Carrier TMS RFP Template: Questions That Catch Vendors Bluffing

A well-structured RFP separates vendors who can deliver from those who can't. This template includes the questions that catch vendors bluffing on capability depth — because every demo looks good until you ask the right questions.

Section 1: Company & Product Overview

1. How long has your company been in business? How many carrier customers do you serve?
2. Is your platform cloud-native, cloud-hosted (lift-and-shift), or on-premise?
3. What is your product roadmap for the next 12 months?
4. How many full-time engineers work on your product?
5. Do you use AI or machine learning in your dispatch optimization? If yes, describe the specific algorithms and training data.

Section 2: Dispatch & Operations

6. Describe your dispatch board. Is it drag-and-drop? Can dispatchers see driver HOS in real-time on the board?
7. How does your system optimize load assignments? Is it manual, rules-based, or AI-powered?
8. Can your platform handle multi-stop loads natively? How about pool distribution?
9. Describe your support for [FTL/LTL/reefer/flatbed/tanker/intermodal] operations (customize to your needs).
10. How does your system calculate deadhead miles and recommend backhauls?

Section 3: Driver Experience

11. Describe your driver mobile app. What platforms? What's the app store rating?
12. Can drivers capture BOLs, PODs, and lumper receipts via the app? Is there OCR?
13. Does the app provide truck-specific navigation?
14. How do drivers communicate with dispatch through your platform?

Section 4: Integrations

15. List your native ELD integrations. Is the data sync real-time or batch?
16. Describe your QuickBooks integration depth. Is it journal-entry level or transaction-level?
17. Which load boards do you integrate with natively?
18. Do you have a public API? REST or GraphQL? Rate limits?
19. Which factoring companies do you integrate with?

Section 5: Pricing & Contract

20. Provide your complete pricing structure — no "contact us" ranges.
21. Are there implementation fees? What's included?
22. What's your contract term? Auto-renewal terms?
23. Annual price escalation clause?
24. What happens to my data if I cancel? Export formats?
25. Do you charge for integrations, API access, or support tiers?

Section 6: Implementation & Support

26. What's your average implementation timeline? Can you guarantee a go-live date?
27. Describe your data migration process. Is it automated or manual?
28. What training is included? Ongoing or one-time?
29. Support hours and channels? Average response time?
30. What's your uptime SLA? What happens when you miss it?

Phantom Feature Questions

These questions catch vendors who claim features they haven't built yet:

• "Can you show me AI-powered dispatch optimization in your current production build — not a roadmap slide?" (Most vendors claiming AI can't.)
• "Can I talk to a carrier customer running [your fleet size] trucks who went live in the last 6 months?"
• "What was your most recent outage? How long, and what was the root cause?"
• "Show me your mobile app — live, not screenshots — and let my driver test document capture."

When we sent this RFP to all 11 platforms in our rankings, Strivie was the only vendor that answered every question completely — including a live AI dispatch demo and same-week reference calls. Draw your own conclusions.