Dynamic Patterns in MasterMind: A Smarter Way to Plan Intermodal Moves
New in MasterMind, Dynamic Patterns helps operations teams evaluate and apply routing options faster for intermodal planning.
Intermodal planning often breaks down at the point where an order has to be turned into an executable plan. A team may know the freight needs to move, but getting from order to route (or leg) structure can require repeated manual work: adding stops, selecting modes, matching carriers, checking cost quotes, reviewing intermodal service profiles, and determining whether a direct, 3-route, or Rule 11 configuration makes the most sense.
That process is time-consuming, inconsistent, and heavily dependent on planner experience and training.
That is the problem Dynamic Patterns are designed to solve.
Available now in MasterMind, Dynamic Patterns enhances route planning by helping users move from manually building routes to selecting from system-generated routing recommendations. This feature is being used largely for intermodal moves today, where complexity is highest, but the underlying approach can extend beyond intermodal over time.
The problem with traditional route planning
In many organizations, route planning still depends on spreadsheets, tribal knowledge, repetitive manual steps, and users hopping into different systems. Senior planners may know which dray carrier, rail combination, or schedule typically works on a given lane, but that knowledge is not always taught creating the need for in-system solutions. When no established routing options exist, teams often recreate nearly the same multi-route load structure manually each time.
That introduces the opportunity for operational errors. Planners may default to the routing options they know rather than evaluating the best current option. Carrier cost controls may be applied inconsistently. Teams spend hours rekeying routes and stops across similar loads. Service issues also become more likely when pickup eligibility, lead times, and transit expectations are not applied consistently during planning.
As ramp to ramp, Rule 11, and other multi-leg movements become more common, this kind of manual planning becomes harder to sustain. Margin pressure, network complexity, and turnover in operations all make it more important to rely on repeatable system-driven decision support rather than planner memory alone.
What Dynamic Patterns do
Dynamic Patterns extends MasterMind’s existing Patterns capability from reusable templates to data-driven route recommendations. For qualifying loads, the system evaluates eligible recorded carrier cost and carrier intermodal service profiles, then generates viable routing options in real time. These can include direct 1-route moves, standard 3-route intermodal moves, and Rule 11 5-route structures. The options are returned with cost ranking and transit context so the planner can compare solutions and services instead of building each one manually.
Users can apply a recommendation directly, edit a dynamic pattern to mix and match carriers route by route, and save the applied configuration. That changes the planner’s role from manually constructing every scenario to selecting and refining the best option for the load at hand.
Why this matters for intermodal operations
MasterMind is already built to manage intermodal moves, including intermodal-specific stop events, document workflows, rail integrations, equipment visibility, and multi-leg load planning through Patterns. Dynamic Patterns builds on that foundation by making it easier to evaluate how a shipment should move before execution begins.
That matters because intermodal planning is rarely a single-path exercise. A load may be serviceable in more than one way, but if comparing those options requires too much time, many teams will not evaluate them thoroughly. Dynamic Patterns brings cost and service profiles into a guided workflow so planners can see viable options in context rather than searching across disconnected tools or relying on memory.
The result is a more consistent way to plan across carriers, routes, and partner ecosystems without relying on separate spreadsheets or manual workaround processes. By bringing visibility to viable service options and cost scenarios—and automating the build once a decision is made—teams can achieve better margin control while reducing manual work that can take up to 20 minutes to complete – all in one single, reportable load.
A more modern route planning workflow
One of the more practical advantages of Dynamic Patterns is that recommendations are based on current information. The system captures live system data, which helps prevent stale recommendations and gives users a better view of current routing possibilities. MasterMind also presents dynamic and static patterns side by side, allowing planners to compare repeatable known workflows with newly generated options.
The workflow also introduces a cart-based approach to multi-route load building, allowing users to select eligible carriers route by route and then apply the full Pattern. That provides more control than a rigid template-only model while still reducing the manual effort required to build complex load structures.
This is an important step in route planning modernization. Instead of asking planners to recreate the structure of the move each time, the system helps surface the routing choices that make sense based on lane, mode, carrier, cost, and service logic already available in MasterMind.
Expected operational impact
The expected operational impact is clear: time savings, improved planner productivity, and better cost control through more optimized carrier and route selection.
This aligns with the value our Patterns functionality already delivers more broadly in MasterMind. Existing Pattern functionality automates many of the repetitive route and stop updates required to turn incoming orders into executable multi-route loads, reducing manual effort and improving consistency. Customers using Patterns for automated load building have reported an average of 15 hours saved per week.
Dynamic Patterns takes that concept further by applying algorithmic route-building where equivalent scenarios would previously have been fully user-driven. That gives teams a better way to control estimated carrier costs, improve planning consistency, and reduce dependence on a small number of highly experienced users.
Built for intermodal now, with room to expand
Today, Dynamic Patterns is focused on routing recommendations for intermodal loads. That is where the immediate operational value is most visible. Dynamic Patterns will soon support routing recommendations for any load as more usage data and operational feedback are gathered over time.
That makes Dynamic Patterns more than a point feature. It is a practical example of how route planning can move from manual setup toward more automated and data-informed decision support. As networks become more complex, the goal is not simply to help teams work faster. It is to help them make better routing decisions with less manual effort and more consistency.
Moving from route building to route selection
For operations leaders, that is the real shift. Legacy workflows often require planners to build the move first and evaluate the strategy second. Dynamic Patterns reverses that process. It gives the user viable routing structures first, then allows them to select, refine, and apply the best option.
For intermodal teams, that means less time spent recreating known work, better visibility into routing choices, and a more scalable planning model. For MasterMind users more broadly, it points to a more modern way of handling route planning across increasingly complex transportation networks.
Want to see Dynamic Patterns in action?
Book a demo to see how MasterMind is helping teams modernize intermodal route planning.
