Keelway
Multimodal broker TMS · Truckload · LTL · Intermodal · Drayage

A broker TMS that ranks four freight modes inside one inbox.

The brokerages that grew up handling only dry van do not stay in one mode for long. The first reefer customer comes in. Then the flatbed customer who pays well. Then the LTL spillover. Then a Long Beach drayage account through a relationship. Most broker TMSs were built for one mode at a time, and the second-mode experience is a feature checkbox that doesn't actually rank carriers correctly. Keelway is multimodal in the data model: load context selects the ranking weight set, and the same inbox handles all four modes inside the same shift.

Request accessIntermodal vertical
4
Modes supported on day one
Truckload · LTL · Intermodal · Drayage
Per-load
Ranking weights selected by load context
Not a global setting
1 inbox
Same Gmail / Outlook integration
No mode-specific add-on subscription

How each mode is calibrated

Truckload

Dry van, reefer, flatbed, hazmat

Standard FMCSA trust + rate + responsiveness ranking with mode-specific weight tilts — reefer emphasizes insurance and temp-violation history; flatbed emphasizes tarping, securement, oversize permits; hazmat emphasizes endorsements and route restrictions.
LTL

NMFC class, accessorials, transit-time SLAs

LTL ranking handles NMFC class disputes, accessorial chasing (residential, lift-gate, inside delivery), transit-time SLA tracking, and the 5x inquiry volume LTL typically generates per load relative to truckload.
Intermodal

Chassis disclosure, terminal access, demurrage

Intermodal ranking parses chassis disclosure (own / pool / none) and ranks against the load's chassis requirement. Tracks per-carrier terminal access at Chicago, LA, and Memphis yards. Prioritizes faster-responding carriers as free-time and demurrage deadlines approach.
Drayage

CARB compliance, terminal access, port-side reality

Drayage at the LA / Long Beach complex flags CARB clean-truck compliance gaps before booking. Tracks terminal access at TraPac, APM, Pier T, Yusen, Pier 400, ITS. Same chassis disclosure and demurrage parsing as the inland intermodal mode.

Why mode-aware ranking matters

A broker TMS that treats every mode as the same load with different metadata ranks carriers wrong. A reefer carrier quoting a dry-van load with a competitive rate should not rank above the dry-van carriers — even though the rate is good — because reefer equipment running dry-van freight burns capacity the brokerage needs elsewhere. An LTL load accepted at NMFC class 70 by a carrier whose accessorial coverage doesn't include residential delivery should rank below the class-70 carrier whose accessorials match. A drayage carrier with no CARB compliance should rank last on a Long Beach load, full stop. Keelway gets these calls right because the ranking weights are mode-aware; that's the difference between a real multimodal broker TMS and a single-mode TMS with extra fields.

Frequently asked questions

What does multimodal mean in a broker TMS context?+
A multimodal broker TMS handles loads across multiple freight modes — truckload (dry van, reefer, flatbed, hazmat), LTL (less-than-truckload), intermodal (rail-and-truck combinations), and drayage (port and rail terminal short-haul). The wrinkles are mode-specific: LTL has NMFC class handling and accessorial complexity; intermodal has chassis disclosure and demurrage timing; drayage has terminal access and CARB compliance at California ports. A real multimodal broker TMS handles all of these with mode-aware data fields and workflows.
What multimodal capabilities does Keelway support today?+
Truckload across all four sub-modes (dry van, reefer, flatbed, hazmat) with mode-specific ranking weights — see the verticals pages. LTL with NMFC class handling, accessorial parsing, and transit-time SLA tracking. Intermodal drayage with chassis disclosure parsing, terminal access tracking, and demurrage timing. Drayage at major US port complexes (LA / Long Beach with CARB compliance, Chicago intermodal yards, Memphis BNSF/CN). Air freight via standalone Gmail integration; native air-feeder tooling is on the roadmap.
How does the inbox handle different modes simultaneously?+
Load context selects the ranking weight set. When a posted load is a 53-foot dry-van truckload, Keelway applies truckload weights to inbound carrier replies. When a posted load is an LTL pallet at NMFC class 70 with a residential delivery accessorial, Keelway applies LTL weights with the accessorial cost factored in. When a posted load is a Long Beach drayage move, Keelway applies drayage weights with chassis disclosure parsed and CARB compliance flagged. Same inbox, different rules per load.
Does Keelway integrate with LTL carrier rate APIs?+
Direct LTL carrier rate API integration (Old Dominion, XPO, Estes, Saia, R+L, FedEx Freight) is in progress on the enterprise tier, prioritized by mid-market 3PL pipeline. Today, LTL rates flow into Keelway through the carrier-reply email channel and the broker's existing LTL rate-aggregator integrations (Banyan, Smart3PL, FreightOptix). For brokerages running a dominant LTL book, talk to sales about the rate-API roadmap.
What about forwarder-broker hybrids that handle ocean and air on top of domestic?+
Keelway integrates with Magaya for the ocean and air leg of forwarder-broker hybrid operations. The domestic broker side — drayage, intermodal, truckload — runs on Keelway natively. The international forwarding side stays in Magaya. Cross-mode handoff (ocean container arrives at LA, drayage to inland transload, intermodal to Chicago, dry van to final destination) supported through the Magaya integration plus Keelway's drayage and intermodal modes.
Running multiple modes inside one brokerage?

One Keelway tenant ranks each correctly.

Request access

Related

Intermodal broker software →

The deeper vertical-specific tuning for drayage, chassis discipline, demurrage.

Keelway LTL →

The Keelway LTL module — quoting, rating, consolidation, and dispatch for LTL freight.

Keelway for Magaya →

The forwarder-broker hybrid pattern for ocean + air on top of domestic multimodal.