We’ve reinvented the department to be more customer focussed and Qargo gives us that real time data and visibility driving service and efficiency.
– Craig Perrin, Director at Hemisphere Freight Services
About Hemisphere Freight Services
Hemisphere Freight Services is a global logistics provider, freight forwarder and 3PL partner trading since 1989. Their UK side of domestic transport operations, manage everything from customs clearance and international shipping to warehousing, fulfilment and UK domestic deliveries.
Hemisphere manages full containers and more as a whole, the transport department based in Ipswich handles UK less-than-container loads to full trailer loads, with a team of planners, a growing 16-strong fleet and a reliable network they’ve worked with for years.
Why Qargo?
Ben Vincent, now UK Transport Manager at Hemisphere, first encountered Qargo three years ago at a previous role, where a live demo immediately stood out from the crowd.
When he joined Hemisphere, Qargo was top of his list for their UK operations.
“We’d looked at four other systems at my last company. I’d seen a demo from Adriaan (Qargo’s Co-founder & CEO) a few years back and loved how simple it was.
Qargo just made sense to operators. It was simple, clear, and genuinely built for transport. When I arrived here, I knew it was the system we needed.”
Hemisphere had started rethinking how they delivered service across their UK operation. They were looking for a system that would give them more visibility, more automation, and better planning tools without adding complexity or growing headcounts.
Onboarding
Hemisphere went live with Qargo after a smooth six-month onboarding. The team planned the transition carefully, running Qargo alongside their previous system for a while to make sure nothing got missed. Ensuring a smooth switchover with no risk of disruption.
Their dedicated onboarding manager was always on hand to help. Even Ben, who admits he’s “not the most computer-minded person,” found the whole thing surprisingly straightforward.
“It was honestly easier than we thought. Our onboarding manager was brilliant, and the support’s been spot-on since day one.”
The challenge
Before switching to Qargo, Hemisphere’s UK transport team faced time-consuming manual processes across planning, rating jobs and customer service. Information was siloed across systems and spreadsheets, and any delays or POD requests had to be manually chased and sent.
As the department grew, these small inefficiencies began to limit both scalability and service. Planning was often not finalised until 4pm, leaving little to no time for the warehouse to prepare.
“We needed better traceability, more automation, and a way to scale our service with the business growth plans”
Their existing TMS software in the UK wasn’t keeping pace with the needs of the operation, and the lack of automation created friction across the team.
The solution
The changes have been huge for Hemisphere’s UK operations. Planning time has been cut in half, with routes now finalised and wrapped up by 1:30pm, giving everyone, from drivers to warehouse staff, more time to prepare.
Qargo Intelligence has streamlined order entry by pulling transport order details automatically straight from emails and documents and saving time.
Customer queries have dropped significantly too, thanks to the customer portal, which gives clients real-time access to PODs, delivery updates and timestamps. So they can track it all easily themselves.
Rating jobs is no longer a manual task either, the team built custom rate cards, especially for their LCL work, so pricing happens automatically.
And their drivers have found the mobile driver app easy to use from day one.
“The whole department runs better, and customers can see what’s going on in real time.”
Integrations & Qargo
Hemisphere has live integrations with Samsara for live vehicle tracking and with various pallet networks, to receive jobs automatically via API. As more hauliers start using Qargo too, it’s becoming even easier to connect and collaborate – with fewer systems, less admin, and no need for endless email chains.
The results
✅ 50% reduction in planning time
✅ 25% reduction in customer service time spent answering routine queries
✅ More warehouse prep time = smoother handovers
✅ Increased visibility for customers = better service
✅ Less manual job creation and pricing
Why it matters
For Hemisphere, the benefits go well beyond saving time. It’s about becoming more proactive, more transparent, and more sustainable.
They’re already ahead of their 2035 net-zero targets and working with Carbon Neutral Britain to reduce their environmental impact. Qargo supports that mission through features like mileage and CO₂ calculations, which align with their accreditations and help drive smarter, more efficient planning.
But for the team on the ground, the biggest difference has been how Qargo has helped them move from reactive to proactive, giving customers the visibility they need without chasing, and freeing up the team to focus on great customer service.
Final thoughts
Next on their radar:
- Exploring further API integrations
- Making even more use of Qargo’s Intelligence features
“We’ve only scratched the surface. There’s loads more we can do and we’re excited to keep building.”