How AI and Transparency are Rewiring Global Shipping
by Andrés Guerra-Mondragón González
Two Books in One. One Vision for the Future of Global Freight.
The Freight Intelligence Revolution is the definitive guide to understanding how the world really ships—by sea, by air, and through the data that now powers every move. In this groundbreaking two-part volume, Andrés Guerra-Mondragón reveals how an industry once ruled by carbon paper, typewriters, and manual rate sheets evolved into a digital ecosystem defined by transparency and intelligence.
Part I, The Freight Intelligence Revolution, chronicles the birth of online freight-rate technology and the creation of one of the world’s earliest freight calculators—launched in 2001 and destined to transform the way shippers access global information.
Part II, The Next Frontier, looks ahead to the coming era of predictive ethics, circular supply chains, sustainability mandates, and the unspoken responsibilities behind technology-driven decision-making.
From shipping sea containers to air-forwarding networks, from early logistics disruption to the intelligent supply chain of tomorrow, this dual-volume book offers readers a rare inside view of an industry undergoing monumental change.
Authoritative, visionary, and deeply instructive, this is the essential read for students, shippers, and professionals who want to master the past and future of global logistics.
The Freight Intelligence Revolution is the definitive guide to understanding how the world really ships—by sea, by air, and through the data that now powers every move. In this groundbreaking two-part volume, Andrés Guerra-Mondragón reveals how an industry once ruled by carbon paper, typewriters, and manual rate sheets evolved into a digital ecosystem defined by transparency and intelligence.
Part I, The Freight Intelligence Revolution, chronicles the birth of online freight-rate technology and the creation of one of the world’s earliest freight calculators—launched in 2001 and destined to transform the way shippers access global information.
Part II, The Next Frontier, looks ahead to the coming era of predictive ethics, circular supply chains, sustainability mandates, and the unspoken responsibilities behind technology-driven decision-making.
From shipping sea containers to air-forwarding networks, from early logistics disruption to the intelligent supply chain of tomorrow, this dual-volume book offers readers a rare inside view of an industry undergoing monumental change.
Authoritative, visionary, and deeply instructive, this is the essential read for students, shippers, and professionals who want to master the past and future of global logistics.
The Freight Intelligence Revolution
—with Part II: The Next Frontier**
The Freight Intelligence Revolution is a groundbreaking two-part volume that redefines how students, shippers, and logistics professionals understand global cargo movement. It is two books in one—a complete intellectual roadmap tracing the past, present, and future of worldwide freight.
Part I: The Freight Intelligence Revolution
The first part unveils the hidden machinery of global logistics. It chronicles how an industry that once depended on carbon paper, typewriter force, wooden-roof warehouses, and DC-10s on the tarmac transformed into a digital network of instant transparency.
Andrés Guerra-Mondragón takes the reader inside the creation of one of the world’s first online freight calculators—conceived in 1995, built against the limits of early internet bandwidth, and launched in 2001. The moment that the first booking arrived by fax that Monday morning, the digital future of global freight had begun.
Part I explains how shipping sea containers and air-forwarding transitioned to automated, data-driven systems. It breaks down the intelligence behind freight rates, capacity, ethics, and predictive modeling—giving readers a clear and authoritative understanding of how the industry really works.
Part II: The Next Frontier
The second part elevates the narrative to the next step. The Next Frontier explores the emerging discipline of predictive ethics, the circular supply chain, sustainability mandates, and the human responsibility behind decision-making in a globalized logistics ecosystem.
It reflects on the pivotal moment when transparency became the most valuable commodity in shipping—and how future freight professionals will need to master data, technology, and accountability if they aim to lead.
Part II is both a vision and a warning: the next era of logistics will be shaped not only by technology, but by the integrity of the people who use it.
Together, these two books form one definitive work—a dual-volume masterclass for those who want to understand the global supply chain from the inside out.
It is a book born from lived experience, historical depth, and the pioneering spirit that built Freight-Calculator.com and the Global MAX philosophy of transparency.
For students, for seasoned professionals, for innovators, and for every shipper seeking clarity—this two-in-one volume is your guide to mastering the intelligence of global freight and the future that awaits.
““As the founder of Freight-Calculator.com and a witness to three decades of transformation in global logistics, I wrote The Freight Intelligence Revolution to serve one purpose: to give students and future professionals the clear, practical, and inspiring knowledge I wish I had when I began my career. This is not just a book—it is two complete volumes under one cover, offering a full 360-degree view of how modern logistics evolved and where it is heading. Part I, The Freight Intelligence Revolution, takes readers inside the birth of digital freight technology—how we moved from carbon paper to instant global rate engines, and how online transparency forever changed the way the world ships sea containers and forwards cargo by air. Part II, The Next Frontier, prepares students for the future: predictive ethics, circular supply chains, sustainability frameworks, and the intelligence-driven decision making that will define the next generation of logistics leadership. I designed this book to be classroom-ready. It breaks down complex concepts into accessible insights, connects historical roots to modern practices, and gives schools a resource that builds true professional competency. If your institution teaches supply chain, transportation, global trade, air cargo, maritime logistics, international business, or freight management—this book belongs in your curriculum. My hope is simple: To empower the next generation of logistics professionals with the tools, perspective, and confidence to lead the industry through its most important era yet. ”
Andrés Guerra-Mondragón Founder, Freight-Calculator.com / Global Max Network
The Logistics University of Freight-Calculator.Com was born from more than thirty-five years of front-line experience in global cargo movement, digital freight innovation, and the evolution of an industry that never sleeps. What began in 1991 as a vision for transparency in international shipping has grown into a knowledge center dedicated to preparing the next generation of logistics professionals. This university stands on the foundation of real work—decades of container operations, air-cargo coordination, customs navigation, carrier negotiations, online freight systems, and international trade strategy. Every lesson taught here comes from lived expertise: shipments moved, solutions engineered, crises solved, and technologies built to make logistics more efficient, ethical, and accessible. Students who join us do not just study logistics. They enter the world the way professionals live it. They learn why cut-offs matter, how global carriers set capacity, why drayage and demurrage shape profit, how predictive systems anticipate delays, and how digital tools—like the very freight calculators that changed the industry—transform decision-making in real time. The Logistics University of Freight-Calculator.Com invites students who want to understand more than theory. We invite those who want to lead the future of logistics. Whether your passion is ocean containers, air cargo, supply-chain automation, global trade, or the new frontier of predictive logistics intelligence, this is where your journey begins. Here, curiosity becomes capability, and capability becomes mastery. The world moves on data. Progress moves on transparency. And your career begins with both. Welcome to the university built by the pioneers of digital logistics— and built for the next generation who will redefine it.
Andrés Guerra-Mondragón is a logistics innovator, technologist, and historian whose career spans more than three decades at the forefront of global shipping. As the founder of Freight-Calculator.com, Global MAX Network, and the pioneering suite of online tools that reshaped how shippers access instant international freight rates, he is widely regarded as one of the early architects of digital transparency in logistics. In 1991, armed with a Public Relations degree from the University of Florida and entering an industry still ruled by carbon paper and fax machines, he envisioned a future where every shipper—student, business owner, or global enterprise—could calculate a shipment instantly. By 2001, that vision materialized into one of the world’s first online freight calculators, built long before cloud computing or modern broadband existed. It became the cornerstone of a global ecosystem used by millions seeking clarity in shipping sea containers, air-forwarding, and international logistics planning. Today, Andrés continues advancing real-world logistics education through Global Max Logistics University and Books.by/Freight-Calculator, the publishing arm dedicated to elevating the next generation of freight professionals. His work blends historical insight, practical strategy, and predictive thinking—offering readers a rare, authoritative look into the evolution and future intelligence of worldwide shipping. The Freight Intelligence Revolution is his definitive contribution to the field: a synthesis of lived experience, technological breakthroughs, and the guiding principles that shaped an entire digital transformation in global freight. A graduate of The Logistics University of Freight-Calculator.com is more than a student. They are practitioners shaped by the same principles that have transformed global shipping over the past three decades: precision, clarity, transparency, and the courage to innovate. Raised in an academic environment built from 35+ years of real-world logistics experience, this student has mastered the systems that move the world. They understand the inner workings of ocean freight, air cargo, customs compliance, warehousing, drayage, capacity cycles, and the digital tools that have redefined modern logistics. But more importantly, they understand why logistics matters: because every shipment is a promise, every timeline is a responsibility, and every decision affects the flow of global commerce. This student has learned to think the way industry leaders think— to analyze, predict, optimize, and act. They can read a cut-off window like a professional, calculate the actual cost of international shipping, navigate carrier contracts, mitigate delays, and leverage digital freight intelligence to create solutions in real time. They carry a mindset shaped by decades of operational truth, translated into a learning environment built for the future. A graduate of our university enters the world with: Technical Confidence — fluent in container capacity, air-cargo formulas, LCL strategies, and customs frameworks. Operational Awareness — understanding how decisions ripple across ports, airlines, warehouses, and supply chains. Digital Intelligence — trained in the same logic behind Freight-Calculator's online systems that changed the industry in 1995. Global Ethics — committed to accuracy, transparency, and fair dealing in every aspect of logistics. Leadership Ability — ready to guide teams, manage crises, and improve systems with measurable impact. This biography represents not only who the student is, but who they are becoming: A logistics professional equipped for the future of global trade. They leave The Logistics University of Freight-Calculator.com with the most valuable credential in today's supply-chain world— the capability to create clarity in a complex, interconnected, fast-moving global system. And wherever they go next—port terminals, air cargo hubs, freight-forwarding agencies, customs brokerage firms, or tech-driven logistics startups— They carry the legacy of an industry pioneer and the confidence of someone trained to master the world's movement.