Gamut
Bid & Proposal DrafterLogistics / Trucking / 3PL

Logistics, Trucking & 3PL Bid / Proposal Drafter Agent

Turn inbound freight RFPs into structured, submission-ready proposals in a fraction of the time.

Updated

Connects with

McLeod SoftwareMcLeod SoftwareTurvoTurvoSamsaraSamsaraSlackSlackGmailGmailOutlookOutlook
Download template

The problem it solves

Responding to a shipper RFP means hours of digging through your TMS for lane performance, chasing safety scores and insurance certs, and rebuilding rate tables from scratch under a tight deadline. This agent assembles that entire first-pass proposal for you and hands back a prioritized checklist of every gap, so your ops or sales team can review and submit a competitive bid instead of starting from a blank page.

Who it's for

  • Asset-based carriers (dry van, reefer, flatbed, specialized) bidding on lane and contract business
  • Non-asset freight brokers and 3PLs responding to shipper RFPs and RFQs
  • Dedicated contract carriers answering fleet-outsourcing proposals
  • Operations managers who assemble bid packages manually
  • Sales reps who need a consistent, fast proposal process across every opportunity

What it does

  1. 1

    Parse the inbound opportunity

    It reads the RFP, RFQ, lane bid, or 3PL request and extracts shipper, bid type, lane details, commodity, equipment, service standards, requested rate structure, and submission deadline.

  2. 2

    Pull lane history and performance

    It searches McLeod or Turvo for shipment count, on-time rate, transit time, and claim rate on matching lanes, and flags any new lane with no history.

  3. 3

    Confirm equipment and capacity

    It checks fleet utilization in McLeod or Samsara against the requested volume and service period, flagging constraints that affect your ability to commit.

  4. 4

    Assemble safety and compliance

    It compiles FMCSA SMS scores, CSA percentiles, DOT and MC authority, insurance certificate limits, and required certifications like CTPAT, ISO, and Hazmat.

  5. 5

    Draft the rate proposal

    It builds the requested rate structure (per-mile, all-in, cost-plus, or per-hundredweight) with a DOE-indexed fuel surcharge table and full accessorial schedule.

  6. 6

    Produce the full proposal draft

    It writes the executive summary, company overview, lane capabilities, safety record, rate proposal, technology and visibility, and references sections.

  7. 7

    Deliver a missing-information checklist

    It returns every gap categorized as submission-blocking, proposal-critical, or quality-improving, and sends the draft to your Slack or email channel for review.

Key benefits

  • Cut the hours spent assembling each freight bid down to a quick review-and-finalize step
  • Submit consistent, complete proposals every time, regardless of who is on the bid
  • Surface data gaps early with a prioritized checklist instead of discovering them at the deadline
  • Ground rates and transit-time commitments in real lane history from your TMS
  • Keep safety, authority, and insurance documentation current and bid-ready
  • Free ops and sales reps to focus on pricing strategy and shipper relationships

Sample use cases

A shipper sends a contract RFP covering eight lanes due in three days.

The agent extracts every lane and requirement, pulls 12-24 months of performance from McLeod, drafts the rate table and full proposal, and lists the two lanes that need volume confirmation as submission-blocking.

A 3PL is invited to bid on a dedicated-fleet outsourcing request.

It checks fleet utilization in Samsara, confirms whether the required equipment count is available, and flags a capacity constraint before the team over-commits on volume.

A broker wins a chance to bid on a new reefer lane with no prior history.

It marks the lane as a new-lane bid, assembles the safety and insurance package, drafts a per-mile rate with fuel surcharge, and notes the missing reference approvals as quality-improving.

An ops manager receives an RFQ requiring CTPAT and Hazmat certification.

It compiles the certifications with issue and expiry dates, confirms operating authority status, and flags any CSA score above the alert threshold for review before submission.

Key integrations

  • McLeod Software

    Trucking TMS used to pull historical lane performance, fleet utilization, and rate history.

  • Turvo

    Collaborative logistics platform used for lane history, shipment performance, and visibility data.

  • Samsara

    Fleet telematics and ELD platform used to confirm equipment availability and fleet capacity.

  • FMCSA SMS

    Federal safety database used for SMS scores, CSA percentiles, and DOT/MC authority status.

  • Slack

    Channel where proposal drafts and missing-information alerts are delivered for team review.

  • Email

    Alternative delivery channel for proposal drafts and gap checklists.

Freight proposals live or die on accurate, defensible numbers, so this agent grounds every transit-time commitment and rate in your own lane history rather than guesswork. When data is thin or a lane is new, it says so explicitly instead of filling the gap with assumptions.

The missing-information checklist is what keeps a fast draft from becoming a risky submission. By separating submission-blocking items from proposal-critical and quality-improving ones, it tells your ops or sales team exactly what must be resolved before the deadline and what can wait.

Getting started

  1. Import the workspace — Add the Logistics, Trucking & 3PL Bid / Proposal Drafter template to your Gamut workspace to get the agent and its skills.
  2. Run the onboarding — The agent-onboarding skill interviews you, connects McLeod, Turvo, or Samsara, and records your DOT/MC authority, insurance limits, and rate benchmarks.
  3. Give it a first RFP — Forward a real inbound RFP or freight RFQ and review the first-pass proposal and missing-information checklist it produces.

Frequently asked questions

Does the agent submit bids or negotiate rates on its own?

No. It drafts the proposal, assembles supporting data, and flags every gap, but it never submits a bid or negotiates with shippers. Every proposal requires your review before submission.

Which systems does it work with?

It pulls lane history and fleet data from McLeod Software, Turvo, or Samsara, references FMCSA SMS for safety and authority, and delivers drafts to Slack or email. You can also export lane and fleet data as CSV if a direct connection is not available.

How is this different from writing a business proposal for a trucking company manually?

A manual bid means hand-pulling lane history, safety scores, and rate tables under deadline pressure, and gaps often surface too late. The agent assembles the full first-pass proposal from your own data and surfaces every missing item up front, so your team reviews instead of building from scratch.

Can it handle different bid types and rate structures?

Yes. It supports spot and contract lanes, dedicated fleet, 3PL RFPs, warehousing, and final-mile, and drafts per-mile, all-in flat, cost-plus, or rate-per-hundredweight pricing with a fuel surcharge table and accessorial schedule.

What does it do when a lane has no history?

It marks the lane as a new-lane bid so the team knows the proposed transit time and rate are not backed by prior performance, and adds it to the proposal-critical section of the missing-information checklist.

How much does the agent cost?

The template is free to import into your Gamut workspace. You only need accounts for the systems it connects to, such as McLeod, Turvo, or Samsara, and your usual Gamut usage.