Starboard Leverages Trade Volatility and TPM26 Exposure to Promote AI Freight-Quoting Tools

Starboard is a logistics technology company focused on AI-driven pricing and quoting tools for freight forwarders, and this weekly summary covers a period of intensified commercial outreach and macro-focused commentary. The company is preparing a strong presence at the TPM26 conference in Long Beach from March 1–4, where it plans to showcase live demos of its rate-sourcing platform to prospective customers.

At TPM26, Starboard will highlight an AI-powered tool designed to source competitive freight rates for quotes within seconds, emphasizing productivity gains and better deal conversion for forwarders. By targeting users responsible for rate discovery and quoting workflows, the company is positioning its software as a way to win more business while reducing manual effort.

Starboard’s messaging underscores a value proposition centered on speed, accuracy, and margin enhancement in an increasingly complex rate environment. The platform aggregates spot and contract rates from a wide range of airlines and major ocean carriers into a unified interface, enabling forwarders to compare options, adjust margins, and generate customer-ready quotes from a single screen.

In parallel, Starboard commented on recent U.S. trade policy shifts, including a Supreme Court decision striking down certain tariffs and the rapid introduction of a new flat global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The company highlighted that these changes, subject to a 150-day approval window and potential legal challenges, are driving heightened volatility in global trade and freight markets.

This volatility increases the difficulty for freight forwarders to price services accurately and maintain margins, especially as duties and trade flows adjust in real time. Starboard argues that quoting speed and tariff-aware rate updates can become a key competitive differentiator, reinforcing demand for software that can ingest regulatory changes quickly and reflect them in customer quotes.

Across its communications, Starboard links macro-level uncertainty with the need for real-time quoting, dynamic pricing, and robust audit trails in rate management. If logistics providers seek scalable, policy-agnostic systems to manage these pressures, Starboard’s AI-enabled platform could benefit through deeper adoption and integration into daily workflows.

Overall, the week’s developments show Starboard sharpening both its go-to-market activities and its narrative around volatility-driven demand for automation. The company’s upcoming TPM26 presence and focus on rapid, accurate quoting underscore its efforts to strengthen its position in the digital freight technology segment.