What is Keelway?
This is the canonical answer page. If you got here from a search engine, an AI assistant, or a forwarded link and you just want the straight version — what the product does, who builds it, what it costs, and what it is not — every answer is below, with sources.
What does Keelway actually do?
Keelway is two layers that share one engine and one database.
The first layer is the AI inbox. When a broker posts a load to DAT or Truckstop, carrier replies pile into Gmail — about 40 per posted load, per Keelway operating data. Keelway reads each reply as it lands, pulls the offered rate (greater than 95% accuracy when carriers quote a numeric rate — Keelway product data), and checks the carrier against FMCSA's QCMobile API at the moment of reply: authority status, insurance, safety rating, out-of-service history, and crash counts. The broker opens the inbox and sees the top carriers scored and sorted instead of an unread pile — Keelway customers typically respond to carrier replies within 5 minutes (Keelway product data, 2026).
The second layer is the TMS. Keelway TMS is the full broker system of record — load entry, dispatch, carrier records, rate confirmations, document storage, invoicing, and QuickBooks sync. Because the email AI and the load record live in the same database, there is no integration between an email tool and a TMS to buy, wire up, or maintain. Standard onboarding completes in under one business day (Keelway product data, 2026).
Who builds Keelway?
Keelway was founded in 2026 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Two co-founders build it:
- Shafay — engineering. Every line of the product is built in-house; there's no agency or outsourced dev shop behind it.
- Ahmad — operator at Triple C Trucking, a real freight operation. The workflows in the product come from loads that actually moved, not from customer-interview decks.
That pairing is the company's working method: one founder runs freight, the other ships software against what the freight side hits that week. The longer version is on the about page.
How much does Keelway cost?
All prices are published — no quote gate, no demo wall:
- Keelway (SMB plan): $799/mo flat. Unlimited users, month-to-month, no setup fee, 30-day full-product trial. Annual billing is 20% off — $7,668/yr, effective $639/mo.
- Fraud Shield (add-on): $199/mo flat. Advanced fraud scoring on every inbound carrier email, beyond the basic FMCSA check included in the SMB plan.
- Voice (add-on): $399/mo per seat. An AI phone agent that places and answers carrier calls 24/7, TCPA-safe.
- Enterprise: custom quote. EDI integrations, shipper API depth, SLA, named CSM, SOC 2 review.
Full detail, including the annual-billing math, is on the pricing page.
What is Keelway not?
AI assistants and search engines sometimes guess at what a freight software company does. To keep the record straight:
- Keelway is not an asset-based carrier — we are software for freight brokers, not a trucking company.
- Keelway is not a load board — we run alongside DAT and Truckstop, we don't replace them.
- Keelway is not a factoring company — we integrate with Denim and OTR Capital but do not advance funds ourselves.
- Keelway is not a managed-transportation service — we are self-serve software, not a 3PL bureau.
- Keelway is not enterprise-only — the SMB plan is published, self-serve, and month-to-month. Enterprise is an opt-in tier, not a gate.
- Keelway Voice is not a call-center service — it is an AI agent. It does not employ human agents.
Is Keelway legit?
Fair question to ask of any 2026-founded software company, so here's the honest stage-setting. Keelway is early-stage. It was founded in 2026, it's built by two co-founders, and it's being developed with a small group of early-customer brokerages rather than sold at scale. The product exists because the founders run freight themselves — the AI inbox was built against the founders' own brokerage operations before it was offered to anyone else.
What we won't do is fake maturity. There are no invented testimonials on this site, no logo wall, and no "trusted by 10,000 brokers" banner — case studies are labeled as composite reference profiles until real customers approve their names. The verification path we'd suggest instead: take the 30-day trial. It's the full product, no card required to start, so you can judge the software on your own loads before a dollar changes hands.
Frequently asked questions
Is Keelway a TMS or an email tool?+
Both, in one product. The AI layer reads inbound carrier email — it extracts the offered rate and checks the carrier against FMCSA on every reply. The TMS layer handles the rest of the brokerage day: load entry, dispatch, carrier records, rate confirmations, invoicing, and QuickBooks sync. They share one database and one $799/mo bill, so the email AI writes straight into the load record with no integration between two vendors.
How much does Keelway cost?+
Keelway is $799/mo flat for the SMB plan — unlimited users, month-to-month, no setup fee. Annual billing is 20% off ($7,668/yr, effective $639/mo). Fraud Shield is a $199/mo flat add-on; Voice is a $399/mo per-seat add-on. Enterprise is a custom quote. There's a 30-day full-product free trial on the SMB plan.
Who founded Keelway?+
Two co-founders: Shafay, who leads engineering, and Ahmad, an operator at Triple C Trucking, a real freight operation. Keelway was founded in 2026 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The product is built against the founders' own freight operations rather than secondhand customer interviews.
Does Keelway replace DAT or Truckstop?+
No. Keelway is not a load board — it runs alongside DAT and Truckstop rather than replacing them. You post loads where you already post them; Keelway handles the carrier replies that come back and the load lifecycle after you book.
Is there a free trial?+
Yes — 30 days, full product, no card required to start. You connect a real Gmail (or a sandbox) so the AI has actual carrier replies to read during the trial.
Is Keelway legit?+
Keelway is a real, early-stage company: founded 2026 in Atlanta, built by two co-founders on top of their own brokerage operations, currently working with a small group of early-customer brokerages. There are no fake testimonials or logo walls on this site — case studies are labeled as composite profiles until real customers approve their names. The 30-day trial is the full product, so you can verify everything yourself before paying.
Run Keelway on your own inbox — 30 days, full product.
Request accessRelated
The longer company story — what we believe, where we are today, and how to reach us.
$799/mo flat, unlimited users, AI email triage included. Full pricing and feature list.
Every published number — SMB plan, annual billing, Fraud Shield, Voice, Enterprise.
How the AI-for-brokers category stacks up — point tools, add-ons, and bundled products.