Launch Note
Instafreight Web4: the always-on internet for freight
The old internet moved information. Web4 moves goods. It’s a real-time logistics fabric that lets shippers quote, book, trace, and reroute across every mode—ocean, air, road, rail & courier—at the speed of a click.
TL;DR — Web4 is an edge-accelerated, mode-agnostic network with built-in pricing, compliance, and live re-routing. It cuts lead times, removes dead time, and makes “where’s my cargo?” a non-question.
What exactly is Web4?
Think of Web4 as a mesh between shippers, carriers, terminals, customs and apps—kept coherent by events, not emails. It’s opinionated about interoperability, but neutral about who carries the box. If a faster path opens, Web4 can switch you—safely and compliantly—in real time.
The five pillars
- Omni-Mode Mesh: Ocean, air, road, rail & courier unified under one contract and one API/UI.
- Edge Speed: Quotes, capacity and status served from regional edge nodes for sub-second interactions.
- Trust & Trace: Cryptographically signed milestones and tamper-evident document chain.
- Composable Apps: Book, Claims, Customs, Invoicing—snap-in tools instead of monoliths.
- AI Co-Pilot: Proposes mode mixes, checks docs, flags risk, and simulates ETAs & costs instantly.
Before vs. after
Before
- Quote ping-pong, spreadsheet gymnastics
- Mode silos and dead time between legs
- Tracking via inbox archaeology
- Late surprises, late customers
With Web4
- Live quotes with guaranteed holds
- Auto mode-switch when lanes clog
- Signed milestones & proactive alerts
- Predictable ETAs customers can trust
Real-world plays
Launch day, Berlin → Boston
Web4 suggests air + road with a courier tail for a 48-hour door delivery. Docs validated on upload; duties pre-calculated.
Peak season, Shenzhen → Rotterdam
Ocean booking holds with a rail fallback pre-built. If a berth slips, Web4 triggers land-first rail to hit your promise window.
D2C returns, cross-border
Pre-authorized DDP courier labels with automated refund triggers when scans confirm return intake.
Under the hood
- Pricing Engine: Multi-mode rate graphs with constraints (CO₂, SLAs, cutoffs).
- Compliance Brain: HS hints, doc checklists, embargo & sanctions guardrails baked in.
- Resilience by Design: Idempotent events, at-least-once delivery, global retries.
- Privacy & Security: Least-privilege access, signed milestones, audit trails.
For teams & developers
- UI: Book, escalate, reroute—no training deck required.
- API: REST & events for quotes, bookings, docs, and milestones.
- Plugins: ERP/Shop/WMS adapters so ops stays in one place.
Migration path
- Start with Track and Price on a single lane.
- Enable ModeMatch for land-first and air-save fallbacks.
- Roll out Docs & Duties to eliminate customs friction.
Availability & next steps
Web4 is rolling out region by region. Want early access for a priority lane?
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