Definition
What Is Programmable Freight?
Programmable freight is the concept of treating freight shipping as software infrastructure. Instead of calling brokers, navigating carrier portals, or sending emails to book shipments, programmable freight lets you quote, book, and track freight through API calls, CLI commands, and webhook events. It is the same model that Stripe applied to payments and Twilio applied to communications, now applied to moving physical goods.
The concept
Programmable freight treats the freight network as infrastructure that software can control. Just as Stripe abstracted payment processing into API calls and Twilio abstracted telecommunications into API calls, programmable freight abstracts carrier networks, cross dock facilities, tracking systems, and settlement processes into API calls.
The result is that any software system (a TMS, an ERP, a marketplace, a custom internal tool, or an AI agent) can move physical goods by making HTTP requests. No phone calls. No portal logins. No EDI setup. No broker relationships to manage.
Why programmable freight matters
Speed
Minutes, not days.
A quote that used to take hours of phone calls and email chains now takes one API call that returns in seconds. Booking is a second call. Tracking is a third. The entire workflow compresses from days to minutes.
Automation
Remove humans from routine decisions.
When freight is programmable, you can write rules: if weight is under 500 lbs, use a cargo van. If transit time matters more than cost, select the fastest option. If the shipment is temperature sensitive, require a reefer. The system executes these rules on every shipment.
Scale
Handle 10 or 10,000 shipments the same way.
Manual processes break at scale. A team that can handle 50 shipments per day with phone calls and spreadsheets cannot handle 500. Programmable freight scales linearly. The API handles the same volume your code can generate.
How programmable freight works with Warp
Warp is a programmable freight platform. Every operation that Warp supports is available through the API. Quote freight by POSTing to /freights/quote with origin, destination, and item details. Book by POSTing to /freights/booking with the quote ID. Track by POSTing to /freights/tracking with the tracking number. Pull invoices and documents with GET requests.
Behind the API, Warp operates 50+ cross dock facilities, dispatches 20,000+ local 3rd party carriers through the Warp driver app, and monitors every shipment with our AI backbone, Orbit. Your code sees clean JSON. Warp handles the physical logistics.
Code examples
Programmable freight means your logistics workflow looks like application code, not spreadsheet workflows.
Quote freight in one call
curl -X POST https://api.wearewarp.com/api/v1/freights/quote \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "apikey: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"pickupDate": ["2026-04-10"],
"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"
}]
}'Book with the quote ID
curl -X POST https://api.wearewarp.com/api/v1/freights/booking \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "apikey: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-d '{
"quoteId": "01HG9W6CMAWHNWTVXDKW9QYFS9",
"pickupInfo": { ... },
"deliveryInfo": { ... },
"listItems": [{ ... }]
}'Track with the tracking number
curl -X POST https://api.wearewarp.com/api/v1/freights/tracking \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "apikey: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-d '{ "trackingNumbers": ["WARP1234567890"] }'The programmable freight stack
API layer
REST endpoints for every operation.
Quote, book, track, invoice, and document retrieval through standard HTTP calls. JSON in, JSON out. Self serve API keys with no sales call required.
Webhook layer
Real time event streaming.
Register webhook URLs and receive shipment events as they happen. Pickup, departure, arrival, delivery, and exception events pushed to your system with timestamps and GPS coordinates.
Machine readable layer
Built for AI agents.
OpenAPI spec, llms.txt context file, structured error responses, and explicit enum values. AI agents and copilots can understand and use the API without human guidance.
Before and after programmable freight
Before
Manual, fragmented, slow.
Call a broker for rates. Email to confirm. Log into a portal to track. Download a PDF invoice. Manually enter data into your TMS. Chase exceptions by phone.
After
Automated, unified, instant.
POST to /freights/quote for rates. POST to /freights/booking to confirm. Webhook pushes tracking events. GET /freights/invoices for settlement. Our AI backbone, Orbit, flags exceptions automatically.
What changes
Freight becomes a function call.
Your logistics team focuses on strategy and exception handling. Routine shipment procurement, booking, and tracking happens in code. Scale from 50 to 5,000 shipments per day without adding headcount.
Frequently asked questions
How is programmable freight different from using a TMS?
A TMS is a user interface for managing shipments. Programmable freight is the infrastructure layer underneath. With programmable freight, your TMS (or any other system) calls an API to quote, book, and track shipments. You can also build your own interface, or skip the interface entirely and let AI agents handle freight autonomously.
What does "the Stripe model for freight" mean?
Stripe made payments programmable. Before Stripe, accepting payments meant merchant accounts, gateway contracts, PCI compliance, and weeks of integration. Stripe replaced all of that with a single API. Programmable freight does the same for shipping: one API replaces broker calls, carrier portals, EDI, and manual rate shopping.
Can I use programmable freight without writing code?
Yes. Warp offers a self serve dashboard for teams that prefer a visual interface. But the power of programmable freight is that everything available in the dashboard is also available through the API. You can start with the dashboard and move to API integration as your volume grows.
What programming languages work with a freight API?
Any language that can make HTTP requests works with a freight API. Python, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Java, C#, Rust, or even curl from the command line. The API accepts and returns JSON, which every modern language can parse natively.
Does programmable freight work for all shipment types?
Through Warp, programmable freight covers cargo van, 26 ft box truck, LTL, and full truckload. You can specify the vehicle type explicitly or omit it and let the API auto select the right asset based on your shipment dimensions and weight.
Freight is infrastructure. Treat it like infrastructure.
Warp gives you programmatic access to 20,000+ carriers, 50+ cross dock facilities, and every mode from cargo van to full truckload. One API. Structured JSON. Ship with code.