Logistics
Documents and exceptions that no longer stall the dock
A mid-size logistics operator automated document intake and exception routing, returning hours to operations without pretending every shipment is identical.
Northline Logistics
Client challenge
Where the work was stuck
- Bills of lading, customs packs, and customer instructions arrived as PDFs and photos, then were typed into the TMS.
- Exceptions were discovered late — often when a truck was already at the dock.
- Customers asked for status that operations could only answer by searching email.
- Growth meant hiring coordinators faster than the process could absorb them.
Solution
Consulting approach and software delivered
- We built document ingestion with OCR, field validation, and confidence thresholds tuned to Northline’s document mix.
- Clean shipments posted to the TMS automatically. Low-confidence or conflicting fields entered an exception queue with the original file attached.
- A customer status API and a thin portal replaced most ‘where is my freight’ email.
- Coordinators were retrained around exceptions and customer communication, not data entry.
Results
Outcomes you can put on a board pack
0%
less manual document handling
0%
faster exception resolution
0%
reduction in status enquiries
Before vs after
The operating picture changed
Before
- PDF typing into the TMS
- Exceptions found at the dock
- Status buried in email
- Headcount tied to volume
After
- Automated capture with review
- Queued exceptions with context
- Customer-visible status
- Coordinators on judgement work
Technology stack
AWS TextractPythonPostgreSQLTMS integrationNext.jsTerraform
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