Modern supply chain and logistics business are built on transportation management systems (TMS).
TMS is a piece of software that helps you plan, carry out, and get the most out of shipping freight. Its mainly does three things:
- Find shippers and compare their prices.
- Shipments for the least amount of money
- Follow the package
TMS lets you see what’s going on in the supply chain in real-time, make shipping more efficient, and cuts costs. You can greatly improve customer service and make your shipping process much more efficient.
Today, we’ll find out how TMS makes it easier for businesses to ship and run their operations. But first, a few words about why a transportation management system is so important.
Why Does Logistics Need a Transport Management System?
Customers today don’t want to have to wait. You need to make sure that your business fits what your customers want.
There is a lot of demand in the Logistics Management Software and supply chain business. Between 2017 and 2021, parcel deliveries are expected to grow by 17 to 21 percent each year. Because of same-day shipments, logistics costs as a percentage of sales will go up by 50 percent.
On top of that, program like Amazon Prime have raised the bar! How do modern logistics companies make sure they have great customer service and low shipping costs?
You can use a transportation management system to get ahead of the problems, just like most shipping companies do. TMS is best for shippers, carriers, and logistics companies to use, but it is also used by businesses like-
TMS Does Things
1 Freight Management
Freight management is considered one of the most important responsibilities for companies involved in the logistics and supply chain industries. When you have efficient freight management, you have less waste, you spend less money on things that you do not need to, and you are able to run your company more quickly by utilising technologies such as automation.
TMS is able to obtain up-to-date pricing information from multiple carriers in real time, making it simple to evaluate and contrast each option. You are not required to call a variety of different carriers in order to discuss and negotiate pricing. Both operations can be carried out through a single interface. Tens of thousands of carriers can be integrated into a TMS without any problems.
A transport management system can also help automate workflow and cut down on the amount of paperwork that needs to be done. You can also use advanced features like load tendering, order management, and so on.
2 Execution
TMS makes it easy to get things done. You can make reservations in real time and do other important freight management tasks. The software for a transportation management system also lets you see how your goods are moving in real time and lets you track them at any time.
You can even get all the information you need about shipping from one place and share it with customers and clients. You can also talk to drivers and keep track of their time and distance from a distance.
3 Planning
One of the main goals of transportation management software is to make the shipping process as smooth as possible. Your TMS will give you all the data and analytics you need to improve your shipping process and get your goods to customers as quickly and cheaply as possible.
You can also get the most out of your resources by optimizing less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments with your TMS. Your fleet can even save money on fuel and labor by planning trips with more than one stop and avoiding empty miles between delivery points.
Business intelligence applications can be linked to TMS analytics to do more in-depth analysis. You can use the information to dig deeper into your logistics business and find key trends and patterns.
Benefits of TMS
-
lowered freight costs
A transport management system can help you cut down on freight costs in a number of ways. You can shop around for the best prices and save a lot of money. You can cut down on freight costs even more by optimizing routes and spreading out loads. Analytics and real-time, accurate information about your fleet also help you make the best use of your resources.
TMS makes managing freight and the flow of work more efficient, which also saves money. By using TMS and automating processes that require a lot of manual work, you can cut your costs by a lot.
-
Keep track of shipments in real time
With TMS, you can keep track of your fleet in real time. On a GPS-enabled map, you can find out where each driver is and see the routes they took, where they dropped off packages, and other useful information. When you can see everything about your fleet, you can manage it well, which makes your business more productive.
Tracking drivers lets you figure out the best routes and schedules. You can also find drivers who are available and give them jobs. With tracking, you can see how well your driver is doing and give them feedback as needed.
If you’ve never used transportation management software before, think about how you can find out where your Uber or Lyft driver is when you call them. The same ideas are used for TMS tracking.
-
Saves Time
Through its features, TMS can help you save the time of valuable employees. You can get rid of paper and automate things that take a lot of time. Shippers can get the right information at the right time so they can stay up-to-date and let customers know what’s going on.
The software also saves time because it lets you compare rates and shippers from one platform. No longer do you have to scroll through pages and pages of spreadsheets! Customers can also save time by getting all the information they need from self-help portals.
So, if you want to save time and make smart decisions all the time, a TMS can help you get there.
-
New ways to get things to you
If your company uses TMS to improve the way it ships, it can get new delivery options. You can set up new shipping program, like point distribution, to save money and work more efficiently. Creating inbound program between your company’s different locations is another example.
With a TMS, it’s easy to make a master bill of lading. Then, you can use different logins in different places to control everything from one place.
What’s Next for TMS
The future of TMS is big, and the technology is going to get stronger and have more features. At the moment, TMS providers are experimenting with IoT to give full information about fleets, such as driving conditions and parameters like fuel consumption.
AI and machine learning will also be used in TMS to make it better at making predictions. This helps businesses make accurate plans and reduces risks for goods like dairy or meat that are sensitive. TMSs are also being used more and more for customer-focused improvements like chatbots.
Even blockchain has come into the picture to make the supply chain more transparent and accountable. Logistics companies that want to help trade and freight move across borders and territories will need to use TMS.
