Definition
What Is Freight as a Service?
Freight as a Service (FaaS) is a model where a single provider delivers the entire freight stack: carrier network, technology platform, cross dock facilities, real time tracking, and exception management. Instead of buying TMS software separately, contracting carriers separately, paying for EDI/VAN separately, and subscribing to a visibility platform separately, FaaS bundles everything into one service. You pay when you ship. There are no software license fees.
What the traditional freight stack looks like
Before FaaS, companies assembled their freight operations from separate vendors. A TMS for shipment management (annual license fee). Carrier contracts negotiated individually (each with different portals, formats, and billing). EDI through a Value Added Network for system to system communication (monthly VAN fees). A visibility platform for tracking (another subscription). Exception management through email and phone calls (headcount). Settlement through paper invoices and manual reconciliation (more headcount).
Each layer adds cost, complexity, and integration work. The total cost of ownership is far higher than the sticker price of any individual component.
How Freight as a Service works
Carrier network
One integration, every carrier.
FaaS gives you access to the entire carrier network through one API or one dashboard. No individual carrier contracts. No separate portals. Warp manages 20,000+ local 3rd party carriers and 9,000+ box trucks and cargo vans.
Technology
No TMS license. No EDI fees.
The technology platform is built into the service. Quote, book, and track through the API or the dashboard. Webhooks push real time events to your TMS. No separate software to buy, configure, or maintain.
Facilities
Cross docks included.
Warp operates 50+ cross dock facilities across the US. LTL freight routes through these facilities for consolidation and sortation. Cross dock handling is included in the per shipment rate. No dedicated space fees.
The economics of FaaS
FaaS shifts freight from a capital expenditure model (buy software, negotiate contracts, build integrations) to an operating expenditure model (pay per shipment). The per shipment rate with Warp is all inclusive: pickup, cross dock handling, line haul, delivery, tracking, and exception management. No fuel surcharges. No accessorial fees. No terminal handling charges.
Traditional model
Buy the stack, then use it.
TMS license: $50K to $500K per year. EDI/VAN fees: $500 to $5K per month. Visibility platform: $1K to $10K per month. Carrier management headcount: 2 to 10 people. Integration work: weeks to months per carrier.
FaaS model
Pay when you ship.
One per shipment rate that includes everything. No license fees. No monthly minimums. No integration fees. No VAN charges. Scale from 10 to 10,000 shipments without changing your cost structure.
Total cost
Lower and predictable.
FaaS eliminates the fixed cost layer entirely. Your freight cost is directly proportional to your freight volume. When volume drops, costs drop. When volume spikes, the platform scales without renegotiation.
FaaS compared to SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS
The "as a Service" model is well established in technology. SaaS (Software as a Service) replaced installed software with cloud applications. IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) replaced on premise servers with cloud compute. PaaS (Platform as a Service) gave developers managed runtimes without managing operating systems.
FaaS applies the same principle to freight. Instead of buying and assembling the components of a freight operation (TMS, carriers, cross docks, visibility, settlement), you consume freight as a managed service. The provider handles the infrastructure. You handle the shipping decisions.
SaaS
Software as a Service.
Replaced installed software with cloud applications. You subscribe to functionality. Example: Salesforce replaced installed CRM software.
IaaS
Infrastructure as a Service.
Replaced on premise servers with cloud compute. You pay for compute, storage, and networking by usage. Example: AWS replaced data centers.
FaaS
Freight as a Service.
Replaces assembled freight stacks with a managed freight platform. You pay per shipment and get carriers, technology, facilities, and visibility bundled together. Example: Warp replaces TMS + broker + EDI + visibility.
Warp as Freight as a Service
Warp delivers the full FaaS stack. The carrier network includes 20,000+ local 3rd party carriers and 9,000+ box trucks and cargo vans, dispatched through the Warp driver app with live GPS tracking, scan events, proof of delivery photos, and electronic signature capture. The technology platform includes a REST API, webhook integrations, a self serve dashboard, and TMS connectivity. The facility network includes 50+ Warp operated cross dock facilities.
Our AI backbone, Orbit, monitors every shipment for exceptions: late pickups, missed scans, route deviations, dwell anomalies, and temperature excursions. Orbit flags issues before your team has to chase them. All of this is included in the per shipment rate.
Frequently asked questions
How is Freight as a Service different from a traditional freight broker?
A traditional broker finds you a truck. FaaS provides the entire freight stack: carrier network, technology platform, cross dock facilities, real time tracking, exception management, and settlement. A broker is a middleman. FaaS is infrastructure.
How is FaaS different from buying a TMS?
A TMS is software you buy and then use to manage carriers you contract separately. FaaS bundles the software and the carrier network together. You do not buy a TMS license, then separately contract carriers, then separately pay for EDI, then separately subscribe to a visibility platform. FaaS is one service that includes all of it.
What does "pay when you ship" mean?
With FaaS, there are no software license fees, no monthly platform fees, and no minimum commitments. You pay a per shipment rate that includes the carrier, the technology, the cross dock handling, and the tracking. If you do not ship, you do not pay.
Can FaaS handle enterprise volume?
Yes. Warp's FaaS model scales from 10 shipments per month to 10,000+ per month. The API handles the same volume your code can generate. For enterprise accounts, Warp builds custom rate cards, assigns dedicated account teams, and configures custom webhook integrations and dashboards.
What modes does Warp FaaS support?
Warp FaaS covers cargo van, 26 ft box truck, LTL (less than truckload), and full truckload. You can access all modes through a single API, a single dashboard, or both. Temperature controlled, flatbed, and white glove services are also available.
One service. Every mode. No license fees.
Warp delivers Freight as a Service: 20,000+ carriers, 50+ cross dock facilities, real time tracking, and exception management bundled into one per shipment rate.