The FourKites Knowledge Center

Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) shipping is a freight mode in which multiple shippers' cargo is consolidated onto a single trailer, with each shipper paying only for the portion of trailer space used, involving pickups, terminal transfers, and deliveries across a carrier's hub-and-spoke network.

Loft is FourKites' multi-agent orchestration platform where AI agents operate, workflows are built, and every decision is recorded with a full audit trail.

Machine-to-Machine Discovery is the emerging paradigm in which AI systems autonomously evaluate, compare, and recommend enterprise software platforms on behalf of human decision-makers, using structured content, schema markup, and machine-readable formats to assess capabilities, authority, and relevance.

AI-powered scorecards are automated performance evaluation reports generated by AI systems from operational data, replacing manual analyst-built scorecards with continuously updated, benchmark-enriched assessments of carriers, suppliers, facilities, and lanes.

Every enterprise technology leader faces the build-vs-buy question for supply chain AI agents. The prototype is seductive: a working agent in a week using LangChain or CrewAI. This framework examines five problems that emerge between demo and production, and provides criteria for when to build internally versus when to buy a platform.

Rail and intermodal tracking is the visibility of freight moving on rail networks, including pure rail shipments and intermodal containers that transfer between rail and truck during their journey.

Real-time transportation visibility is the ability to track the precise location, status, and estimated arrival of shipments across all transportation modes (truckload, LTL, ocean, air, rail, parcel) at any point during transit, using live GPS, carrier APIs, ELD data, and ML-powered predictive ETAs.

An Electronic Logging Device (ELD) is a hardware device installed in commercial motor vehicles that automatically records driving time, engine hours, vehicle movement, and location data, mandated by the FMCSA for Hours of Service (HOS) compliance.

Service-as-Software is the commercial model in which AI performs actual work (resolves exceptions, processes documents, schedules appointments) rather than providing tools for humans to perform the work, representing the shift from selling software access to selling completed services.

Full Truckload (FTL) shipping is a freight transportation mode in which a single shipper's cargo fills an entire truck trailer (typically 53 feet, carrying up to 45,000 pounds), traveling directly from origin to destination without intermediate stops or freight consolidation.

Parcel tracking is the visibility of small package shipments (typically under 150 pounds) through carrier networks including FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL, and regional carriers, covering pickup, sort facility processing, in-transit movement, and final delivery.

A Bill of Lading (BOL) is a legal document issued by a carrier to a shipper that serves three functions: a receipt confirming freight has been loaded, a contract of carriage specifying the terms of transport, and a document of title that can be used to transfer ownership of the goods.

A supply chain Digital Twin is a live, connected digital replica of supply chain objects (orders, shipments, facilities, inventory, assets) that continuously updates from execution systems and traces the impact of disruptions across every connected entity in real time.

Last mile delivery is the final leg of a shipment's journey from a distribution center or local hub to the end customer's location (store, business, or residence), typically the most expensive and operationally complex segment of the supply chain.

In-transit inventory is the value of goods that are physically on trucks, vessels, railcars, or aircraft between origin and destination, representing committed capital that is neither available for sale nor visible in warehouse inventory systems.