AI prompts for freight RFQs

A freight RFQ is mostly structured writing and comparison work, which AI assistants handle well. The prompts below work in any general AI assistant. Replace the [BRACKETS] with your own details, and anonymize your data first: no confidential rates, customer names, or export-controlled information. Follow your company's AI policy.

1. Clean up your lane data

Here is 12 months of shipment history (origin zip3, destination zip3, mode, weight, pallets, ship date): [PASTE]. Group it into lanes, calculate annual volume, average and peak weekly loads, and seasonality per lane, and flag records that look like errors. Output a table I can attach to an RFQ.

2. Draft the RFQ document

Draft a freight RFQ for [MODE: FTL/LTL/ocean/air] covering the attached lanes. Include: scope and term, volume disclaimer, service requirements (transit, tender acceptance, tracking), accessorial schedule to be quoted, fuel surcharge method, insurance, payment terms, bid format, deadline and evaluation criteria. Use [PLACEHOLDERS] for anything company-specific.

3. Write clarification questions

Act as an experienced carrier sales rep reading this RFQ: [PASTE]. List every ambiguity that would make you pad your price, and suggest wording that removes each one.

4. Normalize and compare bids

Here are bids from Carrier A/B/C for the same lanes: [PASTE]. Convert each to all-in cost per load and per unit using our expected volumes, including fuel at [FUEL INDEX VALUE] and likely accessorials. Show a comparison table per lane, the cheapest compliant bid, and the cost of splitting awards between primary and backup carriers.

5. Catch accessorial and terms traps

Review these carrier terms and accessorial schedules: [PASTE]. Flag detention or free-time terms, liftgate and residential fees, reweigh or reclass rules, minimums, and anything that differs from our RFQ. Estimate the annual cost of each at our volumes.

6. Award scenarios

Build 3 award scenarios (lowest cost, balanced risk, incumbent-friendly) from this comparison: [PASTE]. For each one, show total annual cost, number of carriers, and risk if the primary carrier rejects tenders. Recommend one and explain the trade-off in 100 words.

7. Award and regret emails

Write a short, professional award email to a winning carrier confirming lanes, rates, effective date and next steps, plus a courteous regret email to unsuccessful bidders that leaves the door open for future bids.

Good practice

Check every calculation the AI produces; ask it to "show the math".
Keep a human decision on awards and on any contract terms; have legal review contracts.
Use Incoterms and customs details only after checking the current official rules or with a licensed broker.

Want ready-made prompts? Try the free 8-prompt sample or the full AI Prompt Kit for Supply Chain Teams (from $7). It's our own product.