Warehousing
3PL and contract logistics: records AI developers may want to license
3PL and contract logistics businesses run warehousing, transport and related operations for clients, usually under a master services agreement with statements of work, rate cards and service levels. Client data and the 3PL's own data often sit in the same WMS database, organized by customer code. Some AI developers pay for company records that show how real work gets done, step by step.
Records a 3PL may hold
Usually yours to decide on
These can still contain other parties' details: see Held for others.
- ProceduresYour SOPs and how work is set up.
- Exception handlingHow your team resolved damaged inbound, ASN mismatches, missed pickups and billing disputes.
Held for others
These may need the other party's consent, or may have to come out before anything is shared.
- Client inventory, orders and consigneesCustomer data is generally treated as the customer's.
What a 3PL should check before saying yes
What your contracts say
Where the IWLA standard terms apply, both sides must keep each other's information confidential, with exceptions only for legal requirements, financing, substitute providers and auditors. Your WMS license may also restrict exports.
Each client's data
Ask how each client's data will be kept separate, and whether you need that client's consent or need its information removed.
How personal details come out
Ask the firm how names and contact details are removed before anything is shared. De-identification explained sets out what to ask.
The terms of any offer
Read what you would be agreeing to, and get your own legal advice before you sign. Once data is used to train a model, it can't practically be pulled back out.
How it works
Fill in a short form and we reply by email within two business days. If it looks like a fit, we introduce you to a firm that represents owners in these deals and email you its name. The firm pays us a referral fee if you sign. See all three steps.
Reported deals in logistics
Third-party logistics
Reported US$500K
Dispatch, customer messages, SOPs and operating conversations.
Reported by a data licensing firm that pays us referral fees, October 2026. Its figures have not been independently verified. These are other companies' deals, not ours, and they don't predict what your company would be offered.
Check if your data qualifies
One short form. If it looks like a fit, we introduce you to a firm that represents owners in these deals. No cost, and nothing is shared without your OK.
Check if my data qualifies →Questions owners ask
Can we include our clients' order data?
Usually only with their consent, or with their information removed. Customer data is generally treated as the customer's.
Do I need to sort out my records first?
No. Start by filling in our short form with your team size and years in business. Rough numbers are fine. If you are about to cancel or switch software, export your records first: see Before you cancel or switch logistics software.
Do I have to pay anything?
No. If you sign with the firm we introduce you to, it pays us a referral fee out of its own share, so it doesn't reduce what your company is paid. You never pay Insightlanes.com anything.
Sources
- IWLA 2026 standard terms: confidentiality and its exceptions