At a Glance
Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
Philadelphia, USA
Bring control to high-volume container movements across multiple ports and terminals automating drayage tendering, giving real-time yard visibility, and stopping per-diem and chassis costs from accumulating unseen.
- 75% less manual work across tendering and yard workflows
- Lower per-diem charges through alerts on containers nearing free-time expiry
- Faster yard turnaround with live gate, dwell and container position visibility
The Challenge
A global 3PL was moving high volumes of containers across multiple ports and terminals with almost no real-time control. Tendering was manual and error-prone, and once a container entered the yard it effectively disappeared no live view of gate-in and gate-out, dwell time, or where a box sat. The result was congestion, inefficient gate operations, and delays that compounded through the day.
The financial leakage was worse because it was invisible. Per-diem charges and chassis usage were poorly tracked, so detention fees accrued quietly and were discovered only when the invoice arrived. And with limited insight into drayage carrier performance, the team had no evidence base for choosing between carriers' decisions were made on habit rather than data.
Our Approach
Cozentus built a fully automated drayage and yard management solution with intelligent shipment assignment at its core. Carriers can be assigned manually or automatically from pre-booked data, so tendering happens in moments rather than through repeated manual handling. Across the yard, the solution tracks gate-in and gate-out, dwell time and container position in real time — giving the team a live map of what's where and what's moving.
Crucially, it watches the clocks. Containers approaching free-time expiry are flagged before charges are incurred, turning per-diem from an unavoidable cost into a managed one.
Yard Control in Action:
- Automated tender management: manual or auto dray carrier assignment driven by pre-booked data, cutting allocation time dramatically
- Cost alerts before charges land: containers nearing free-time expiry flagged early, with real-time chassis availability across every yard location
- Performance-driven carrier selection: acceptance rate, turnaround time and SLA adherence tracked per carrier, surfaced through a centralised analytics dashboard alongside cost and yard efficiency
Business Outcomes
Efficiency
- 75% reduction in manual work across tendering and yard workflows
- Faster yard turnaround as real-time visibility improved container flow
- Quicker tender processing through manual and auto-assign carrier allocation
Cost control
- Lower per-diem charges: early alerts prevented avoidable detention fees
- Better chassis and container utilisation through improved asset planning
- Smarter carrier selection: performance data drove better rates and reliability
Operational assurance
- Accurate inventory control with real-time safety stock and threshold alerts
- Fewer manual errors across previously paper-driven workflows
Client Quote
Manual errors are down, costs are under control, and we're making faster decisions. We especially value the ability to track chassis and manage per-diem risks before they escalate.
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