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A TMS carrier integration is a connection that lets a transportation management system request rates, tender bookings and pull shipment status from a carrier or forwarder without re-keying data.
TMS integration is how a shipping team stops toggling between a TMS screen and a dozen carrier portals. For freight moved through ExFreight, a TMS reaches ExFreight’s online rating, booking and tracking system in one of two ways: a pre-built connector inside a TMS that already integrates with ExFreight, or a direct connection to the ExFreight freight API. This guide covers what each path connects, which data moves in each direction, where the gaps are, and how to choose.
Key takeaways
- A TMS carrier integration moves three things: rate requests out, booking tenders out and shipment status back in. Documents and invoices usually travel on a separate path, so plan for them.
- ExFreight lists existing integrations with nine TMS platforms: Project 44, Accufrate, Banyan, SAAS, 7L, Primus, Pacejet, CSA Software and Teknowlogi.
- If your TMS is on that list, start with the connector. If you run a proprietary TMS, use ExFreight’s open API, available upon request with a test environment.
What a TMS-carrier integration connects
A TMS is the shipper’s system of record for transportation. It holds orders released for shipment, carrier options, tenders, statuses and freight spend. A carrier integration is the link between that record and the party that prices and moves the freight.
Without the link, a planner copies origin, destination, pieces, weight and dimensions from the TMS into a carrier portal, copies the quote back, books in the portal, then pastes the booking number into the TMS. Four copies per shipment, and each one is a chance to transpose a ZIP code or drop a pallet. Integration replaces those copies with three exchanges:
- Rate shopping inside the TMS. The TMS sends shipment details. Priced options with transit times come back and sit beside the other options the planner already compares.
- Tendering or booking. The planner, or an auto-tender rule, selects an option and the TMS sends the booking, so the reference number lands in the shipment record.
- Status. Tracking updates return to the shipment record, so customer service answers “where is it” from one screen.
International freight adds work a domestic TMS never sees. Ocean imports into the U.S. need an Importer Security Filing (ISF, per CBP), exports need an export declaration, and the importer needs a customs entry. On ExFreight bookings, ISF is included when the shipment is booked to door, export declaration filing is included on door-to-door and door-to-port moves, and a basic customs entry is included in door-to-door rates. The TMS does not have to orchestrate those filings, but it should store the booking number that ties them together.
Pre-built ExFreight TMS connectors
ExFreight’s platform features page lists existing API integrations with these TMS systems:
- Project 44
- Accufrate
- Banyan
- SAAS
- 7L
- Primus
- Pacejet
- CSA Software
- Teknowlogi
A connector means the integration between that TMS and ExFreight’s system already exists, so your team configures it instead of building it. Through it, the TMS gains access to ExFreight’s online rating, booking and tracking system. What appears in your instance depends on the TMS version and your account setup, so confirm three items with your TMS vendor and ExFreight before go-live:
- Which modes return in rate results for your lanes (air, ocean, trucking, domestic and international).
- Whether booking runs from inside the TMS, or only rating, with booking completed on the ExFreight platform.
- How tracking updates display in the TMS shipment record, and who on your team watches them.
Operator tip: ask for a test run through the connector on three of your own lanes, not the vendor’s demo lane. One domestic LTL lane with a liftgate, one international air lane and one ocean lane will surface most mapping gaps in a single afternoon.
Data that flows: rates, tenders, status, documents
A rate is only as accurate as the shipment data the TMS sends, and a TMS adds its own layer: codes and rules that must translate into what ExFreight’s rating expects. Settle these mappings before the first live tender.
| TMS setting | Example | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| mode and equipment | LTL, FTL, air, ocean FCL or LCL | Decides which rate options the TMS asks for and which shipment fields each mode needs. |
| service level code | Standard vs expedited air; port-to-door vs door-to-door ocean | Options are only comparable at the same scope. Map each TMS service code to one service. |
| accessorial code map | TMS code LFTD = liftgate at delivery | An unmapped code is dropped silently and the charge appears on the invoice. ExFreight quotes domestic freight business to business, dock to dock, so residential delivery is an accessorial too. |
| auto-tender rule | Lowest rate within a 3-day transit | Automated selection needs transit times in every rate option, not only the price. |
| status code map | Picked up, departed origin port, out for delivery | Milestones differ by mode. One mapping table keeps the TMS status column consistent for customer service. |
| load reference | TMS load ID stored beside the ExFreight booking number | Ties tracking updates and invoices back to the right load record. |
A connector that works can still produce a re-invoice: if the SKU dimension records in the TMS hold an outdated pallet height, every rate it requests is built on the wrong volume, and the carrier bills what it measures. This is why density-based LTL pricing rewards clean dimensions in the TMS, and the LTL rate API guide lists the request fields in full.
Tenders and status follow the same logic. Carriers that integrate by EDI exchange the X12 204 Motor Carrier Load Tender and 214 Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message (X12 transaction sets). An API connection does the same jobs as request and response calls. The trade-offs are covered in API vs EDI for freight.
Documents are the gap to plan for. ExFreight’s API scope is quoting, booking and tracking. Shipment documents are uploaded and stored on the ExFreight platform, and invoices are viewed and paid in the online account. Decide before go-live who pulls the bill of lading, proof of delivery and invoice into the TMS or ERP, and how often.
Quotes returned to a TMS are informational and subject to change; shipments can be re-invoiced if actual details differ from what the TMS sent, such as weight, dimensions, location type or accessorials. On U.S. imports, a basic customs entry is included in door-to-door rates; duties, taxes, bonds, MPF and HMF are billed separately.
Connector vs direct API
The connector and the direct API reach the same ExFreight rating, booking and tracking system. The difference is who builds and maintains the link, and how much control you keep over the fields.
| Pre-built TMS connector | Direct ExFreight API | Manual portal booking | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Your TMS is one of the nine listed | Proprietary or in-house TMS, or a TMS not on the list | Low volume, occasional international moves |
| Who builds it | Already built; you configure it | Your developers or integrator, with ExFreight’s test environment and assistance | Nobody; staff key each shipment |
| Field control | Limited to the fields the connector exposes | You decide which fields you send and how you store responses | Full, but by hand |
| Maintenance | Maintained outside your team | You maintain your code when either side changes | None, but labor scales with volume |
| Where it breaks | Item master data, unmapped accessorials | Unit conversions, error handling, status polling logic | Typos, copy-paste errors, missed updates |
A simple rule: if your TMS appears on the list and its connector exposes the modes you ship, the connector is the shorter path. If you need fields the connector does not carry, or your TMS is built in-house, go direct. Some shippers run both, with the connector for planners and the API feeding an internal dashboard.
Going live: a TMS-specific rollout
- Pick the lanes. List your top 10 lanes by shipment count and mode. Those become the test set.
- Clean the SKU dimension records. Audit weight, dimensions and packaging for the SKUs that ship on those lanes. Fix them in the TMS, not in a spreadsheet beside it.
- Map accessorials. Match the TMS accessorial codes (liftgate, residential, inside delivery, appointment) to what ExFreight’s rating expects, and test each one.
- Run in parallel. For two weeks, quote in the TMS and on the ExFreight platform side by side. Compare rates and transit times line by line.
- Cut over and watch variances. After go-live, review quote-to-invoice differences weekly for the first month. Recurring differences point to a mapping fix, not a pricing problem.
The broader version of this plan, including scoping and provider questions, is in the freight API integration checklist. If freight costs also need to land in NetSuite, Dynamics 365 or SAP, see ERP freight integration.
What ExFreight’s API covers today
APIs are available upon request, with a test environment and assistance. Connectivity gives access to ExFreight’s online rating, booking and tracking system, and existing TMS integrations cover Project 44, Accufrate, Banyan, SAAS, 7L, Primus, Pacejet, CSA Software and Teknowlogi. See how the ExFreight freight API works
Freight API series
Frequently asked questions
What is TMS integration?
TMS integration connects a transportation management system to the other systems it depends on: carriers and forwarders for rates, bookings and tracking, and ERPs or warehouse systems for orders and costs. The goal is to stop re-keying shipment data, so a quote, booking reference and status update land in one record automatically.
What is TMS in freight?
In freight, TMS stands for transportation management system: software that plans, executes and records shipments. Shippers use it to compare carrier rates, book or tender loads, track status and audit freight spend. A TMS becomes far more useful once it is integrated with the carriers and forwarders that actually move the freight.
What is TMS software for carriers?
For carriers, TMS software runs the operating side of the business: accepting load tenders, dispatching drivers and equipment, tracking loads, and billing shippers. Shipper-side TMS platforms buy transportation; carrier-side platforms sell and execute it. A carrier integration is the link that lets the two exchange tenders, status and invoices without manual entry.
Which TMS platforms already connect to ExFreight?
ExFreight lists existing API integrations with nine TMS systems: Project 44, Accufrate, Banyan, SAAS, 7L, Primus, Pacejet, CSA Software and Teknowlogi. If your TMS is not on the list, ExFreight's open API is available upon request, with a test environment and assistance for integration into a proprietary TMS.
