Patent ID: 7565314

Claim:
A method for providing a computerized shipment management system over a computer network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a requirement for a shipment from a shipper over the computer network; communicating the requirement to a plurality of carriers over the computer network; receiving at least one quote for the shipment from at least one of the plurality of carriers over the computer network, the at least one quote being based on the requirement; communicating to the shipper over the computer network the at least one quote for the shipment and additional information regarding the carrier that provided the at least one quote; and receiving a selection of one of the at least one quote from the shipper over the computer network, the selection being based on the at least one quote and the additional information regarding the carrier; wherein the additional information regarding the carrier includes a quantitative measurement representing the carrier's previous reliability and performance, and the shipment requirement includes a list of preferred carriers of the plurality of carriers.