BlueCargo

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.

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

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

• Freight audit software
• Container logistics platform
• Supply chain visibility
• Demurrage detention management
• Drayage operations software

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Safeway Trucking CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 23 February 2023Safeway 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.
• TriniumcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Trinium, 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

Direct 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

• Xtwitter.com/BlueCargo_
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlueCargoInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bluecargo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors15 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BlueCargo