SMC3
SMC3 is a privately held provider of LTL freight transportation pricing data, technology, and educational solutions, operating a neutral benchmark base-rate system (CzarLite), multi-tariff rating engine (RateWare XL/Plus), and transit-time network (CarrierConnect XL) serving shippers, carriers, 3PLs, and TMS/ERP technology providers across North America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1935
- HeadquartersPeachtree City, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What SMC3 does
SMC3 is a privately held provider of data, technology, and educational solutions for the less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation industry, founded in 1935 and operating across North America (US, Canada, Mexico). The company operates a centralized LTL intelligence platform comprising four interlocking modules: CzarLite, a neutral benchmark LTL base rate modeled by in-house data scientists from 116.8 million freight bills across 33 of the largest LTL carriers; RateWare XL (and RateWare Plus), a multi-tariff rating engine covering 4,000–5,000 base-rate tariffs and capable of rating all 3 million+ weekly U.S. LTL shipments in under 10 minutes; CarrierConnect XL, a transit-time intelligence network aggregating points-of-service and transit data from 300+ national, super-regional and regional LTL carriers; and an LTL API layer (REST and SOAP, versioned) covering quotes, digital pickup scheduling, eBOL, PRO assignment, real-time track-and-trace, automated invoicing, and document imaging. Bid$ense complements the platform with automated RFP/bidding for LTL and truckload, and managed EDI bridges hybrid digitization for shippers and LSPs.
SMC3 monetizes this stack through three core revenue streams: (1) enterprise SaaS / platform licensing of CzarLite, RateWare XL/Plus, CarrierConnect XL, Bid$ense, webRater, Cost Intelligence System, and Dynamic PriceBuilder sold via quote-based annual subscriptions; (2) usage-based API consumption pricing for TMS/ERP technology providers embedding SMC3 APIs into their own platforms; and (3) recurring membership programs, premium content (Weekly Fuel Prices, Carrier Data Modules), and paid conferences (JumpStart, Connections) plus LTL Online Education and Certification. The company organizes its go-to-market around four named customer verticals — Shippers, Carriers, LSPs/3PLs, and Technology Providers — each with dedicated solution pages, dedicated sales contacts, and tailored product bundles, supported by a 1-800 sales line, demo CTAs, content marketing, in-person events, and earned media in trade outlets.
SMC3 has positioned itself as the de facto hub of expertise and neutral data layer for the North American LTL industry, leveraging 90+ years of brand equity, a portfolio of registered trademarks, and a multi-sided network effect across carriers, shippers, LSPs, and technology providers. Recent strategic activity is incremental rather than transformational — most notably the April 2026 strategic partnership with Transflo to layer AI-driven invoice audit onto SMC3's LTL data stack, ongoing product evolution (RateWare XL 2.0 with API versioning), customer implementations such as TA Services Inc. (June 2026), and the recurring JumpStart conference — consistent with a mature vertical incumbent deepening its ecosystem rather than pivoting into new markets or business models.
SMC3 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SMC3
- Legal name
- SMC³
- Website
- https://smc3.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1935
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- SMC3 is a privately held provider of LTL freight transportation pricing data, technology, and educational solutions, operating a neutral benchmark base-rate system (CzarLite), multi-tariff rating engine (RateWare XL/Plus), and transit-time network (CarrierConnect XL) serving shippers, carriers, 3PLs, and TMS/ERP technology providers across North America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SMC3 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- LTL Transportation Software and Data
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)
- SIC
- Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- National/Regional LTL General Freight Carriers (TLADAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAC)
Keywords
Where SMC3 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Peachtree City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SMC3 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 / Platform Licensing: SMC3 sells access to its LTL intelligence platform (CzarLite, RateWare XL/Plus, CarrierConnect XL, Bid$ense, webRater, Cost Intelligence System, Dynamic PriceBuilder) to shippers, carriers, LSPs, and technology providers under what is positioned as an enterprise / membership-style subscription relationship (with dedicated vertical solution pages and a 1-800 sales line). Customers access the platform through integrations into TMS, ERP, or LSP systems.
- API / Usage-Based Rating & Execution: Technology-provider customers consume SMC3's RESTful and SOAP LTL APIs (quotes, rating, scheduling, eBOL, PRO, tracking, imaging) on an API-call / transaction basis, with API layer versioning (RateWare XL 2.0) enabling consumption-based pricing models.
- Membership Programs & Industry Services: SMC3 operates explicit membership programs and premium content/data services (Weekly Fuel Prices, Carrier Data Modules, Membership Programs referenced in the site navigation), generating recurring fees in exchange for ongoing industry data access and participation.
- Conferences, Education & Certification: SMC3 monetizes its position as the LTL industry's convener through paid conferences (JumpStart, Connections) and LTL Online Education and Certification programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Quote-based enterprise licensing for CzarLite, RateWare XL/Plus, CarrierConnect XL, Bid$ense, webRater, Cost Intelligence System, and Dynamic PriceBuilder |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Usage-based pricing for LTL APIs (rating, execution, visibility) consumed by technology providers |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
SMC3 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SMC3 provides a centralized LTL (less-than-truckload) transportation intelligence platform that delivers benchmark base-rate pricing, multi-tariff rating, carrier transit-time data, RFP/bidding automation, and shipper/carrier execution APIs to shippers, carriers, logistics service providers, and transportation software vendors across North America. The platform combines proprietary data products (CzarLite, RateWare XL/Plus, CarrierConnect XL, Bid$ense) with REST/SOAP APIs and managed EDI that digitize the full LTL shipment lifecycle from quote through invoicing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CzarLite®: Industry benchmark base rate standard for LTL contracts, modeled on analysis of 116.8 million freight bills from 33 of the largest LTL carriers, used for negotiating transportation spend.
- RateWare® XL
- RateWare® Plus
- BatchMark® XL
- CarrierConnect® XL
- Bid$ense®
- webRater®
- Cost Intelligence System
- Dynamic PriceBuilder®
Products and services
- CzarLite Industry-benchmark neutral LTL base rate system modeled from 116.8 million freight bills across 33 of the largest LTL carriers; supports class-based and density-based pricing for North American LTL contracts.
- RateWare XL LTL and small-package rating engine providing a single integration point to 4,000+ tariffs, capable of rating all 3 million+ weekly U.S. LTL shipments in under 10 minutes; returns UPS and FedEx parcel pricing alongside LTL rating.
- RateWare Plus Extension of RateWare XL that adds carrier-published accessorial charges and access to SMC3's library of 5,000 base-rate tariffs for complete quoting/rating and reduced billing disputes.
- BatchMark XL SMC3 product listed across shipper, carrier, and LSP solution pages for batch LTL processing.
- CarrierConnect XL Transit-time intelligence network that continually updates transit times, points of service, terminal-to-terminal networks, and service detail from 300+ national, super-regional and regional LTL carriers across North America; delivered via RESTful APIs or SOAP messaging.
- Bid$ense Automated over-the-road freight transportation bidding platform for LTL and truckload; provides a 360-degree view of carrier service qualifications, standardized carrier responses, what-if scenarios, and sophisticated bid analysis for single large clients or groups of smaller clients.
- webRater SMC3 LTL software product listed in the product catalog for LTL rating.
- Cost Intelligence System SMC3 product offered to carriers for cost analysis and yield management.
- Dynamic PriceBuilder SMC3 product offered to carriers for dynamic pricing capabilities.
- SMC3 LTL APIs RESTful and SOAP API suite covering the full LTL shipment lifecycle: LTL quotes (volume, contract, broker, dynamic pricing), digital pickup scheduling, Electronic Bill of Lading (eBOL), PRO number assignment, real-time track and trace, automated invoice generation, and document imaging. Pairs with managed EDI for complete carrier connectivity.
- EDI Solutions Managed EDI capabilities layered alongside the LTL API platform to enable hybrid digitization and complete carrier connectivity for shippers and LSPs.
- LTL Online Education and Certification Paid LTL Online Education and Certification programs that train shippers, carriers, and LSPs on LTL pricing, transit, and operational best practices.
Companies that use SMC3
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SMC3 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature7 records
SMC3 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered strategic / flagship, featured carrier in carrierconnect xl network, featured carrier in carrierconnect xl network; also a rated parcel carrier in rateware xl, carrier in carrierconnect xl network (300+ carrier base), carrier in carrierconnect xl network, carrier in carrierconnect xl network; also a featured speaker at smc3 jumpstart conference and industry participant.
- Transflostrategic / flagshipOn April 14, 2026, SMC3 and Transflo announced a strategic partnership combining Transflo's AI-driven invoice audit and dispute resolution platform with SMC3's LTL data and carrier connectivity services. The collaboration targets reducing complexity, increasing accuracy, and improving freight pay and audit processes for shippers, logistics service providers, and carriers across North America, with joint showcase at the 2026 TIA Capital Ideas Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Estes Express Linesfeatured carrier in carrierconnect xl networkParticipating LTL carrier providing transit times and service detail (points of service, terminal-to-terminal network, transit-day data) into SMC3's CarrierConnect XL transit intelligence platform.
- FedEx Corporate Servicesfeatured carrier in carrierconnect xl networkParticipating LTL carrier providing transit times and service detail into SMC3's CarrierConnect XL transit intelligence network; FedEx Freight Canada and FedEx Corporate Services both listed as participating carriers.
- Old Dominion Freight Linefeatured carrier in carrierconnect xl networkFeatured participating LTL carrier in the CarrierConnect XL transit intelligence network, providing transit times, points of service, and service detail.
- UPSfeatured carrier in carrierconnect xl network; also a rated parcel carrier in rateware xlFeatured participating carrier in CarrierConnect XL; RateWare XL also returns UPS pricing information for parcel shipments alongside LTL rating.
- XPO Logistics LTLfeatured carrier in carrierconnect xl networkFeatured participating LTL carrier in the CarrierConnect XL transit intelligence network (alongside Xpress Global Systems and YRC Freight).
- ABF Freightcarrier in carrierconnect xl network (300+ carrier base)Participating LTL carrier providing transit times and service detail into CarrierConnect XL.
- Saiacarrier in carrierconnect xl networkParticipating LTL carrier in the CarrierConnect XL transit intelligence network.
- YRC Freightcarrier in carrierconnect xl networkParticipating LTL carrier providing transit times and service detail into SMC3's CarrierConnect XL transit intelligence platform.
- Dayton Freight Linescarrier in carrierconnect xl networkParticipating LTL carrier in the CarrierConnect XL transit intelligence network.
- Southeastern Freight Linescarrier in carrierconnect xl network; also a featured speaker at smc3 jumpstart conferenceParticipating LTL carrier providing transit times and service detail into CarrierConnect XL; also a featured speaker at the SMC3 JumpStart conference.
- Knight-Swift Transportationindustry participantFeatured speaker at the SMC3 JumpStart conference (January 26–28, 2026, Atlanta). Knight-Swift had expanded its LTL network to 173 locations across 35 states through acquisitions. Source describes industry participation, not a formal SMC3 partnership.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SMC3 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Greenscreens.ai: AI-driven LTL pricing intelligence platform purpose-built for the LTL segment. Most directly comparable to SMC3's CzarLite and RateWare XL value proposition on dynamic, data-driven LTL pricing.
- Loop: LTL pricing and procurement platform serving shippers, 3PLs and carriers with rate optimization, transit data, and API-driven rating — overlapping closely with RateWare XL, CzarLite, and Bid$ense.
Broad incumbents
- DAT Freight & Analytics: Largest U.S. freight market data and rate intelligence provider (now part of Roper). Comparable to SMC3 as a long-standing freight pricing data incumbent, but with broader truckload and intermodal scope beyond LTL.
- Descartes Systems Group: Public logistics technology platform with rating, routing, EDI, and customs offerings. Comparable to SMC3 in EDI/API carrier connectivity and freight rating, but at much broader, enterprise-platform scale.
- Blue Yonder: Enterprise supply chain platform (formerly JDA) with TMS, transportation planning, and LTL rating capabilities. Overlaps with SMC3 on rating and transit intelligence inside a much broader supply chain suite.
Emerging players
- MercuryGate: Specialty TMS vendor with strong LTL rating, procurement, and carrier connectivity capabilities. Directly comparable to the LSP/Tech-Provider motions SMC3 supports via RateWare XL and CarrierConnect XL APIs.
- Turvo: Cloud-native TMS for shippers and 3PLs with built-in LTL rating and carrier connectivity. Comparable to SMC3's LSP and Shipper solution bundles on a modern, API-first stack.
- Uber Freight: Digital freight broker and platform with growing LTL offering and embedded pricing/visibility. Competes with SMC3-adjacent RFP and rating workflows via a modern brokerage-style UX.
- Loadsmart: Digital freight platform with automated LTL and truckload pricing, tendering, and API-driven capacity. Comparable to SMC3's Bid$ense and RateWare XL on automated, data-driven freight procurement.
Others
- project44: Supply chain visibility and carrier connectivity network with API-first LTL/multi-modal integrations. Adjacent to SMC3's LTL API and managed-EDI carrier connectivity on the execution/visibility side rather than pricing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SMC3 social profiles
Digital presenceSMC3 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SMC3 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
SMC3 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SMC3 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SMC3
What does SMC3 do?
SMC3 provides a centralized LTL (less-than-truckload) transportation intelligence platform that delivers benchmark base-rate pricing, multi-tariff rating, carrier transit-time data, RFP/bidding automation, and shipper/carrier execution APIs to shippers, carriers, logistics service providers, and transportation software vendors across North America. The platform combines proprietary data products (CzarLite, RateWare XL/Plus, CarrierConnect XL, Bid$ense) with REST/SOAP APIs and managed EDI that digitize the full LTL shipment lifecycle from quote through invoicing.
Is SMC3 a public or private company?
SMC3 is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was SMC3 founded?
SMC3 was founded in 1935. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is SMC3 based?
SMC3 is headquartered in Peachtree City, United States, in the North America region.
How does SMC3 make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. SaaS / Platform Licensing is the primary driver. The others are API / Usage-Based Rating & Execution, membership Programs & Industry Services and conferences, Education & Certification.
Who are SMC3's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Greenscreens.ai and Loop. Broad incumbents are DAT Freight & Analytics, Descartes Systems Group and Blue Yonder. Emerging players are MercuryGate, Turvo, Uber Freight and Loadsmart. project44 is listed as an others.
Does SMC3 have an API?
Yes. SMC³ offers public LTL APIs that enable technology providers to digitize the LTL shipment lifecycle, including RESTful APIs and SOAP API messaging with API versioning. Capabilities include: receiving LTL quotes for volume, contract, broker and dynamic pricing and transit schedules from multiple carriers; digitally scheduling pickups; Electronic Bill of Lading (eBOL); instant PRO number assignment; real-time track and trace; automated invoice generation; and document download (weight certification, proof of delivery, bills of lading). APIs also offer a "hybrid" approach combining them with EDI for complete carrier connectivity. Developer documentation is at smc3.com/ltl-api-tech.htm.
What industry is SMC3 in?
SMC3's product category is LTL Transportation Software and Data. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADAEAA, National/Regional LTL General Freight Carriers, with a secondary code of TLADAMAC, Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Freight Brokerage. Its NAICS code is 48851 and its SIC code is 4210.