Case Study

API-Driven Freight Automation for Faster, Smarter Shipping

Transportation & Logistics
AI/ML

About the Client​

Based in Brentwood, Tennessee, the client is a leading provider of transportation management solutions offering both managed and self-service (SaaS) TMS platforms. Their platform streamlines freight operations, automates processes, and provides cost-saving insights to businesses across the US. By leveraging industry expertise and carrier relationships, they help customers reduce transportation costs by 20–30% and improve experiences.

Business Challenge​

After acquiring a different TMS, the client was operating two distinct TMS platforms, each with its own customer interface, integration layer, duplicate carrier connections, and separate third-party data subscriptions. While both platforms offered similar functionality, their features varied and offered customers a choice between managed services and self-service options. Both platforms effectively used parallel APIs, leading to operational inefficiencies and duplicated integration costs, especially with external data providers like SMC3.

Unlike a typical system integration problem, this was a post-M&A modernization and optimization challenge. To unlock the intended business value of the acquisition, the client needed a unified API architecture that could serve both platforms, simplify external connectivity, ensure compliance, and scale efficiently as the business grew.

Before vs. After TMS Integration

img_before-vs-after-tms-integration

Trigent Solution

Trigent developed a Spring Boot-based microservice with Java 21 that acted as a unified API gateway across the client’s managed and SaaS TMS platforms. This high-performance middleware consolidated critical logistics functions—rate quoting, shipment booking, tracking, and document retrieval—into a single, scalable integration layer.

To build this modern API architecture, Trigent leveraged technologies including PostgreSQL, Grafana, AWS ECR, Docker, GitHub, Postman, and SoapUI. The solution enabled seamless communication between the client ecosystem and external systems while ensuring high security, extensibility, and compliance with evolving industry standards.

By replacing dual API paths with a single integration point, the solution significantly reduced the need for redundant third-party subscriptions, lowering data licensing costs and operational overhead. More importantly, it provided a solid, flexible foundation to support the client’s dual-platform TMS model post-acquisition.

Client Benefits

  • Unified API Architecture: A single API gateway now supports both TMS platforms, simplifying operations and external connectivity.
  • 20–30% Cost Reduction: Consolidated data feeds and eliminated redundant third-party subscriptions.
  • Unlocked Post-M&A Value: Accelerated integration timelines, eliminated duplications, and streamlined platform management.
  • Scalable, Secure Framework: Built for future extensibility, performance, and compliance in a fast-evolving logistics ecosystem.

Technology Stack