A global consumer goods company uncovers freight savings with Adaptive Carrier Optimization

Company snapshot

Profile

• Industry: Consumer goods

• Size: 40,000+ employees

Overview

A global consumer goods company manufacturing health, hygiene, and nutrition products.

View More

Through a deep partnership with Uber Freight centered around execution, a global consumer goods company used Uber Freight's Transportation Management System (TMS) to manage its supply chain end-to-end. But after a routine analysis of the company’s network in 2025, Uber Freight unearthed an opportunity to drive savings by expanding the partnership around carrier capacity.

The Uber Freight team found that the company’s contracted carrier rates—procured during a previous bid cycle—were significantly higher than the market in key corridors, like the West Coast. This was because the company lacked benchmarking data, limiting its visibility into lane-level costs and operations, as well as how its rates compared with the broader market. 

The process of reducing costs came with an added challenge: maintaining carrier relationships. Historically, the consumer goods company sourced its own carrier capacity and had long-standing relationships with incumbent carriers, many of whom covered high-volume lanes. To avoid disrupting the company's network, any changes would need to be data-backed and carefully implemented. 

Since the company already used the TMS, the Uber Freight team already had the ability to quickly analyze its network and identify cost-saving opportunities. Using internal benchmarking capabilities supported by Adaptive Carrier Optimization (ACO), Uber Freight was able to compare contracted rates on individual shipments against the market. 

But rather than immediately making changes, Uber Freight first allowed ACO to collect data without intervention. Doing so showed a network-wide view of the company’s transportation spend and pricing performance as it currently stood. The analysis also revealed that one of the greatest opportunities existed in the company’s West Coast lanes, where the gap between contract and market rates was widest. 

Armed with this data, Uber Freight and the company worked together to define a targeted strategy. They established clear parameters, including a minimum savings threshold of $300 or more per shipment before considering a change. Execution was also carefully managed. Every opportunity surfaced by ACO was manually reviewed by the same Uber Freight experts who managed the company’s day-to-day operations. This ensured that every change balanced cost saving and service levels without impacting network stability. 

With a solid strategy, the next step was sourcing capacity. Uber Freight used its own diverse carrier network to replace higher-cost incumbent capacity in the most impactful lanes, including key West Coast corridors. 

Uber Freight’s data-driven approach delivered immediate, measurable results for the company. Through the partnership with Uber Freight, the company has:

• Achieved an 18% cost reduction on targeted lanes through ACO rate benchmarking against internal market data.

• Identified and replaced overpriced capacity in the highest-impact corridor of the network. 

• Armed its annual RFP process with lane-level market intelligence for smarter, data-backed procurement.

Beyond immediate savings, these changes represent a broader shift in how the company operates. With greater visibility through benchmarking and market intelligence, the company is better positioned to make faster decisions, optimize operations, and reduce costs without disrupting its network. It is also more confident going into annual RFP cycles, knowing they have the right data, capacity, and ongoing support of the Uber Freight team. 

Uber Freight's network includes 125,000+ truckload carriers and strong intermodal relationships. Trusted by 1 in 3 Fortune 500 companies, Uber Freight improves cost position, service reliability, and network performance. Our managed transportation model has helped customers drive more than $1B in savings and deliver an average 3x ROI year over year. 

Find out how Uber Freight’s managed transportation services can drive predictable outcomes in an unpredictable market. Connect with an expert today.