Data-Driven Decisions with FreightWaves and Keelvar

Smart shippers know that staying ahead means more than just managing costs—it’s about making smarter, data-driven decisions. That’s exactly what the dynamic partnership between Keelvar and FreightWaves SONAR is delivering. By integrating real-time freight data directly into sourcing processes, businesses can now optimize their RFPs with greater precision and speed.

In a recent webinar, Nick Persin, Director of Strategic Partnerships at FreightWaves SONAR, and Dylan Alperin, VP of Professional Services at Keelvar, took us behind the scenes of this powerful integration, explaining how it’s already helping procurement teams make more informed decisions with minimal effort.

Here’s what Nick and Dylan had to say about transforming logistics procurement with data at your fingertips:

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A Seamless Integration for Smarter Procurement

“This is a turnkey solution,” Nick explained, highlighting how the integration is designed to be user-friendly. The Keelvar platform can now seamlessly present FreightWaves SONAR’s contract and spot rate pricing, as well as SONAR Lane Scores—indicators that help assess lane attractiveness based on current market conditions. No technical setup or IT involvement is needed from customers, making the tool instantly accessible.

Dylan added, "As long as you’re an existing FreightWaves customer, all you need is an API key, and you can start leveraging the data in your RFPs right away.”

"As long as you’re an existing FreightWaves customer, all you need is an API key, and you can start leveraging the data in your RFPs right away”

Real-Time Data at Your Fingertips

With businesses facing constant changes in the logistics landscape, having real-time data has become a necessity. "The more frequently you can look at this data, refresh it, and update it, the more you can optimize your decisions,” said Dylan. This integration not only speeds up the procurement process but also enhances its precision. “You can just press refresh, and it brings all of this data over into your system.”

The ability to access high-frequency data helps procurement teams respond dynamically to market shifts. As Dylan pointed out, this is especially important when running large-scale RFPs, such as those for North American truckloads, where companies need to consider factors like capacity, transit time, price, and even sustainability.

A Better, Faster RFP Process

One of the standout features of the integration is how it streamlines the RFP process. By incorporating SONAR’s datasets directly into Keelvar, businesses can shorten their procurement cycles while maintaining high levels of accuracy.

“In one case, a customer was able to cut down their sourcing timeline from months to just two weeks by leveraging real-time benchmarks”

“In one case, a customer was able to cut down their sourcing timeline from months to just two weeks by leveraging real-time benchmarks,” Dylan shared. He summarized the power of the tool, saying, “You now have the ability to find the best carriers on the best lanes with the best services at the right price— all with the click of a button.”

Proof of Value and What’s Next

To encourage more businesses to explore the benefits of the integration, FreightWaves SONAR is offering a 90-day proof-of-value trial. Nick emphasized the importance of this initiative, saying,

“We want businesses to use the data, see the value, and then build a solid business case for continuing with the integration.” The trial offers access to SONAR’s datasets, allowing users to test the solution’s capabilities in live RFPs without commitment.

Looking to the future, both speakers discussed potential expansions of the integration, including adding data for other transportation modes like LTL and intermodal. "There's no reason why this can’t grow to support more comprehensive logistics strategies," Nick said, hinting at potentially exciting developments down the road.

"There's no reason why this can’t grow to support more comprehensive logistics strategies"

The webinar showcased how the Keelvar and FreightWaves SONAR integration is paving the way for data-driven decisions in logistics procurement.  Find out more about the integration in this datasheet, or connect with one of our expert team members here.