Automating just for the sake of automating doesn’t make good business or financial sense. You can’t expect to flip a switch, proclaim, “We’re automated,” and then continue to conduct business the way you always have. For LTL freight brokerages to achieve efficient growth with the aid of automation, they need to implement it thoughtfully.
That means determining what needs automating, adjusting your team’s mindset, and carefully choosing the right time to position your LTL freight brokerage on the path to growth. It’s like knowing when to put in your best player to score a win.
Determine What Needs Fixing
Thinking about automation for your LTL freight brokerage? Don’t guess. Use data. Here’s your step-by-step DRUMS audit:
Week 1: Define Automation Priorities
Track your team for three days.
List every task that takes more than 30 minutes to complete daily.
Rank impact versus effort to automate.
Week 2: Rethink Workflows and Data
Map your current load life cycle from quote to payment.
Identify where data gets stuck or reentered.
Note every system handoff point.
Week 3: Understand Team Concerns
Survey your team: “What repetitive communication tasks waste your time daily?”
Shadow your top and bottom performers.
Document the gap between them.
Week 4: Monitor Performance Metrics
Baseline your key metrics (margins, book rates, cycle times).
Set targets for where AI could improve those metrics.
Calculate ROI thresholds for any tech investment.
Week 5: Scale What Works Best
Identify your highest-performing processes.
Document what makes them work.
Plan how to replicate across your team.
Most freight brokers skip straight to shopping for solutions, but the DRUMS audit helps you buy smarter and implement faster.
Change Your Way of Thinking
“Your TMS isn’t broken. You’re just not using it right — and AI can fix that,” says Drumkit CEO Dhruv Gupta, who asserts most freight brokers are only utilizing about 30% of their TMS’ capabilities.
For instance, a freight brokerage invested $200,000 and eight months in implementing a TMS, yet it didn’t fully utilize all the available tools. It didn’t take the time (or spend the money) to properly set up the routing guide, which could have automated 60% of carrier selection.
AI could have configured routing guides, analyzed historical data, and optimized carrier preferences for every load.
“Stop thinking: ‘AI costs $X on top of everything else.’ Start thinking: ‘AI helps me get 3x more value from the $200K I’m already spending on TMS systems with unused features, load boards I’m not searching efficiently, tracking systems generating data I’m not analyzing, and rate tools I’m not optimizing,” Gupta says.
Gupta says thoughtful AI implementation more than pays for itself. One broker, for instance, used AI to analyze its TMS data and discovered it was leaving $400,000 on the table annually by not using its contracted rates properly. The AI implementation cost, in comparison, was $40,000.
“Keep your TMS. Add AI that makes it actually work the way it was sold to you,” Gupta says.
Automate When the Time is Right
Gupta says freight brokering is a lot like soccer. Success in both is all about timing.
“In soccer, the difference between a good pass and a great pass isn’t the technique, it’s the timing. Thread it through too early, the defender intercepts. Too late, the striker’s offside. In brokerage, same thing.”
Gupta breaks it down to:
Market Timing
Invest in growth during downturns = competitors can’t match your moves.
Waiting for “perfect” market conditions = missing the opportunity entirely.
The sweet spot? Acting when others are paralyzed by uncertainty.
Team Timing
Hiring during peaks means overpaying for talent.
Hire during valleys = pick up quality people competitors can’t afford.
Technology Timing
Adopting AI too early = bleeding edge becomes bleeding money.
Waiting too long = competitors gain unstoppable advantages.
The sweet spot? When it’s proven but not yet ubiquitous.
“Arsenal’s been brilliant this season because they’re not just playing good soccer, they’re playing it at the right moments. Press high when the opponent’s tired. Sit back when they’re desperate. The best brokers I know have the same instinct. They feel the rhythm of the market and move accordingly,” Gupta says.
Drumkit Empowers LTL Brokerages to Scale Efficiently
We can help you determine how automation can help your LTL freight brokerage scale. We can help get your team onboard. And we can help you pinpoint the best time to automate.
Get your head in the game with Drumkit’s freight broker software. Book an introductory call.
