select_provider
Evaluate and rank freight intermediaries based on your priority, cargo specialisation, volume, and corridor needs. Receive a recommended provider type and a weighted scorecard to assess real candidates.
Instructions
Choose the right freight INTERMEDIARY — freight forwarder, 3PL/4PL, customs broker, NVOCC or carrier-direct — and know how to grade them. Give a NEED profile (priority cost vs service, cargo specialisation reefer/dangerous-goods/project/e-commerce/high-value, annual volume, corridor count, whether you need warehousing, whether customs is the hard part) and it scores every provider archetype on weighted criteria (corridor coverage, specialisation, technology/visibility, customs depth, cost, service, financial stability), RANKS them, recommends the provider TYPE (+ a pairing, e.g. niche forwarder + customs broker), and emits a weighted SCORECARD you fill in for real candidates. Proves: a reefer-heavy, low-volume, service-led need → a niche cold-chain forwarder tops the rank (NOT a generic mega-3PL); a high-volume cost-led need on a few lanes → carrier-direct / NVOCC; a customs-heavy need pulls in a customs-broker pairing. The criterion weights shift with the need, so the recommendation changes when the profile changes. Honest (regla 7): INDICATIVE archetypes & weights — NOT an endorsement of, or performance claim about, any named provider; run your own RFI/references. PREMIUM: pay per call with x402 (USDC on Base) or a prepaid key.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| priority | No | 'cost' | 'service' | 'balanced' — the primary driver. Optional; default balanced. | |
| specialisation | No | Cargo specialisation needed: 'reefer' / 'dangerous-goods' / 'project' / 'ecommerce' / 'high-value' / 'none'. Optional; default none. | |
| cargo_type | No | Alias for 'specialisation' — a free-text cargo description is parsed into a specialisation. Optional. | |
| annual_containers | No | Annual container volume (rough) — sets the volume band (low <50, mid, high ≥500). Optional. | |
| corridor_count | No | Number of distinct corridors/regions you ship. Optional; default 1. | |
| needs_warehousing | No | Do you need warehousing/fulfilment, not just transport? Pulls toward 3PL/4PL. Optional. | |
| customs_heavy | No | Is customs the hard part (high-duty, regulated, FTA-heavy)? Pulls in a customs broker. Optional. |