linked under each number. They are not Maximizer Team results and do not predict your savings.
We review how your suppliers ship to you: who pays, who picks the carrier and what it really costs. Where it saves money, we help you set freight terms and an inbound routing guide so materials move on your negotiated rates. See routing and network optimization.
We benchmark every outbound lane, then help you negotiate with your current carriers, consolidate orders and match each shipment to the right mode. See carrier and contract negotiation, shipment consolidation and mode optimization.
Heavy or oddly shaped products can reach the weight limit before the trailer is full, or fill it before the weight limit. We look at load plans, pallet patterns and equipment so each truck carries as much as it safely can. See trailer and equipment optimization.
We check carrier invoices against your contracts, recover overcharges and report realized savings every month. See freight audit and savings verification.
Public research
An EPA SmartWay® bulletin describes a manufacturer of blenders and mixers that shipped 75% of its orders as LTL. By consolidating them into multi-stop truckloads, it cut LTL shipments to 27% and saved $800,000 in one year while achieving 97.8% on-time delivery (EPA-420-F-21-045, 2021, p.1).
EPA's 2023 strategies overview reports that co-loading with other companies can bring "a reduction in transportation costs of up to 30% on certain lanes" (EPA-420-F-23-003, 2023, p.1). And ceramic tile maker Daltile, whose railcars weighed out with almost 4,000 cubic feet unused, cut costs by up to 15% per load by co-loading lighter freight on top of its tile (EPA-420-F-19-014, 2019, p.2).
Source: U.S. EPA SmartWay publications (2019, 2021, 2023). The examples and figures are EPA's, not Maximizer Team results. Maximizer Team is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. EPA.
US manufacturers shipping by truckload, LTL, intermodal or parcel, typically with $1M or more in annual freight spend. We work with CFOs, COOs, plant and supply chain leaders. Our deepest experience is with consumer products and food and beverage manufacturers.
Dealing with retailer fines, deduction disputes or loss and damage claims? We can help with those too. See retailer deductions and chargeback recovery.
Why us
Benchmark · Implement · Verify
Yes. We look at the freight terms with each supplier and what inbound freight really costs. Where it saves money, we help set up an inbound routing guide so materials move on your rates.
It changes which levers matter. For heavy freight, weight limits, equipment choice and load plans often matter more than trailer space. The review covers both.
Not necessarily. We work with your current carriers and 3PL wherever possible. You approve every change.
The 14-day freight savings review is free. There's no upfront fee. If you go ahead, we're paid only from savings verified on your invoices. Recovered deductions are tracked and reported as their own category of verified savings.
No. Maximizer Team is an independent freight savings advisor. We don't haul freight, sell capacity or take carrier commissions, so our advice isn't tied to any carrier.
Yes. Our baseline breaks spend down by plant, lane, customer and product line, and we can map it to the cost centers your finance team uses. That makes savings easier to verify and shows which products carry the most freight cost.
Yes. Manufacturers often ship dense or odd-sized parts where class, weight and dimensions drive the LTL bill. We compare billed class and weight with your product data, review reweigh and reclass charges, and flag freight that may qualify for better class or density-based pricing.
Start with a short intro call. Then send us 12 months of inbound and outbound freight invoices. In 14 days you'll get a free written review of your biggest freight savings opportunities.
Get my free freight reviewNo upfront fees. Paid only from savings verified on your invoices. NDA available.