Project44 launches AI agent to automate freight procurement processes

Project44, the supply chain intelligence platform based in the United States, has launched its AI Freight Procurement Agent to automate carrier selection, rate benchmarking and negotiations across multiple transportation modes. The Chicago-based company's new tool, available within its Intelligent Transportation Management System, aims to reduce manual sourcing work for procurement and transportation leaders.

FreightWaves reported that the agent replaces periodic bid cycles and spreadsheet-based negotiations with continuous, AI-driven sourcing using live market conditions and carrier performance data. The technology benchmarks contracted rates against market conditions, identifies lanes with potential savings, and autonomously launches digital mini-bids.

The AI agent evaluates carriers based on cost, transit time and service reliability, then either recommends or executes awards based on configurable business rules. Early deployments have demonstrated a 4.1 per cent reduction in freight spend, up to 75 per cent reduction in sourcing cycle times and 70 per cent reduction in manual coordination effort.

The technology operates on Project44's logistics data graph, which connects over 259,000 carriers and processes data from 1.5 billion shipments annually across 186 countries. The platform validates and enriches carrier and lane performance data by processing more than 700 million logistics events daily.

Jett McCandless, founder and chief executive of Project44, said: "Freight procurement is one of the largest controllable cost drivers in the supply chain. The AI Freight Procurement Agent turns analytics into autonomous action within defined guardrails, delivering measurable savings while maintaining full control."

Organisations can define the agent's authority, including rate thresholds, carrier eligibility and contract parameters. The system can autonomously negotiate renewals within approved limits or provide scenario analysis for human review, with customers able to operate in recommendation-only mode initially.

The launch follows Project44 reporting its first quarter of positive operating free cash flow and 48 per cent year-over-year growth in new annual recurring revenue.

Explore Project44's AI-powered freight procurement solution and autonomous sourcing capabilities.