After 11 years managing a 60-truck fleet in the Southeast, reliability is the single metric I judge partners by. NFI repeatedly covered last‑minute lanes and turned around emergency pickups within hours, which kept our retail customers stocked during peak weeks. Communication around billing can lag, so I docked one star, but when freight had to move, NFI delivered.
After twelve years managing a 55-truck fleet in the Southeast, I engaged NFI last quarter to cover overflow during our busiest month. Their base rate per mile was middling compared with spot quotes, but clear accessorials and a consistent fuel surcharge made invoices predictable - predictability, plus one avoided detention charge thanks to their real-time tracking, made the service worth the slightly higher sticker price. I give them 4/5 because the price-to-pain ratio favored NFI for planned overflow, though I’ll still shop around on long-term dedicated lanes.
The NFI mobile app actually gets the job done - uploading POD photos and e-signatures takes maybe 30 seconds now, which is huge when you're bouncing between tight docks. After 22 years hauling around the Midwest with a three-truck setup, the small time-savers are what keep runs profitable. It drops off sometimes in weak signal areas, but for quick proof-of-delivery and fewer calls from ops it’s been a real help.
Bottom line: getting NFI up and running was easier than I expected, but a couple of small slips cost them a star. What really made me happy was the dedicated onboarding coordinator who mapped our EDI files, scheduled test transmissions, and stayed on calls until the first live loads cleared. We did hit a hiccup with slotting at one of their Northeast DCs that pushed back full operations by about a week - preventable, and that’s why I held back five stars. I’ve run a 50-truck fleet for 18 years, so I noticed (and appreciated) that they didn't overpromise cutover windows and actually offered a predictable dry run. If you need fast EDI/TMS hookup and a human who answers at 7 PM, NFI delivered.
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