APL Trans
Supply Chain
Diagnostic.
A structured engagement that examines your freight spend, carrier relationships, operational processes, and systems — to surface what's costing you money, identify issues you may not know you have, and build a clear roadmap for what comes next. APL Trans delivers the findings, then stays as your supply chain partner to execute on them.
- Workstreams
- 6
- Timeline
- 4–6 weeks
- Pricing
- Custom engagement
- Readout
- 60-min executive
The Problem
Most supply chain leaks don't show up
on any report line.
Companies without a dedicated logistics expert in-house pay freight invoices with errors nobody catches, carry rates that haven't been benchmarked in years, and absorb vendor-routed inbound markup buried quietly in COGS. None of it looks like a crisis. All of it compounds.
The Supply Chain Diagnostic is how APL Trans finds it — and fixes it.
You may be a fit if any of these sound familiar
Freight spend with no dedicated logistics or supply chain leader managing it
Multiple locations selecting carriers independently with no central governance
Inbound freight handled by suppliers on delivered or DDP terms — markup is invisible
Freight invoices paid as presented with no systematic line-item review
ERP that reports what was billed, not whether it was correct
Leadership time being consumed by freight decisions that should go elsewhere
Don't see your situation here? Reach out anyway — we work with companies of all sizes and evaluate every engagement on its own merits.
The Engagement
Six workstreams.
One unified picture.
Every Diagnostic runs all six — because gaps in one area almost always have roots in another.
Freight Invoice Audit
Recover what's already yours.
60–90 days of invoices reviewed line by line. Accessorial errors, duplicate billing, rate variances, and misclassified lanes — quantified by carrier and category. Dispute candidates handed to your AP team with carrier-specific filing instructions and recovery support from APL Trans.
Carrier Governance & Scorecard
The right carriers. Held to standard.
Every carrier in your network scored on cost, service, coverage, accessorial discipline, and compliance. Branch-by-branch rate variance mapped. Carrier consolidation recommendations with quantified savings. Lane assignment logic drafted where it's missing.
Rate & Market Benchmarking
Rates that reflect your actual leverage.
Your current rates compared against market across every relevant lane and mode. Gaps identified and prioritized by savings opportunity. APL Trans negotiates on your behalf — leveraging active carrier relationships and volume data to close the gap.
Inbound & Procurement Assessment
Find the markup buried in your COGS.
Vendor-routed freight markup quantified using current market rate cross-reference. Top renegotiation targets identified by dollar impact. A renegotiation playbook handed to your procurement team with specific asks per supplier.
ERP & Visibility Gap Assessment
Systems that reflect your supply chain.
A current-state map of what your systems capture — and what they miss. Visibility, automation, and reporting gaps documented with their real operational impact. Right-sized integration recommendations built around your actual needs, not an over-engineered platform pitch.
Forward Operating Model & Roadmap
A plan you can act on — starting Monday.
All five workstreams consolidated into a unified findings narrative. A target operating model for your freight and supply chain function. An implementation roadmap built across four time horizons — Quick Wins, 90 days, 3–12 months, and 12+ months — with every item owner-assigned and actionable.
What You Walk Away With
Findings you can act on.
A partner who stays.
Most advisory firms deliver a report and leave. APL Trans holds active freight broker authority — which means we can act on what we find, immediately. Carrier changes, rate renegotiations, billing recovery — we don't hand you a playbook and wish you luck. We execute it with you.
Written Diagnostic Report
Full findings across all six workstreams in a format your leadership team can read, share, and act on.
Freight Invoice Dispute Candidates
Ready for AP — each candidate includes the carrier, the error type, the dollar amount, and filing instructions.
Carrier Scorecard
Performance and cost benchmarks for every carrier in your network, with consolidation and lane assignment recommendations.
Rate Benchmarking Findings
Market gap analysis and renegotiation targets, prioritized by savings opportunity.
Implementation Roadmap
Prioritized, owner-assigned, time-horizoned — organized from Quick Wins through 12+ months.
Ongoing APL Trans Partnership
We don't hand off. We stay engaged — executing on carrier changes, managing billing recovery, and continuing to surface opportunities as your supply chain evolves.
How It Works
From a 30-minute call
to an ongoing partnership.
Discovery
30 minutes · No cost
We start by understanding your freight footprint, your goals, and where the pressure is. If APL Trans isn't the right fit, we'll tell you and point you in the right direction.
Diagnostic Engagement
4–6 weeks · Custom engagement
Data collection, stakeholder conversations, and all six workstream analyses run in parallel. A weekly status touchpoint keeps your team informed without creating work for you. A mid-engagement check-in confirms directional findings before we finalize.
Executive Readout
60 minutes · Your leadership team
Live presentation of findings, dispute candidates, scorecard, and roadmap. A pre-readout summary is sent seven days ahead so the room can read first — we discuss, not lecture. Recording shared for any absent stakeholders.
Ongoing Partnership
Continuous · APL Trans stays
The roadmap doesn't sit in a drawer. APL Trans stays engaged — executing on carrier changes, managing billing recovery, and continuing to watch the supply chain so your team doesn't have to.
Not sure if you qualify?
The Diagnostic is designed for companies where freight is a meaningful cost but not yet a managed one. Some of our most impactful work has been with smaller operations where the right fundamentals weren't yet in place. If you're moving freight and feel like you're flying blind, reach out — we'll tell you honestly whether it makes sense.
Ready to find out what's there?
Start with a 30-minute Discovery Call.
We'll ask about your freight footprint, your goals, and where the pressure is. If APL Trans isn't the right fit, we'll say so. If it is, we'll outline exactly what the Diagnostic covers and what it will take to get started.
+1 631.317.2422 · dispatch@apltrans.com