Multi-Carrier Shipping Software Development

Manual carrier selection is a tax on every shipment

When you ship with three or more carriers, manual rate comparison scales linearly with volume: more shipments means more manual work, not more automation. Multi-carrier shipping software automates rate shopping, applies your carrier selection rules automatically, generates labels via API without manual portal access, and aggregates tracking data across all carriers so your customers get a single view of their shipments.

  • Rate shopping across your full carrier network with automated selection rules

  • Label generation and carrier API integration for all your carriers

  • Unified tracking timeline aggregated across all carriers into a single view

  • Carrier invoice reconciliation identifying overbilling and rate discrepancies

Recent outcomes

Voice AI · Research

6× deeper insights

Text-based interviews converted to automated phone calls

AI Automation · Ops

20k+ txns day one

Manual invoice OCR across 40+ gas stations

Loyalty · Retail

1,062 users in 4 weeks

SuperValu & Centra loyalty platform with receipt validation

SaaS · Logistics

2,000+ shipments yr 1

Multi-carrier shipping hub for Indonesian eCommerce

4.9
on Clutch
See our work

The problem

Sound familiar?

  • Manually checking rates across multiple carrier portals for every shipment, leaving savings on the table?

  • Fragmented tracking data across carrier systems making it impossible to give customers a consistent view?

Short answer

RaftLabs builds custom multi-carrier shipping software covering rate shopping engines comparing quotes across FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL, and regional carriers; automated carrier selection based on cost, service level, and lane; label generation and carrier API integration; unified tracking across all carriers; and carrier invoice reconciliation. Appropriate for ecommerce operators, fulfilment centres, and logistics platforms shipping with multiple carriers, delivering in 8-14 weeks at a fixed cost.

Key takeaways

  • Rate shopping and carrier selection can be fully automated - the manual comparison your most experienced shipper does by memory becomes a sub-second rule evaluation.
  • Aggregator APIs (EasyPost, ShipStation, Shippo) give normalised access to 100+ carriers under one integration, cutting the maintenance burden of individual carrier APIs.
  • Carrier invoice reconciliation typically recovers money - industry benchmarks put billing errors at 2-5% of invoices.
  • A focused 3-5 carrier build runs $25,000-$60,000; a full 8+ carrier platform with LTL/EDI and invoice reconciliation runs $60,000-$130,000.

Trusted by

Vodafone logo
Aldi logo
Nike logo
Microsoft logo
Heineken logo
Cisco logo
Calorgas logo
Energia Rewards logo

Shipping software delivery, by the numbers

products shipped
100+
cost delivery
Fixed
week delivery cycles
8-14
industries served
24+

Manual carrier selection is a solvable problem. Rate shopping should be automatic.

When you ship with three or more carriers, manual rate comparison is a tax on every shipment. Your warehouse team checks each carrier's portal, picks a carrier based on incomplete information, and the operation scales linearly with volume. More shipments means more manual work, not more automation.

Multi-carrier shipping software automates rate shopping, applies your carrier selection rules automatically, generates labels via API without manual portal access, and aggregates tracking data across all carriers so customers get a single view of their shipments.

Capabilities

What we build

  • 01
    Rate shopping engine

    Real-time rate quotes from all your carriers in a single API call, with EasyPost, ShipStation, or Shippo aggregation providing normalised access to 100+ carriers for lower-volume partners. Dimensional weight is calculated per carrier's own factor and billed at the greater of actual or dim weight, matching how carriers actually bill. Negotiated account rates apply, not published list rates.

    Built with
    FedEx · UPS · USPS · DHL · EasyPost
  • 02
    Automated carrier selection

    A rule-based engine picks the right carrier per shipment without human review: cheapest rate meeting the service level, preferred carriers by zone, exclusions for hazmat or oversized freight, and weight-break optimisation that checks whether upgrading to a cheaper carrier's next tier beats the current cheapest option. Rules are admin-managed, so operations can adjust zone splits without a developer.

  • 03
    Label generation and carrier API

    Label generation via carrier API across your full carrier list, with bulk generation for a full outbound wave in one batch operation. Thermal (ZPL/EPL), PDF, and PNG formats are handled per carrier alongside required fields, service codes, and ancillary indicators. International labels include CN22/CP72 customs declarations and EEI filing above the $2,500 threshold; a returns portal generates pre-paid labels on demand.

  • 04
    Unified shipment tracking

    Tracking ingestion via API polling and webhook, with EDI 214 processing covering the LTL and regional freight carriers that haven't built modern API tracking. Carrier-specific status codes normalise into a consistent model, picked up, in transit, out for delivery, delivered, exception, so customer service isn't decoding each carrier's own vocabulary. Delivery performance analytics track on-time rate and exceptions by carrier and lane continuously.

    Built with
    EDI 214
  • 05
    Customer notifications

    Automated notifications trigger on normalised tracking events, booked, picked up, out for delivery, delivered, via email and SMS, branded to your company rather than the carrier. The customer tracking page works from the notification link without a carrier account or manual tracking-number lookup, showing the same unified status timeline used internally.

    Built with
    Twilio
  • 06
    Carrier invoice reconciliation

    Automated matching of carrier invoices against quoted and booked rates flags overbilling, incorrect surcharges, and accessorial fees outside your rate agreement. Industry benchmarks put billing errors at 2-5% of invoices; at meaningful volume the freight audit pays for itself. Discrepancies above a configurable threshold route to an exception queue with dispute tracking through to recovered credit.

    Built with
    EDI 210

How we work

From scope to live shipping platform

  1. Week 1
    01

    Carrier mix and rules scoping

    We map your carrier network, current selection logic, and integration points. You leave week 1 with a written scope document and a fixed-price quote.

  2. Weeks 2-4
    02

    Integration and rules design

    Carrier integration approach and selection rule set confirmed against your actual contracts before build starts.

  3. Weeks 5-10
    03

    Build and integrate

    Rate shopping, label generation, and tracking built in parallel, tested against carrier sandboxes every sprint.

  4. Final 2 weeks
    04

    Launch and rule tuning

    Live rollout with selection rules tuned against real shipment volume before full handover.

Why us

Why logistics operators choose RaftLabs

  • 01
    Senior engineers build what they scope

    The engineers who assess your carrier network also build the solution. No bait-and-switch, no offshore handoff after the contract is signed.

  • 02
    Fixed price before development starts

    We scope the work, calculate the cost, and lock it in writing before any development starts.

  • 03
    9 years and 100+ products shipped

    Clients include Vodafone, T-Mobile, Aldi, Nike, Cisco, and Lockheed Martin. Track record building logistics and carrier-integration platforms.

  • 04
    Rate shopping that actually ships with your contracts

    Negotiated account rates, not list rates, drive every comparison, so the cheapest option shown is the cheapest option you'll actually pay.

  • 05
    Invoice reconciliation that recovers real money

    Freight audit against your quoted rates catches the 2-5% of carrier invoices that typically contain billing errors.

Have a multi-carrier shipping project?

Tell us the carriers you work with, the shipment volume you're handling, and what your current process requires manually. We'll scope the right platform and give you a fixed cost.

Talk about your multi-carrier shipping project

Related services

Multi-Carrier Shipping Software Development, scoped in one call.

Tell us what's broken. Within one business day you get a straight take on cost, timeline, and the right first step. No deck, no pressure.

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Frequently asked questions

We integrate with API-capable parcel and freight carriers: FedEx (REST API), UPS (OAuth 2.0 API), USPS (Web Tools), DHL Express API, Purolator, Canada Post, and most regional parcel carriers with REST or SOAP APIs. For carriers without public APIs, we integrate via EasyPost, ShipStation, or Shippo as a normalisation layer supporting 100+ carriers under a single API contract. For LTL freight, we integrate via EDI 210/214 for invoice and tracking, or direct REST API where available.

Carrier selection rules are configured per your business logic and applied automatically at shipment creation: cheapest carrier meeting the required service level, preferred carriers for specific zone ranges, exclusions for hazmat or oversized shipments, and dimensional weight optimisation near a carrier's tier boundary. Rules are managed via an admin interface so your operations team can adjust without a developer involved.

Yes. Multi-carrier shipping is built as a standalone service layer integrating with your ecommerce platform (Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce) and warehouse management system via REST APIs. The platform exposes a rated shipping API for checkout options and a booking API returning a label URL. Tracking data pushes back via webhook so order status updates automatically.

A focused platform integrating 3-5 parcel carriers via an aggregator API, with automated selection rules, bulk label generation, unified tracking, and a returns portal typically runs $25,000 to $60,000. A full platform with 8+ carrier integrations, LTL support with EDI 210/214 processing, invoice reconciliation, and delivery performance analytics typically runs $60,000 to $130,000. We scope every project before pricing it with a fixed cost.

Work with us

Tell us what you need. We'll tell you what it would take.

We scope Multi-Carrier Shipping Software Development in 30 minutes. You walk away with a clear cost, timeline, and approach. No commitment required.

  • Scope and cost agreed before work starts. No surprises. No obligation.
  • Working prototype within 3 weeks of kickoff.
  • Pay by milestone. You see progress before each invoice.
  • 60-day post-launch warranty. Bug fixes, UI tweaks, and deployment support. No retainer.
  • All conversations are NDA-protected.

Go deeper

Browse our case studies

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