What Is a Transportation Management System? 

A TMS (transport management software) is a logistics software that uses state-of-the-art technology to plan, optimize & execute both incoming & outgoing vehicle movements & making sure its operation is running hassle free.

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Transport management system provides transport managers day to day insights of their transport operations. It also effectively streamlines & optimizes the entire transport management process.

What is Transportation Management And Why Is it important?

A transport management system plays an important role in fleet management, affecting every process from life cycle management to logistics. Before the arrival of transport management system almost all fleet management operations were done on paper. Transport managers have to spend hours cross verifying every detail from vehicle maintenance to vehicle tracking.

With the impact of transport management system every internal & external user associated with the organization were able to access, scale & complete tasks efficiently. The modern TMS allows users a quick start up, greater flexibility & minimal usage costs.

Benefits of using a Transport Management Software

  • Saves time & money without adding labor costs
  • Streamline operations & reduce human errors
  • Creates visibility & create customer satisfaction
  • Accumulates your tracking data in one place so you can further analyze for future purposes
  • Improves your ROI

What Is Transportation Management Software in Logistics

TMS over the last few years have been becoming a common asset to the logistics industry. Based on the efficiency, cost & distance the tracking management system selects the optimum route with the best carrier for the trip.

A state-of-the-art TMS introduces visibility to every stage of the supply chain.

How logistics companies use a TMS

Following are some of the ways how logistics companies use a transport management system

Schedule & Track Drivers: Transport managers can coordinate with the drivers making sure the shipment is moving across the supply chain forthrightly.

Optimize & Plan Routes: With the help of real time tracking transport managers can navigate the drivers to automatically optimize routes with onboard telematics & ensure the most efficient deliveries possible.

Enhance Customer Experience: Customer experience is one of the golden standards in logistics today. With the help of a transport management system, you can keep track of your customer information to analyze & ensure the customer requests are handled accurately.

Lowers Shipping Costs: With a TMS you can keep track of number of metrices on a manageable level. Especially shipping cost like gas prices, tire wear & tear cost and other expenses. TMS can automatically calculate & provide daily, monthly & annual forecasts.

Track Inventory: In every logistic operation inventory management is a hectic task. Especially when products are out of stock & customers take their business elsewhere. In such times a transport management system can serve as a dependable link between the two.

How Can I Choose the Right Transport Management Software?

The primary goal of a TMS is to coordinate & optimize the entire process of planning & delivery goods/personnel from one place to another efficiently & effectively. So, while choosing a Transport management system you should look for one that has AI features & cloud-based functions.

Read Also: “Why do Employees Prefer Automated Transportation?”

A TMS serves as a center of management for transport managers, it also reserves the ability to identify the most effective transport policies based on the most profitable parameters.

The Following Are Some Of The Most Wanted Features In A Transport Management Software

  • Route Optimization: Identifies the most efficient route and maps to save time and fuel
  • Automated Carrier Selection: This feature ensures the most feasible carrier options for each & every delivery & improves the procurement process.
  • Shipment Consolidation: This feature allows you to trim down the cost & secure them as effective sets & maximize the load consolidation
  • Integrated Warehouse Management System: This feature allows you to get real time information on the warehouse based on shipment dispatching
  • Multi-Modal Transportation Facility: This feature guides your freight using modes other than roads
  • Analytics & Business Intelligence: This feature helps transport managers to utilize the warehouse data more proficiently & functionally.
  • Product Visibility: Transport managers can get complete visibility over the shipment & products
  • Parcel Shipping Support: Customer support is crucial element in logistics, so transport managers can effectively handle the parcel routing &rating through this platform
  • Track & Trace: With this feature managers can get the real time information of between carrier, distributor & customer
  • Risk Management: This feature allows the automation of reports & audits by maintaining them through other regulatory programs.

What Is the Best Mobile Solution for Transport & Logistics?

Employee Transport Management

ETM is one of the most trusted names in employee transportation providing state of the art TMS solutions. With the arrival of ETM the problems faced by transport providers while commuting employees around the world was reduced in a large scale.

Fleet Management System

With an array of tracking solutions fleet management system aims to satisfy the needs of Schools/Universities, Tour Operators, Corporate transportation, car rental services, on demand vehicle tracking and waste management services. Fleet management system has over 5000+ clients across 30+ countries.

Vehicle Tracking Qatar

Vehicle Tracking Qatar offers customizable GPS vehicle tracking solutions for fleet owners who wishes to manage the day-to-day operations without any hassle. Aimed to deliver custom edge tracking technology across the globe vehicle tracking Qatar simplifies the management of your entire fleet reducing risks while saving resources.

Trimble

Trimble is a full-scale transport management tool delivering end to end transport management tracking from order to delivery. They also have TMW suite which is a top end management tool specifically for fleet management.

Mcleod

One among the leading providers of transport management system and trucking software, Mcloed provides business process automation, document imaging & fleet management.

Tailwind

Tailwind is an all-in-one Transport management system specializing in delivering smooth running of transport operation from administrative operations, accounting & dispatching to customer operations.

Final Thoughts

Any organization involved with shipping or logistics has to implement a transport management software. If you are looking for a futuristic state of the art transport management software then look more

Contact employee transport for best in market Transport management software.

Employee Transportation Software Facts to Check Before You Choose

Employee transportation software is the need of the hour, especially in companies that have multiple shifts. Studies have shown that providing safe and comfortable transportation for employees has greatly helped improve employee morale as well as productivity.

Gone are the days when employers thought that organizing transport for employees as a waste of time and money. Nowadays, companies offer transportation as a part of the employee benefits and not as a perk.

The top benefits of using employee transportation software are:

• The software reduces expenses involved in employee transportation management

• It helps streamline the logistics by creating routes based on employees’ pickup and drop points

• The shift details are automatically updated to create an optimized route

• The senior management get a clear picture of the transportation system and expenses involved in employee transportation

We can see that there are many benefits both in terms of performance and finance. However, to make the most of the technology, you need to use the right employee transportation software.

If the application doesn’t cater to your specific requirements and preferences, then it may not be worth the time and effort. That’s why it is essential to get an employee transportation software that is custom-designed to your company’s needs and requirements.

In this blog, we will elaborate on the essential facts that you need to check before you get employee transportation software.

Facts to Check Before Choosing an Employee Transportation System

There are many transport management systems available in the market. You should choose a system that meets the specific requirements of your company. So, you need to explore the features of the system and check the facts to see if they meet your firm’s needs and preferences.

Setup and integration

The first fact that you need to check when you get a transport management system is setup and integration. The system should be able to integrate into your existing system. Plus, you should be able to easily upload employee data in an excel format to the software program.

Even a non-technical person should be able to use the app to update details such as shifts, pickup, and drop points. The software should also have an option for employees to register using their employee ID.

The questions that will help you verify the facts about the software setup are:

• What is the process for setup and integration?

• Will you provide professional assistance for the setup?

• Do I need to invest in external software or application to use this employee transport management system?

• How much time will it take to setup the transport management software?

• Will I need a dedicated resource to manage the software or can a person from my existing team handle it?

Scheduling

An effective transportation management software should have a good scheduling system. The scheduling system should come with predetermined filters as well as a feature to add your options. The software should be able to create a schedule based on the number of vehicles, routes, employees, and shift details.

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It should also offer multishift management. Once the schedule is prepared, the complete trip manifest should be shared with all the team. The manifest should have details such as vehicle and driver details.

The questions that will help you verify the facts regarding scheduling are:

• Does the software automatically create the schedules or will it need manual intervention?

• When will the schedule be prepared and shared?

• I want to make changes in the schedule after the manifest is prepared. Is it possible?

• What kind of data should I provide for the scheduling?

Route optimization

With effective route optimization, you will be able to reduce dry runs and save on fuel expenses. That’s why it is very important to create routes that will reduce back and forth driving or overlapping routes. Factors such as roadblocks, traffic, and drive time need to be considered while preparing the best route.

The questions that will help you verify the facts regarding route optimization are:

• Which factors does the software consider while designing a route?

• There are some traffic problems on a regular route. How will the software update the info and make the changes?

• If there are last-minute changes in the route, will everyone be informed?

Real-time tracking

Real-time tracking is important both for monitoring and safety. If you have odd-hour shifts or night shifts in your company, then it becomes even more essential to have real-time tracking. This feature also helps save your employee’s time.

Based on the GPS location, employees will know the right time to come and wait at the pickup spot. Also, they can have a clear idea of when they will reach their drop point.

The questions that will help you verify the facts about real-time tracking are:

1. Will I need any special system for real-time tracking?
2. Who will be able to access real-time updates?
3. Will the data tell me where exactly the vehicle is at any point in time?

Reports

The software should give you daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly reports. Preferably, the reports should not only have consolidated data but also visualizations for easy understanding. The reports should both be user-based and organizational. A few of the must-have reports are

• Tracking reports
• Trip reports
• Pickup and drop reports
• Maintenance reports
• Historical movement reports
• Employee attendance reports
• Driver availability calendar
• Driver behaviour reports
• Live trip statistics

The questions that will help you verify the facts about Reports are:

• Can I get customized reports?
• In what format are the reports generated?
• Can I download or share the reports?
• Who will be able to access the reports?
• Can I decide the period of generating reports?
• Will the reports have only data or graphs also?

Billing support

The software should provide billing support in addition to operational support. The software keeps track of the number of kilometers traveled by each vehicle in the fleet. This data can be used to calculate the fuel costs.

The software should also have a track of the spare parts and accessories purchased, repairs, and regular maintenance. If you’re leasing or renting the vehicles, then the rent details should also be monitored.

Whether you’re managing employee transportation in-house or have outsourced it to a vendor, the software should help you monitor and manage all the finances.

The questions that will help you check the facts about billing support are:

• What kind of billing data does the software track?

• In what format are the maintenance reports generated?

• How are the services and spare parts tracked?

• Who needs to update the maintenance and service details? And, will there be an option to cross verify the information?

App

The front end of the software application should be simple and user friendly. The dashboard should give you clear, yet detailed stats of all the vehicles in the fleet. The app should also have different interfaces for driver, employee, and management.

The high-performance app should be able to send notifications regarding route, pickup, and drop to all the relevant parties. At the same time, the app should have access control. For example, the driver should not be able to view the details of the employees.

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Also, in the management, only relevant persons should be able to access and monitor the master dashboard.

The questions that will help you check the facts of the app are:

• Is the app user-friendly?

• Are there separate interfaces for drivers, employees, and management?

• Will the app send notifications about pickup and drop points to the employees?

• Will the app send updated route details to the driver and the employee?

• What are the security features in the app?

Mobility

Mobility has become a necessity these days. You should be able to access the software application on a smartphone. If that’s difficult, at least the mobile website should be accessible. It will be even better if the mobile app can perform even at low internet bandwidths.

This feature is important because many of the users may not have high-speed internet connectivity. Also, there could be blind spots along the route where network connectivity may be less.

The questions that will help you check the facts about mobility are:

• Is the app Android and iOS compatible?
• Can the app run on any system or is it OS-specific?
• Do you have both a mobile app and a website?

Pricing Packages

The features and functions of the app will give you an idea of its performance. But, then the deciding factor in choosing an application is the pricing. The cost of the employee management software should be within the company’s budget. At the same time, it should give you full value for your money.

Transportation management systems generally have two pricing models – subscription and perpetual. In the subscription model, you will receive a monthly/annual bill. The rates typically depend on the number of vehicles and the size of the organization.

So, the rates will go up or down when the counts change. In the perpetual model, you will get the software with the license. You can choose the product based on the size of the company and the fleet. However, there could be hidden fees such as upgrades, maintenance, and support.

The questions that will help you check the facts of the pricing are:

1. What are the pricing packages that you have?
2. On average, what is the support and maintenance fee?
3. Will there be any changes in the fee after a year of use?
4. Is the pricing based on the features that I use?
5. Will I need to spend extra for the setup and integration?

Conclusion

Create a checklist of your needs and requirements before you explore the various software solutions for employee transport management. You can also use the information shared above as well as the questions to check the various facts. Based on the responses, you can decide whether or not the software will be suitable for your company.

To know more about our employee transportation software, its facts, and features, call us at +91 81 1386 0000.