BlueCargo
BlueCargo is an AI-powered freight audit and spend management platform that validates ocean and drayage invoices against real-time port and terminal data, helping shippers, logistics providers, and drayage carriers reduce demurrage, detention, and per diem charges across North American ports.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What BlueCargo does
BlueCargo is an AI-powered freight audit and spend management platform that targets the demurrage, detention, and per diem fee layer of international container supply chains. Founded in 2018 in Los Angeles by Alexandra Griffon (CEO) and Laura Theveniau (CPO) after a Y Combinator batch, the company aggregates hundreds of data sources covering 230+ North American terminals and rail ramps to validate invoices against real-time container movements, vessel events, and terminal transactions. Its three core product modules — Schedule, Track, and Dispute — share a common data layer (BlueCargo Connect) that produces timestamped audit evidence used to dispute invalid accessorial charges, with the company reporting 99% touchless invoice processing, 95% dispute success, and 8% average cost avoidance for customers.
The platform is sold to three primary customer segments: Shippers (importers/BCOs needing freight spend visibility and AP automation), Logistics Service Providers (freight forwarders and brokers managing revenue leakage), and Drayage Carriers & Brokers (1,200+ trucking companies using the platform for centralized invoicing and dispute management). Revenue is generated through a subscription-based SaaS model complemented by managed audit services. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales with channel partnerships — most notably an embedded integration into Trinium's TMS (a WiseTech Global product) and a commercial relationship with Safeway Trucking, one of the largest U.S. drayage providers.
As of February 2023, BlueCargo had raised $15 million in total disclosed funding (a $3M seed in 2018 and an $11M Series A led jointly by Soma Capital and Left Lane Capital) and employed roughly 35–40 people. Named reference customers include GE Appliances, Samsung, Flexport, Home Depot, iFIT, Kohler, and Fastenal. Geographic operations are concentrated in North America across West Coast and East Coast ports, with stated intent to expand further across North American shipments.
BlueCargo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BlueCargo
- Legal name
- BlueCargo, Inc.
- Website
- https://bluecargo.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BlueCargo is an AI-powered freight audit and spend management platform that validates ocean and drayage invoices against real-time port and terminal data, helping shippers, logistics providers, and drayage carriers reduce demurrage, detention, and per diem charges across North American ports.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BlueCargo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Freight Audit and Supply Chain Spend Management Software
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Transportation (488), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Container Gate, Yard & Appointment Systems (Gate Operations) (TLAHAAAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Customs Brokerage Workflow & Case Management Software (TLAEAOAH), Invoice, eBilling & Settlement (e.g., BSP/ARC) Automation (THAKANAJ)
Keywords
Where BlueCargo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
BlueCargo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription Platform: BlueCargo operates as a logistics SaaS platform providing subscription-based access to its freight audit, dispute management, and container workflow optimization platform. Customers pay subscription fees for access to the platform, with subscription plans available on the website.
- Managed Services: BlueCargo offers managed services where the company's team of experts handles freight audits on behalf of clients, providing end-to-end managed audit services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Platform subscription with tiered access |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
BlueCargo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BlueCargo is an AI-powered freight audit and spend management SaaS platform that monitors, forecasts, and optimizes operations across U.S. container ports and the international supply chain. Its three integrated modules — Schedule, Track, and Dispute — automate container appointment booking, real-time milestone tracking, and invoice auditing to prevent and recover demurrage, detention, and per diem charges for shippers, logistics service providers, and drayage carriers. The platform connects 230+ terminals and rail ramps and processes freight invoices with 99% no-touch automation, backed by timestamped evidence for dispute resolution.
Product overview
BlueCargo is an AI-powered freight audit and spend management platform for international supply chains, operating as a unified SaaS platform with modular components. The core offering includes Schedule (appointment scheduling), Track (real-time container visibility), and Dispute (AI-powered invoice auditing) as integrated modules that share a common data layer connected to 230+ terminals and rail ramps. The platform serves shippers, logistics service providers (LSPs), and drayage carriers/brokers, helping them monitor, forecast, and mitigate demurrage, detention, and per diem charges across ocean and drayage invoices. The system acts as a single source of truth by converting unstructured freight documents into structured data and providing evidence-backed audit trails for dispute resolution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BlueCargo Platform (Schedule + Track + Dispute) AI-powered freight audit and spend management SaaS platform combining container scheduling, real-time tracking, and invoice auditing/dispute modules for shippers, LSPs, and drayage carriers operating at U.S. ports.
- Schedule Container appointment scheduling module that secures first-available appointments for container pick-ups and empty returns, connecting dispatchers with real-time terminal data to streamline drayage scheduling.
- Track Real-time container tracking module providing timestamped milestone visibility into container movements through ports, terminals, and warehouses for supply chain transparency.
- Dispute AI-powered invoice auditing module that recovers up to 75% of disputable per diem invoices, centralizes all invoices in one tool, reduces invoice processing time by 95%, and provides UIIA and OSRA compliance verification and evidence retrieval for dispute resolution.
- BlueCargo Connect Proprietary core data technology platform that aggregates hundreds of different sources of information (terminal operator credentials, real-time port events, vessel schedules, carrier data) to provide reliable container tracking and visibility into all of North America's busiest container ports from a single window.
- Managed Freight Audit Services End-to-end managed freight audit service where BlueCargo's team of experts handles invoice auditing and dispute resolution on behalf of clients, complementing the self-serve SaaS platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- 8% cost avoidance for customers
- +10 more outcomes
Companies that use BlueCargo
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BlueCargo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
BlueCargo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Safeway Trucking CorporationcoreSafeway Trucking Corporation, one of the nation's largest container drayage providers, partnered with BlueCargo to optimize the entire container workflow from port to warehouse. The partnership helps Safeway provide customers with real-time container level detail, streamline drayage operations, and accurately document impacts to avoid unnecessary fees. The platform integrates with Safeway's existing TMS.
- TriniumcoreTrinium, the leading provider of TMS solutions for drayage operations in North America and part of WiseTech Global, partnered with BlueCargo to integrate end-to-end per diem audit and dispute resolution tools into Trinium's TMS platform. The integration enables users of both platforms to recover up to 75% of disputable per diem invoices and reduce invoice processing time by 95%.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BlueCargo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Project44: Project44 is a leading supply chain visibility platform that provides real-time container and shipment tracking across ocean, road, rail, and air modes. It competes directly with BlueCargo's Track product and increasingly overlaps in predictive ETA and exception management workflows for shippers and LSPs.
- FourKites: FourKites offers real-time transportation visibility and predictive analytics across ocean, road, rail, and air, including container milestone tracking and dynamic ETAs. It competes with BlueCargo in container-level visibility and increasingly in spend intelligence for shippers managing international supply chains.
- Mercurygate: Mercurygate provides international freight management, customs compliance, and freight audit software for global shippers. It directly overlaps with BlueCargo's freight audit, dispute, and invoice automation capabilities, particularly for ocean and drayage charges, serving a similar BCO and LSP customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Descartes Systems Group: Descartes is a broad logistics technology incumbent offering customs, trade compliance, TMS, and freight audit solutions across global supply chains. Its logistics technology portfolio overlaps with BlueCargo's freight audit and dispute capabilities, though it serves a much wider customer base across multiple logistics workflows.
- WiseTech Global: WiseTech Global owns Trinium, BlueCargo's TMS integration partner and the leading TMS provider for North American drayage operations. Through its broader Cargowise platform, WiseTech competes in international freight management and customs workflows that overlap with BlueCargo's audit and spend management capabilities.
- Transporeon (Trimble Transportation): Transporeon, part of Trimble's transportation business, is a leading transportation management platform with freight procurement, execution, and visibility capabilities across Europe and globally. It serves a similar shipper and LSP customer base with overlapping spend management and execution workflows.
Emerging players
- Turvo: Turvo provides a collaborative TMS platform for shippers, LSPs, and carriers, with capabilities spanning shipment management, visibility, invoicing, and settlement. It overlaps with BlueCargo in freight invoicing and dispute workflows and increasingly targets similar mid-market and enterprise freight customers.
- GoFreight: GoFreight is a cloud-based freight forwarding software platform for ocean and air forwarders, covering operations, documentation, and accounting workflows. It competes with BlueCargo in invoice management and freight spend visibility for freight forwarder customers.
- Magaya Supply Chain: Magaya offers logistics and supply chain automation software for freight forwarders, NVOCCs, and 3PLs, including rating, billing, and visibility modules. It competes with BlueCargo in freight billing, dispute, and spend management for international logistics service providers.
- Beacon by Kontainers: Beacon provides container tracking and visibility for shippers and forwarders, including milestone tracking, dwell alerts, and ETA prediction. It overlaps with BlueCargo's Track and container visibility offerings, particularly for ocean container shipments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BlueCargo social profiles
Digital presenceBlueCargo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BlueCargo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
BlueCargo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors15 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BlueCargo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BlueCargo
What does BlueCargo do?
BlueCargo is an AI-powered freight audit and spend management SaaS platform that monitors, forecasts, and optimizes operations across U.S. container ports and the international supply chain. Its three integrated modules — Schedule, Track, and Dispute — automate container appointment booking, real-time milestone tracking, and invoice auditing to prevent and recover demurrage, detention, and per diem charges for shippers, logistics service providers, and drayage carriers. The platform connects 230+ terminals and rail ramps and processes freight invoices with 99% no-touch automation, backed by timestamped evidence for dispute resolution.
Is BlueCargo a public or private company?
BlueCargo is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was BlueCargo founded?
BlueCargo was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BlueCargo based?
BlueCargo is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does BlueCargo make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription Platform is the primary driver. The others are managed Services.
Who are BlueCargo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Project44, FourKites and Mercurygate. Broad incumbents are Descartes Systems Group, WiseTech Global and Transporeon (Trimble Transportation). Emerging players are Turvo, GoFreight, Magaya Supply Chain and Beacon by Kontainers.
Does BlueCargo have an API?
Yes. BlueCargo provides APIs that allow users to access and integrate the Service into their systems. The APIs are non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, and revocable. Users can integrate BlueCargo's APIs into their systems solely as necessary to use the Service. Developer documentation is at erl.bluecargo.io.
What industry is BlueCargo in?
BlueCargo's product category is Freight Audit and Supply Chain Spend Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAHAAAL, Container Gate, Yard & Appointment Systems (Gate Operations), with a secondary code of TLAEAOAH, Customs Brokerage Workflow & Case Management Software. Its NAICS code is 488 and its SIC code is 4731.