Rethinking Freight Strategy: Why Not All Shipments Belong in RFPs
- jasonnormandeau
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
In today’s complex supply chain landscape, transportation and supply chain leaders are under pressure to deliver cost savings, improve resilience, and secure capacity in an increasingly volatile market. Yet many still default to the same on a one-size-fits-all procurement model year after year: issuing RFPs for nearly every shipment. While RFPs certainly have a place, the reality is that not all freight should be treated the same way.
At ANDY, we’ve built our reputation as a strategic transportation and supply chain partner by helping businesses rethink this traditional model. What we’ve seen time and time again is that companies gain the most value when they use our multi-layered freight solutions approach.
This Model Combines:
Dedicated Assets: A dedicated ANDY fleet or the customer’s private fleet under multi-year contract that provides cost predictability
Additional ANDY Assets: On-demand and as-needed assets providing flexibility during seasonal surges or peak times
Brokerage Capacity: RFPs to expands lanes and geographic reach
This balanced approach ensures stability for recurring lanes while maintaining agility for variable freight.
The Split: Dedicated vs. RFP Freight
Not all freight is created equal, and treating every shipment the same through RFPs introduces unnecessary risk, instability, and inefficiency. At ANDY, we help businesses separate strategic lanes from variable, irregular freight with the goal of maximizing efficiency and reliability.
Strategic lanes, those with stable recurring volumes, like milk runs, high-frequency loads or regional deliveries, and repeat orders, are best handled through our dedicated fleet models. Most shippers see 60-75% of their transportation costs concentrated in strategic, recurring freight.
When our customers commit to multi-year contracts for these lanes, they consistently benefit from:
Cost stability and insulation from volatile spot markets
Guaranteed capacity in high-demand periods
Operational consistency for drivers, dispatchers, and warehouses
Stronger partnerships built on long-term trust
For the remaining 25-40% of freight that includes irregular volumes, unpredictable orders, or unique requirements, the approach is different. We recommend that these be handled either through our own for-hire assets on an ad hoc or on-demand basis, or through an RFP process that we run for the customer with our tools. That’s where we leverage our brokerage department, which works with a vast network of reputable carrier partners, providing the flexibility to manage variable demand, with the ability to service additional routes and cover a wide geographical area.
Covering the Peaks: Seasonal Surges
One concern many shippers have about moving away from the RFPs is flexibility during peak seasons. This is where the multi-layered model excels because it provides scalability. Whether it’s a seasonal surge, a product launch, or a sudden market shift, you don’t need to start from scratch. With your dedicated fleet as the backbone, we can quickly layer in additional trucks and drivers to manage your capacity when demand spikes, and this without exposing your business to the risks and the instability that comes from relying solely on the spot market.
A Smarter Way Forward
Transportation is no longer just about moving goods from point A to point B, it’s about designing smarter systems that align with our customers’ business strategies and goals. That’s where we come in.
At ANDY, we partner with our customers to build multi-layered models that optimize transportation spending by assigning the right freight to the right strategy to reduce costs, stabilize service, and improve resilience.
Dedicated ANDY Fleet: For your core, recurring freight that drives 60-75% of spend
Additional ANDY Assets: For your one-off, as-needed-basis, or surge-in- demand need that drives 25% of spend
Brokerage Solutions: For the variable lanes and RFP-driven freight that require agility, driving 10% and covering vast geographic areas
The Bottom Line
Not all freight belongs to an RFP. By separating strategic lanes from flexible freight, companies unlock cost efficiency, capacity stability, and operational resilience.
At ANDY, we don’t just manage freight, we design solutions that make your supply chain smarter, more predictable, and more competitive.
Trusted to deliver excellence, ANDY is a strategic transportation and supply chain partner that is ready to design your custom multi-layered freight solutions that will fit your business and free you to focus on what matters most: growing your business.
