Case study · Export freight forwarding
Freight forwarding software for an ICD export forwarder
A rebuilt operations and billing system for a forwarder that clears and ships export containers from inland container depots. Each shipment moves from booking to bill of lading through configurable steps, with its costs, vendors and invoices on the same record.
ICD shipments
Financial year 2026-27
| Shipment | Service | Containers | Current step | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICD/2026-27/0101 | Both | 2 × 40HC | Container Picked | In progress |
| ICD/2026-27/0102 | Clearance | 1 × 20GP | ICD Cleared | Completed |
| ICD/2026-27/0103 | Both | 3 × 40HC | SI Received | Pending |
| ICD/2026-27/0104 | Forwarding | 1 × 40RF | BL Released | Ready to bill |
Fictional shipments and container counts.
- Industry
- Export freight forwarding and customs clearance
- System
- Shipment, cost sheet and billing system
- Used by
- Operations, pricing and accounts teams
- Delivery
- Rebuild of an existing system, with data migration
The project in short
We rebuilt a freight forwarder's shipment and billing system as a custom web application. Each export shipment from an inland container depot moves through nine configurable steps, from packing list to bill of lading. Cost sheets with buy and sell rates, vendor allocation and an approval gate sit on the same record, followed by GST and TDS billing, payments and a double-entry ledger.
The challenge
Container exports are a long chain of documents and handoffs
An export forwarder that handles clearance and forwarding coordinates packing lists, line bookings, customs filing, rail movement to the port, shipping instructions and the bill of lading for every container. Each step has its own documents, deadlines and people.
The forwarder already ran on software, but it was costly to host and hard to change. They wanted a simpler system built around their own steps and maintained by one team, with billing and accounts connected to every shipment.
What the system had to handle
- 01
Steps that match the job
Clearance-only, forwarding-only and combined shipments follow the steps that apply to them.
- 02
Margins before invoicing
Buy and sell rates per charge show the margin on a shipment before it is billed.
- 03
The right vendors on record
Customs agents, transporters and other vendors are allocated to each shipment by service.
- 04
Billing that follows the rules
Sale and purchase invoices need GST, TDS, credit notes and payment matching.
The workflow
One shipment, from booking to bill of lading
Every shipment keeps its steps, costs, vendors and documents together, and its status moves on as each stage completes.
- 01
Shipment
Create the shipment and choose clearance, forwarding or both.
- 02
Cost sheet
Add buy and sell rates per charge, then send the sheet for approval when required.
- 03
Vendors
Allocate the customs agent, transporter and other vendors for each service.
- 04
Operations
Work through packing list, container pick-up, ICD clearance, handover, shipping instructions and bill of lading release.
- 05
Approval and billing
Approve the completed shipment, which locks it, then raise invoices, credit notes and payments.
Configurable workflow
Nine steps, set up the way the team works
Each operational step has its own fields, repeating tables and documents, and a step editor lets the team change them without new development.
- Steps from packing list received to bill of lading released, each pending, in progress or completed
- View and edit rights for each step, by role
- Step history and versioned documents on every shipment
- AI document reading suggests field values from uploaded PDFs and images, for an operator to check before saving
ICD/2026-27/0101 · Operational flow
Clearance and forwarding
-
Day 1
Packing List Received Completed
Packing list uploaded; suggested fields checked and saved.
-
Day 1
Invoice Shared Completed
Commercial invoice shared with the shipping line.
-
Day 2
Confirmation Received Completed
Booking confirmed with vessel and cut-off dates.
-
Day 3
Container Picked In progress
Two containers picked up; seal numbers to follow.
-
Next
ICD Cleared Pending
Shipping bill and gate pass pending.
The same sample shipment shown in the workspace.
Cost sheet
See the margin before the shipment is billed
Buy and sell rates sit side by side for every charge, in any currency, with the first estimate kept for comparison.
- Margin and markup per charge and per shipment
- Maker-checker approval for cost sheets, when the company switches it on
- A shipment is approved for invoicing only once its cost sheet, vendors and required steps are complete
- Approved shipments lock, and only an approver can reopen one, with a reason
Cost sheet · ICD/2026-27/0101
Pending approval
| Charge | Buy (₹) | Sell (₹) | Margin (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight | 1,20,000 | 1,32,000 | 12,000 |
| Customs clearance | 9,500 | 14,000 | 4,500 |
| Rail to port | 38,000 | 42,500 | 4,500 |
| Documentation | 1,500 | 3,000 | 1,500 |
Billing and accounts
Invoices, payments and a ledger tied to each shipment
Billing starts from the approved shipment, so invoices, vendor bills and payments stay linked to the job they came from.
- Sale invoices in separate series, purchase invoices with TDS, and credit and debit notes
- Customer and vendor payments matched against invoices
- A double-entry ledger with ageing, GST and party registers
- Fifteen reports, including shipment and route profitability
Billing · ICD/2026-27/0104
Approved and locked
- Shipment approval
- Approved
- Sale invoice
- INV/0001/26-27
- Purchase invoices
- 3 recorded, TDS applied
- Customer payment
- Pending
- Ledger
- Posted
- Ageing
- 0–30 days
Sample values. Invoice numbers are fictional.
Capabilities
What is in the system
Shipments
List, filters and Excel import and export, with details, costs, vendors, steps and comments.
Cost sheets
Buy and sell per charge, currencies, margin, markup and approval.
Vendor allocation
Vendors by service type, such as customs agents and transporters.
Operational flow
Nine configurable steps with fields, tables, documents and history.
Billing
Sale and purchase invoices, credit and debit notes and invoice PDFs.
Payments and ledger
Payment matching, a double-entry ledger and ageing.
Contracts
Customer sell contracts and shipping line contracts with free time and penalties.
Alerts and dashboards
Execution, trade and payment alerts, with operational and financial dashboards.
Masters and settings
Parties, charges, ports, depots, tax rates, users, roles and email templates.
Connected tools
- EmailShipment, approval and invitation emails, plus a daily alert digest
- AI document readingSuggests step fields from uploaded documents for review
- Excel and PDFShipment import and export, invoice PDFs and report exports
What it gives the team
One record from booking to billing
Less to chase
Step status shows what is pending on each shipment and who can act on it.
Margins in view
Cost sheets show buy, sell and margin before invoices are raised.
Billing linked to operations
Invoices and payments trace back to the shipment and its approved costs.
These are capabilities the software supports. We have not published measured ROI or performance results for this project.
Who it is for
Built for forwarders who clear and ship containers
- Freight forwarders and customs brokers
- Logistics teams shipping exports from inland container depots
- Firms that bill clearance and forwarding as separate services
A good fit when
- Each shipment passes through many document-heavy steps
- Pricing needs approval before invoicing
- Accounts need GST, TDS and a ledger connected to operations
How we would build yours
- 01
Discover
We map your process, documents, roles and the reports your team relies on.
- 02
Scope and design
We agree the modules, rules, integrations and screens before the build starts.
- 03
Build in phases
Each module is released for your review and tested with representative data.
- 04
Roll out and support
We train your team, stage the rollout and keep improving as your process grows.
What should freight forwarding software cover?
For an export forwarder, the core is the shipment record and its operational steps, from packing list and booking to customs clearance, rail movement, shipping instructions and the bill of lading. Cost sheets, vendor allocation, invoicing with GST and TDS, payments and reports should connect to the same shipment.
Can the workflow steps be changed later?
Yes. The steps, their fields, repeating tables and required documents are set in a step editor, and each step can be limited to particular roles.
How does cost sheet approval work?
When approval is switched on, a cost sheet moves from draft to pending approval and is approved or rejected by an approver. A shipment can be approved for invoicing only once its cost sheet, vendors and required steps are complete.
Can data move across from an existing system?
Yes. In this project, shipments, parties, invoices and payments were imported from the previous application with a repeatable migration, with checks that compare financial totals between the two systems.
Is this an off-the-shelf logistics ERP?
No. It is a custom system built around this forwarder's services, steps and billing rules. For a new client, scope, integrations and delivery are agreed after discovery.
More software case studies
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Your project
Map your shipment workflow before you build.
Bring one shipment, from booking to bill of lading. We will map the steps, approvals, documents and billing your team needs.
This is an anonymised case study: the client's name and data are kept confidential. Screens are illustrative interfaces with sample data, not screenshots of the live system. Each implementation is scoped separately; this is not a packaged subscription product.