AI Tactics for Freight Brokers - 3 workflows you can run without any new tools

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword tossed around by big brokerages. In 2025, it's a practical advantage for small and midsize freight brokers who want to streamline operations and stay lean.

The good news: you don’t need to buy software to start. Below are three specific tactics that use AI to solve everyday operational problems, using tools you likely have in place.

The Inbox Tactic: Turn Load Tender Emails Into Automated Load Drafts

Still copying tender details from email into your TMS by hand? That task alone costs teams hours weekly.

There’s a better way. And it doesn’t require custom integrations or new software.

Here’s how to set it up using Gmail, Zapier, and GPT:

• Use Gmail filters to tag incoming tender emails automatically (e.g., anything with "Load Tender" in the subject line).
• Connect Zapier to Gmail to grab the email body when tagged.
• Pass the content into a GPT prompt like:
  Extract the following: pickup location, delivery location, equipment type, weight, and reference number.
• Output the results into a Google Sheet or draft load board.
• Add a manual review column so a dispatcher can verify before confirming.

If you want to level up, you can route the output into Slack or directly into your TMS via webhook.

This works best when you fine-tune the prompt with 3 to 5 real examples from your own inbox. Once trained, GPT can handle most formats with reliable accuracy.

The Carrier Match Play: Rank and Recommend Based on Your Own History

Carrier reps waste a lot of time calling the wrong carriers. If you’ve been brokering for even six months, you have the data to fix that. This play uses AI to rank carriers based on how well they’ve performed on similar lanes in the past.

To do it with the tools you have:

• Export your last 6 to 12 months of load data. Make sure you include lane info, carrier name, equipment type, on-time delivery, and fall-offs.
• Load this into a spreadsheet and use GPT (via the Sheets plug-in or API) to answer questions like:
  Which carriers consistently deliver from Atlanta to Chicago with dry vans and no fall-offs?
• Sort the results by on-time percentage and frequency.
• Create a lookup table so when a load comes in, you can quickly surface top candidates by lane.

Optional layer: feed in current available carriers (from a call list or recent emails) and have GPT flag any that are high-confidence matches.

This simple scoring system reduces load coverage time and helps you put the right load in front of the right carrier first.
 

The Rate Assist: Smart Quoting Based on Real Data

Quoting is one of the most time-sensitive jobs on the floor. AI can help brokers build faster, more competitive rate responses, especially when markets shift quickly.

Here’s how to build a basic AI-powered rate tool without any expensive software:

• Gather these data points for each load:
  Lane, equipment type, historical average rate, current fuel prices, and time of year.
• Use GPT to build a pricing prompt like:
  Given this lane and history, with fuel up 7% and Q3 seasonality, what’s a competitive linehaul rate? Include reasoning and high/low range.
• Paste your lane and context into the prompt. GPT will return a suggested base rate, a floor, a ceiling, and sometimes an expected margin range.
• Copy the output into your quote sheet or CRM field.

You can scale this with the GPT Sheets plug-in or by using a form input system that your team fills in on the fly.

Even if you don’t take the exact number GPT gives you, it anchors you fast — and saves your reps from checking six tabs or guessing.
 

What MVMNT Delivers Beyond the DIY Stack

The tactics above are powerful on their own. But if you want them embedded inside your workflow, without stringing together tools or managing prompts, MVMNT offers broker-first automation built directly into your TMS.

• Automated parsing of tenders and inbound requests, with load drafts created instantly.
• Load matching powered by carrier history, lane preferences, and availability — surfaced directly in the load view.
• Real-time pricing intelligence that blends historical performance, market rates, and margin protection into every quote.

You can implement AI today with no extra cost. But when you're ready to go from useful to seamless, MVMNT is the easy button that scales with you.