From 4 Hour Quotes to 60 Second Rates

How traditional freight quoting works

The industry standard workflow involves a customer request, manual data entry across multiple carrier portals, waiting for rate responses, comparing results in a spreadsheet, and sending a quote back by email. Every step is manual. Every step adds latency. Every hour of delay is a chance for the customer to get a faster quote somewhere else.

How API quoting works

The Warp API collapses the entire quoting workflow into a single POST request. Send origin, destination, pickup date, and item details. Get back a rate with quote ID, price, transit days, carrier, and service level. Under two seconds. Structured JSON. No portals. No spreadsheets. No emails.

How AI agent quoting works

The real breakthrough is not just speed. It is autonomy. An AI agent receives a shipping request in natural language, extracts the relevant parameters, calls the Warp quote endpoint, applies your business rules (budget limits, carrier preferences, transit requirements), and returns a quote to the customer. No human touches the request. The agent handles the entire workflow from intake to response.

// AI agent receives: "Ship 2 pallets from LA to Phoenix"
// Agent calls Warp API:

const quote = await fetch(
  'https://api.wearewarp.com/api/v1/freights/quote',
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'apikey': process.env.WARP_API_KEY
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      pickupDate: ['2025-04-01'],
      pickupInfo: { zipCode: '90001' },
      deliveryInfo: { zipCode: '85001' },
      listItems: [{
        name: 'Pallet',
        length: 48, width: 40, height: 48,
        sizeUnit: 'in',
        totalWeight: 800, weightUnit: 'lb',
        quantity: 2, packaging: 'pallet'
      }]
    })
  }
);

const rate = await quote.json();
// Agent applies business rules:
// - Budget: under $600? ✓ ($485)
// - Transit: under 3 days? ✓ (2 days)
// - Carrier: approved list? ✓ (Warp Technology)
// Agent responds to customer with quote.

Natural language to booked shipment

This is what the customer experience looks like when an AI agent handles freight quoting through the Warp API. The customer describes their shipment in plain English. The agent does the rest.

Customer: "I need to ship 2 pallets of retail goods
from our LA warehouse to Phoenix. 800 lbs each,
standard 48x40x48 pallets. Need it there by Friday."

AI Agent: "I have a rate for you. $485 via Warp
Technology, 2 day transit, standard service. Pickup
window is 8am to 5pm tomorrow, delivery by Thursday.
Want me to book it?"

Customer: "Book it."

AI Agent: "Done. Shipment WRP-2025-031542 is confirmed.
Tracking number WARP1234567890. I will send you
updates as it moves."

Why the API makes AI quoting possible

AI agents need structured, fast, and reliable data sources. They cannot log into carrier portals, navigate UIs, or parse emails. The Warp API was built for exactly this. Every response is structured JSON. Every field has an explicit name and type. Response times are under two seconds. This is the infrastructure that makes autonomous freight procurement work.

Our AI backbone, Orbit

Our AI backbone, Orbit, powers the intelligence behind every Warp rate. Orbit analyzes historical lane performance, carrier reliability scores, real time capacity data, and shipment exception patterns to return the most accurate rates available. When an AI agent calls the quote endpoint, Orbit is already running behind the scenes to optimize the response. Orbit also flags potential exceptions before they happen and suggests alternative modes when they offer better economics for the lane.

The win rate advantage

Speed wins business. When a customer sends a quote request to five providers, the first response with a competitive rate usually wins. Traditional brokers take 3 to 6 hours. An AI agent on the Warp API responds in under 60 seconds. McKinsey research on agentic AI in logistics shows 12 to 18 percent better win rates from this speed advantage alone. Multiply that across hundreds of quote requests per month and the revenue impact is significant.

Frequently asked questions