Case Study: Splice Exports Helps Xenon Avoid Unnecessary Charges Through Real-Time Booking Change Alerts

Challenges

Xenon Freight Solutions, a leading final-mile provider, relies on timely and accurate booking information to keep its export operations running smoothly. Recently the company faced a situation that could have led to significant avoidable costs – if not for the automated monitoring capabilities of Splice Exports.

The issue centered around a container booking where the original Earliest Receiving Date (ERD) and cutoff had been confirmed, and all dispatch planning was aligned accordingly. Behind the scenes, however, the ocean carrier quietly updated the cutoff without issuing a new notification. 

Solution

Fortunately, Xenon was tracking the booking in Splice Exports, which automatically detected the change. The change was captured by Splice Exports, and Xenon averted a dispatch error, avoided potential fees, and preserved operational efficiency. The system flagged the update, and Xenon's team was notified of the change, prompting them to contact their trucker and halt the planned dispatch before the driver left the yard.

By surfacing the change in near real-time and enabling Xenon to act proactively, Splice Exports helped preserve operational integrity, protect margins, and strengthen relationships with trucking partners. This case reinforces the value of automated date surveillance in an export environment where manual checks and carrier communication are often slow and not always reliable.

Results

Key Benefits Delivered:

• Real-time detection of ERD and cutoff changes

• Prevented unnecessary dispatch and related fees

• Enabled proactive communication with trucking partner

• Strengthened Xenon's operational credibility

Impact

Without this timely alert, the driver would have arrived at the terminal prematurely, likely incurring a rejection at the gate resulting in a dry run fee and storage costs. Alternatively, if the box had been accepted at the terminal, export demurrage would have been the outcome. Such missteps can undermine trust between forwarders and trucking partners, in addition to the financial impact.

“Splice Exports gave us visibility we didn’t have elsewhere,” said Jessie Alesi, Head of Commercial Development at Xenon. “Without it, we would’ve sent that driver out blind and possibly been hit with several avoidable charges.”

Splice Exports continues to support Xenon with a tool that makes export visibility and data-driven decisions both easy and actionable.