Success Stories
A small ocean and air forwarder liked its old platform’s features but couldn’t get help when things broke. With no IT staff, every unanswered ticket stopped work. CargoEZ’s onboarding team imported its database, built its templates with the team, and stayed on as a named contact after go-live.
4 people running a full NVOCC workload: HBLs, AWBs, eAWB and LCL
5 carriers’ monthly contract rates compared on one screen
1 to 2 weeks typical setup, with a named onboarding team
Summary
The 60 Second Summary
Who
A US freight forwarder and NVOCC. Ocean FCL and LCL, plus air. Four people: two sales, one operations, one accounts. About 30 shipments a month.
Problem
The team left its previous platform over support, then ran without a system while it evaluated replacements. It needed to be live fast, with its existing data.
What changed
A named onboarding team imported the database and built templates with the team. House BLs, air waybills, eAWB, LCL consolidation, carrier rates, a customer portal and job-level accounting now run in one system.
Outcome
The team stopped working around its software. Sales quotes from loaded rates, operations builds documents from data already entered, accounts sees every job’s margin, and there is a named person to call.
Is This You?
Your team is under 10 people and nobody’s job title includes “IT”
You’ve waited days for a vendor to answer a support ticket
You issue your own house BLs or air waybills
You’re worried switching systems will cost you weeks of shipments
Snapshot
Company type
Freight forwarder and NVOCC
Services
Ocean FCL and LCL, air freight
Location
United States
Team
4 people: 2 sales, 1 operations, 1 accounts
Volume
About 30 shipments a month
Carrier contracts
Monthly rate sheets from about 5 carriers
Previous situation
Left prior platform over support; temporarily without a system
CargoEZ modules
Freight Operations, Rate Management, Documents (eAWB), Customer Portal, Accounting
The Challenge
The Challenge: Good Features, No Help
This team didn’t leave its last platform because of features. It left because nobody picked up the phone.
1. Support that didn’t show up. When something broke or a setup question came up, getting help was slow and hard. In a four person company with no IT staff, an unanswered ticket doesn’t wait in a queue. It stops the shipment.
2. A gap with no system at all. After leaving, the team ran without a platform while it evaluated others. Shipments kept moving, so it needed to be live again quickly. Its database had already been migrated once. Losing it, or rebuilding it by hand, was not an option.
3. Small team, full NVOCC workload. Four people carry the same paperwork as a much larger forwarder. They issue their own house bills of lading and air waybills. They consolidate LCL cargo from several customers under one master. And each of those customers wants updates without calling operations.
4. Five carriers, five rate sheets, every month. About five carriers send monthly contract rates. Someone had to open each sheet, find the lane and compare by hand before a quote could go out.
The hidden cost (illustrative)
In a four person team, one person is a quarter of the company. When the operations lead loses a day to a stuck system, there is no one else to move the cargo.
Industry context
Fewer than 40% of freight forwarders use a dedicated freight forwarding management system.
61% of logistics teams still rely on emails and spreadsheets for partner communication.
Requirements
What They Needed
Fast onboarding, including import of the existing database
Real people for setup, training and day-to-day questions
House BL and air waybill generation, with eAWB submission
LCL consolidation, with house files linked to a master
Carrier rate sheets loaded once and compared automatically
A customer portal for shipment status
Accounting linked to each shipment
Why CargoEZ
Why CargoEZ: What Mattered Most
What mattered
What they had to avoid
With CargoEZ
Support
Waiting days with work stopped
Named onboarding team, then an assigned customer success manager
Data
Rebuilding a database already migrated once
Database imported by the onboarding team during setup
Speed to go live
More weeks without a system
Typical setup in 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the team’s availability
Training
Learning alone from documentation
Sessions scheduled around the team, recorded and shared
Tracking cost
Paying for live tracking on every shipment
Manual milestones free; live tracking per container only where needed
How It Works
How CargoEZ Fits, Step by Step
Step 1
Onboarding with named people
The CargoEZ onboarding team imported the database, then worked with one person from the customer as the main contact. Together they set up quotation, invoice and rate request templates, vendor lists and checklists. Training was scheduled around the team, recorded and shared for later. After go-live, a customer success manager stays assigned.
Step 2
Carrier rate sheets in one upload
Monthly carrier sheets are uploaded through the rates module. When sales quotes a covered lane, all five carriers’ rates appear side by side, with surcharges visible. The quote can be sent from the same screen.
Step 3
House documents from shipment data
House bills of lading generate from the shipment file with the company’s logo and terms. They can be sent as drafts for approval, then released as originals. Air waybills are validated against IATA standards and can be submitted electronically to airlines as eAWBs.
Step 4
LCL consolidation without the spreadsheet
Each customer’s cargo gets its own house file with its own pickup and delivery details. House files link under a master, and the master bill of lading generates from the consolidated data. Each house can be tracked on its own, and cargo photos can be uploaded to the shipment.
Step 5
Customers check the portal, not the phone
Each customer gets portal access to their own shipments only, with milestones and shared documents.
Step 6
Tracking at the right cost
Milestones can be entered manually at no extra cost. Live carrier tracking can be turned on per container for an added fee, only where a customer needs it.
Step 7
Accounting tied to every job
Quotes become invoices. Vendor estimates become bills. Each shipment shows its profit line by line. Accounts sees receivables, payables, aging, and profit and loss in the finance module.
Before and After
Before and After CargoEZ
Area
Before
After CargoEZ
Getting help
Slow tickets, no named contact
Assigned customer success manager
System in place
None while evaluating replacements
One platform from quote to invoice
Existing data
At risk of a second rebuild
Imported by the onboarding team
Carrier rates
5 sheets opened by hand each month
Uploaded once, compared per lane
House BLs and AWBs
No system to issue them from
Generated from the shipment; eAWB submitted electronically
LCL consolidation
No system to link houses to a master
House files linked to a master; master BL generated
Customer updates
Phone and email to operations
Customer portal, per customer
Job profit
Separate spreadsheet
Line-by-line profit on every shipment
Results
What Changed for the Team
The team stopped working around its system
Sales quotes from loaded rates instead of opening five files
Operations builds house documents from data already entered
Customers check the portal instead of calling the one operations person
Accounts sees margin per job without a side spreadsheet
When something comes up, there’s a named person to call
What Other Forwarders Report
Rated 4.8 out of 5 on G2
CargoEZ is rated 4.8 out of 5 on G2 from 40 reviews. Reviewers report going live in under a month on average.
Source: G2 reviews ↗
Logistics coordinator, G2 review (September 2025)
Says migration from the old system was smoother than expected, support guided the team step by step, and everything from quoting to billing now sits in one place.
G2 reviewer (May 2024)
Highlights quick onboarding, economical pricing and strong support for the US region.
T.I.M.E. Cargo
Reports reliable, quick responses from the start, and says the team went the extra mile to customize its customer portal. (Paul, Director)
Onboarding
How Onboarding Works
Typical setup takes one to two weeks, depending on your team’s availability.
Step 1
Data import
The onboarding team imports your existing database and checks it with your main contact.
Step 2
Templates and setup
Quotation, invoice and rate request templates, vendor lists, checklists and current carrier rate sheets.
Step 3
Training
Sessions scheduled around your team, recorded for later.
Step 4
Go live
First live shipments, with your customer success manager assigned.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take a small forwarder to go live on CargoEZ?
Setup typically takes one to two weeks, depending on your team’s availability. The onboarding team imports your database and builds your templates with you.
Can CargoEZ import data from our previous system?
Yes. The onboarding team imports your database during setup and works through it with your main contact.
Does CargoEZ support house BLs, air waybills and eAWB?
Yes. House BLs generate from the shipment file and can go out as drafts before originals. Air waybills are validated against IATA standards and can be submitted electronically.
How does LCL consolidation work?
Each customer gets a house file linked under one master. The master BL generates from the consolidated data, and each customer sees only their own shipment in the portal.
Do we pay for live tracking on every shipment?
No. Milestones can be entered manually at no extra cost. Live carrier tracking is turned on per container, for an added fee, only where you need it.
Who do we call after go-live?
A customer success manager stays assigned to your account after go-live.
Switch Systems Without Losing a Week of Shipments
Meet the onboarding team before you sign. Ask how we’d import your database and who you’d call after go-live.