Published March 16, 2023

What Is Truck Management Software?

A truck management system (TMS) manages the inbound and outbound logistics of a carrier’s goods and ensures regulatory compliance and accurate record-keeping. The right trucking software can ensure that your freight and goods arrive on time without compromising the safety of your drivers or the legality of your trades. Additionally, truck management systems streamline the delivery process, making it easier for companies to manage and optimize their land, air, and sea transportation operations.

In this article, we’ll answer these key questions:

Who uses truck management software?

Truck management systems are utilized by carriers who:

  • Have multiple trucks
  • Are looking to grow their fleet
  • Are looking to increase fuel efficiency
  • Want to provide the necessary integrations with brokers and shippers
  • Want to automate tasks
  • Want to reduce shipping delays

Is It Easy To/How Do You Get Set Up With a Carrier TMS?

When searching for the optimal TMS for your trucking company, be sure to consider the following features:

Effective optimization engine

Effective truck management systems must be equipped with an efficient optimization engine that can generate optimized route plans in accordance with complex parameters, restricted vehicle capacity, and the applicable cost constraints. Effective optimization engines should be able to perform functions such as strategic freight management, carrier selection, and route and load optimization seamlessly.

Driver behavior analysis

Truck management systems perform tedious administrative tasks and quantitatively analyze driver behavior and performance. This feature of TMS facilitates the establishment of vital KPIs, SLAs, and other metrics pertinent to business operations.

Real-time tracking

Track-and-trace functionality is essential for trucking company software. As the shipment moves through the distribution network, the trucking software must be able to effectively track it through each phase of the transportation process until delivery is complete.

Real-time tracking accuracy is a key feature for any truck management software due to the importance of keeping tabs on delivery vehicles while on the road. Other features that may interest carriers include:

  • Automated alerts for unexpected events on the road
  • Carrier product visibility in real-time
  • Real-time transit updates

Contract management

Good truck management software should enable a carrier company to manage its various agreements and contracts effectively. The most effective truck management software will have built-in support for multiple modes of transportation, be simple to implement, and provide customizable permissions for different users.

Other features that businesses can look for in truck management software include the following:

  • Alerts for expiring agreements
  • Flexible transit lane and time configuration
  • Real-time agreement support

Reports and analysis

The best trucking software will equip logistics firms with an array of informative charts, graphs, and dashboards to help them analyze their operations and make informed decisions. Reporting tools allow employees to quickly and easily distribute important data and analyses to their co-workers. As a result, you’d have a better grasp of the system’s current state and be able to make more informed decisions.

What are the benefits of a TMS?

Trucking software provides various benefits to businesses. Some of these benefits include:

  • Ability to expand operations by satisfying customers’ demands for prompt, on-time deliveries
  • As a result of real-time updates and fewer delays, customer service and satisfaction improve
  • It lets you provide quick price quotes to current and potential clients
  • Better reporting enables quicker response and process enhancement, yielding new business insights
  • Reduced fines and delays through improved adherence to import and export regulations
  • Provides a centralized location for monitoring cargo movement on a global scale
  • Reduced waiting times and quicker turnarounds thanks to fewer manual processes
  • Enhanced safety and visibility during travel
  • Billing and record-keeping can be processed more quickly and accurately through the use of automation
  • Supply chain simplification across locations, transport types, and companies
  • The company and the end customer both save money
  • Allows you to know the whereabouts of your trucks, drivers, and cargo
  • Optimizing fuel consumption by analyzing driver behavior, allowing companies to introduce changes aimed at lowering fuel consumption

How Has TMS Software Evolved?

Customers now expect not just on-time deliveries but two-day and even same-day shipments, and they want real-time updates as their packages move along the delivery process. Carriers are increasingly implementing new technologies, such as truck management systems, to keep up with the ever-evolving global trade regulations.

Increasing the reliability and functionality of truck management systems will allow for quicker responses to customers’ inquiries and more precise data for industry professionals. TMSs can benefit from machine learning because it enables them to make more informed recommendations and accurate forecasts.

To increase transparency and provide better customer service, carriers may opt to integrate their truck management systems with newer technologies.

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