Rate Shepherd provides parcel spend management that helps shippers cut 10‑25%+ off shipping costs with carriers such as UPS and FedEx. Using contract optimization and automated invoice auditing, the platform benchmarks shipping data against carrier profitability metrics and reclaims fees from late deliveries, surcharges, and damages, delivering savings through a gain‑share model with no upfront fees.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Shippers often overpay on parcel carrier fees due to suboptimal contracts and unchallenged invoice charges such as late‑delivery penalties, invalid surcharges, and damage fees. Identifying hidden leverage in shipping data and recovering these excess costs typically requires extensive manual analysis.
Solution
Rate Shepherd offers a data‑driven parcel spend management platform that analyzes a shipper’s raw shipping data against carrier profitability benchmarks to reveal contract optimization opportunities. The system automatically audits invoices, detects overcharges, and initiates fee recovery for late deliveries, invalid surcharges, and lost or damaged packages. Savings are presented in a clear report after a free two‑week assessment, and the service operates on a gain‑share model, charging fees only after realized cost reductions. The platform supports any carrier contract—direct or third‑party—and handles the heavy lifting for the client, requiring minimal ongoing commitment.
Target Audience
Primary customers are midsize to large shippers and e‑commerce businesses that manage significant UPS, FedEx, or other parcel carrier volumes and seek to reduce transportation costs.
Features
- Benchmarking engine that compares a shipper’s shipping profile to carrier profitability metrics to uncover negotiation leverage
- Automated invoice auditing that flags and recovers late‑delivery penalties, invalid surcharges, and damage fees
- Carrier‑agnostic support for both direct carrier agreements and third‑party logistics contracts
- Free two‑week assessment delivering a detailed savings report with actionable recommendations
- Gain‑share pricing model where fees are incurred only after verified savings are achieved
- Streamlined client onboarding with an average four‑hour commitment for data integration and analysis