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Lower freight costs for CPG brands

Consumer packaged goods brands ship to demanding customers: retail DCs with tight appointments, distributors with strict rules and orders that change every week. We help CPG shippers lower their freight spend without changing what customers see.

Get my free freight reviewSee the CPG snack company case study →
Independent freight savings advisorNot a broker or carrierNo upfront feesPaid only from savings verified on your invoices
  • 20+Years in logistics
  • $1B+Freight managed
  • 14 daysTo your written freight savings review
  • No upfront feesPaid only from savings verified on your invoices

Why freight is hard for CPG brands

  • Many customers, many rulesEvery retailer and distributor has its own routing guide, appointment rules, pallet specs and fines.
  • Order sizes swingPromotions, new listings and seasonal demand turn steady freight into a mix of full trucks and small rush orders.
  • Margins are thinFreight is one of the larger costs between your plant and the shelf, and it rarely gets the same attention as cost of goods.
  • Costs hide in the detailsAccessorials, retailer deductions and billing errors land on invoices and remittances long after the truck is gone.

What this looks like for CPG brands

Examples we look for in a freight review.

  • A promotion turns into rush LTLA three-week promotion doubles orders, and the extra volume ships as rush LTL at spot rates. Planning the build ahead lets more of it go out as full truckloads on your contract rates.
  • Same DC, different daysSeparate orders for the same retailer DC leave on different days, each with its own truck and appointment. Combining them into one scheduled delivery means fewer trucks and fewer appointment fees.
  • Fines that look like small changeA missing pallet placard or a wrong BOL costs a few hundred dollars at a time. In our CPG snack company case study, accessorial and compliance fees added up to $125,000 a year.
  • A pallet spec nobody updatedA packaging change lets product double stack, but the customer's order spec still calls for single-stacked pallets. Updating it puts more product on every truck.

Where CPG brands usually find savings

Every shipper is different, but these levers come up most often for CPG brands:

See all 10 savings levers →

Also: retailer deductions

Retail and distributor DCs fine suppliers for late deliveries, missed appointments, BOL and placard errors and off-spec pallets. We prevent the fines your freight causes, dispute the ones you don't owe on your behalf, recover deducted money and file loss and damage claims with carriers. Recovered deductions are reported as their own category of verified savings. See retailer deductions and chargeback recovery

What lower freight spend does to EBITDA

Every dollar a CPG brand saves on freight goes straight to EBITDA. At a 10% margin, that's the same profit as about $10 of new sales, without the shelf space, trade spend or sales cycle. Run the numbers for your own business.

Try the EBITDA calculator   Read how freight savings improve EBITDA →

Public research

What the EPA found

EPA SmartWay® bulletins include consumer goods examples. Kimberly-Clark grew intermodal loads 120% between 2006 and 2013 and estimates $355 million in transportation savings (EPA-420-F-19-013, 2019, p.2).

Another EPA bulletin describes an entertainment products marketer that joined a pool distribution program alongside candy manufacturers. EPA reports fewer truck miles, "decreased chargeback fines through predictability in scheduling, and a 20% reduction in lead times" (EPA-420-F-21-035, 2021, p.1).

Source: U.S. EPA SmartWay publications (2019, 2021). The examples and figures are EPA's, not Maximizer Team results. Maximizer Team is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. EPA.

Who we work with

CPG brands shipping to retail and distributor DCs across the US, typically with $1M or more in annual freight spend. We work with finance and operations leaders: CFOs, COOs, VPs of supply chain and logistics directors. For the finance view, see freight savings for CFOs.

CPG categories we know well: food and beverage (including specialty foods, beer and wine) and brands selling into retail.

Why us

Why Maximizer Team

  • IndependentNot a broker or a carrier. We don't sell capacity or take carrier commissions, so our only interest is lowering your cost.
  • ExperiencedBased in Las Vegas and working with shippers nationwide, led by Michael Holvoet: 20+ years in logistics and $1B+ in freight managed across dry van, reefer, LTL, parcel and intermodal.
  • Paid on resultsNo upfront fees. We're paid only from savings verified on your invoices, measured against a baseline your finance team approves.
  • Built for mid-size and larger shippersMost clients spend $1M or more a year on freight.

Benchmark · Implement · Verify

How it works

  1. BenchmarkAfter a short intro call, you send 12 months of freight invoices and your rate files (we sign an NDA where appropriate). We build a baseline your finance team approves and compare your costs with the market.
  2. ImplementWe rank the opportunities by size and effort, then work with your team, carriers and warehouses to put the changes in place.
  3. VerifyEvery month we check paid invoices against the baseline and report realized savings, so you see what actually changed, not just what was promised.
See how it works in detail →

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

More answers on our FAQ page

How can a CPG brand lower its freight costs?

Start by knowing what your freight should cost on each lane. Most CPG savings then come from negotiating with carriers, consolidating orders, loading trucks fuller and cutting accessorials. We can also help prevent and recover retailer deductions. Our review shows which of these matter most for you.

Will we have to change carriers or our 3PL?

Not necessarily. We work with your current partners wherever possible.

Can you help with retailer deductions?

Yes, through our related retailer deductions service. We trace fines like late delivery, appointment, BOL and pallet fines to the cause, dispute the ones you don't owe on your behalf, recover the money and fix the cause.

How big does our freight spend need to be?

Most of our clients spend $1M or more a year on freight. If you're close, send your invoices and we'll tell you honestly whether a review is worth it.

How much does it cost?

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.

Are you a freight broker?

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.

Can you show our freight cost per case or by retail account?

Yes. We break your freight spend down by customer, DC, lane and product line, so you can see cost per case and the cost to serve each account. That view often shows which accounts or order patterns drive the most spend, and it becomes the baseline we use to verify savings.

Will lower freight costs hurt our on-time and in-full scores?

It shouldn't be the trade-off. We test every change against your delivery windows, retailer appointment rules and on-time history before we recommend it, and you approve each one. If a change would put retailer compliance at risk, we don't recommend it.

Find out what your CPG freight should cost

Start with a short intro call. Then send us 12 months of 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.