BEST TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN 2023

Transportation is one of the primary supply chain processes, along with manufacturing and warehousing. It entails a slew of activities, from delivery planning to carrier management and shipment tracking, all of which must be handled correctly.

Small businesses with limited shipments can manage these operations using spreadsheets and phone calls. However, as your business grows, it becomes clear that Excel is no longer adequate and that you require something more robust to control your transportation processes. This is where specialized technology comes in.

Transportation management systems (TMS) help businesses plan, execute, and optimize the physical movement of goods, both incoming and outgoing while ensuring compliance and proper documentation. This type of system is often integrated into a more extensive supply chain administration (SCM) system.

To help you narrow down the wide range of options in the market, we will cover the best transportation management systems and all you should know about them.

Transportation Management Systems

A transportation management system (TMS), also known as a transportation management solution or transportation management software, provides information and documentation on trade compliance and transparency in day-to-day transportation operations and ensures the timely delivery of freight and goods. Transportation management systems also help businesses manage and optimize their transportation operations, whether by land, air, or sea, by streamlining the shipping process.

This, in turn, leads to more sales, aiding businesses in growing. With such a dynamic global trade environment in which we live and transact, it is critical to have a system that will allow you to navigate complicated processes involving trade policies and compliance successfully.

Best Transportation Management Systems

Finding the best transportation management systems is more complicated than it seems, particularly given how diverse each company’s needs can be. With this in mind, the editors of Solutions Review have compiled the following list of leading providers to assist businesses in finding the solution that meets their needs.

Here are some of the best transport management systems:

Alpega

Alpega provides an end-to-end, cloud-based transportation management system streamlines users’ procurement and planning efforts through execution, settlement, and analytics features. Its transportation management system (TMS) solution can be used for single-mode, multimodal, intermodal, multi-leg, and single-leg transportation modes.

Planning optimization, data reporting, load tendering, real-time visibility, freight cost management, automation, mobile solutions, and a vast partner network are all platform features that allow Alpega customers to expand their capabilities even further.

Blue Yonder

Blue Yonder is a global provider of digital supply chain and omnichannel commerce fulfilment services to retail, consumer, automotive, third-party logistics (3PL), and high-tech organizations in retail, consumer, automotive, third-party logistics (3PL), and high-tech. With AI-assisted planning tools, Blue Yonder’s TMS assists transportation planners and executives in improving end-to-end visibility, optimising transportation costs, automating freight consolidations, and streamlining processes.

E2open

E2open is a business-to-business cloud-based and on-demand software provider for the computer, telecommunications, electronics, and other supply chain markets. Its TMS solution offers an intuitive user experience to global and domestic shippers, including automated load consolidation, carrier assignment optimization, mode selection, real-time visibility, reporting, spot quotes, real-time visibility into shipments, and other features to improve collaboration and profitability. You can learn more about relevant and leading platforms using Solutions Review’s Free Supply Chain Planning Buyer’s Guide.

FreightPOP

FreightPOP is a cloud-based enterprise transportation management system (TMS) that manages inbound and outbound freight across LTL, FTL, parcel, ocean, and international air. The system can be configured to seamlessly integrate with a company’s existing technology stack (including ERP, CRM, and WMS solutions) and to ensure efficiency.

Kuebix

Kuebix is a scalable, modular, and user-friendly TMS platform that uses a single code base to support all modes of transportation from a single system. The platform provides reporting, analytics, claims management, real-time tracking, shipment booking, spot quotes, financial management, freight pay, and auditing capabilities and can be quickly implemented, increasing ROI.

Trimble acquired Kuebix in early 2020, allowing it to broaden its global reach, integration capabilities, and carrier network. Kuebix is a complementary solution for newer operations and users who do not require the breadth of features offered by Trimble’s product portfolio. You can learn more about relevant and leading platforms with Solutions Review’s Free Supply Chain Planning Buyer’s Guide.

MercuryGate

MercuryGate’s TMS offers global shippers, brokers, freight forwarders, carriers, and 3PLs a unified software solution to simplify and centralize freight transportation management efforts. The platform can also assist users in gaining greater visibility into their shipments, automating processes, and using data to make better decisions. It can support all modes of transportation, including ocean, rail, air, truckload, last mile, parcel, LTL, and intermodal. A suite of business intelligence, freight settlement, planning, and collaboration tools are also available.

Oracle

Oracle’s Transportation Management Cloud (TMS) is part of the company’s broader supply chain management suite. It combines simple interfaces with capabilities to help businesses streamline logistics operations, optimize service levels, and reduce freight costs. The system includes fleet management, operational planning, machine learning, logistics network modelling, automated billing, a digital assistant, and other transportation management tools to assist users in driving operational excellence. You can learn more about relevant and leading platforms with Solutions Review’s Free Supply Chain Planning Buyer’s Guide.

RateLinx

ShipLinx, Ratelinx’s transportation management system, is an enterprise-level, scalable, multimodal, and modular TMS for multinational corporations. The platform can assist users in lowering costs, increasing visibility across loads, improving the customer experience, and optimizing freight processes. Its collection of Advanced routing, modelling, automation, rating, pooling consolidation, predictive analytics, automatic updates, multimodal execution, and other capabilities are available to assist users in simplifying their logistics processes.

SAP

SAP’s Transportation Management solution can assist businesses in reducing transportation complexity, optimizing logistics processes, and improving overall services by providing users with the integrations, visibility, and control required to manage their networks. SAP’s system is a viable solution for global and domestic companies across industries and transportation modes, with on-premise and cloud-based deployment options, interactive freight tendering tools, a collaborative user portal, and transportation and demand planning functionalities.

Shipwell

Shipwell’s supply chain solution combines transportation management capabilities, end-to-end visibility tools, and an integrated partner network on a single, responsible platform that scales with businesses as they grow. Its cloud-based TMS is simple to set up and configure. It includes data-driven workflow automation, real-time data analysis, predictive pricing insights, integrated carrier capacity, visibility, and analytics tools.

Transplace

Transplace’s tech-enabled solutions platform powers one of the world’s most extensive managed transportation and logistics networks. The SaaS TMS developed by the company is a cloud-based, multitenant platform outfitted with a suite of planning, execution, analytics, and performance management functionalities. It also has an embedded or standalone enterprise-class parcel shipping solution for shippers who want to simplify carrier selection, tracking, label printing, business intelligence reporting and bill recollection.

Trimble

Trimble provides a flexible suite of TMS and fleet management solutions to carriers, shippers, and brokers to help them streamline operations and grow their businesses. Trimble’s single, seamless platform can manage the entire order-to-cash process. Its real-time visibility tools can optimize planning, delivery, dispatching, and invoicing efforts. Trimble’s product suite includes Innovative TMS, TruckMate TMS, Optimization Tools, Mobility Fleet Telematics, and the TMW.

3T Logistics and Technology Group

3T Logistics & Technology Group is a global provider of transportation and supply chain management solutions that help businesses reduce costs, improve service, and gain a competitive advantage. It is one of Europe’s largest 4PL providers. Its cloud-based TMS is designed to serve as a company’s operational “control centre,” where it can manage and deploy all its applications. An enterprise-wide data tool, automation tools, and various integrations are also included.

Transportation Management Systems Market

Transportation management systems assist incumbents in reducing overall costs, improving shipment efficiency, and providing real-time supply chain visibility. Cloud-based solutions, in particular, enable users to manage logistics processes more efficiently, connect and collaborate with trading partners, and reuse and share supply chain data to improve time-to-value. Transportation management systems can also be linked to freight savings due to process optimization, efficient routing, and low-cost transportation modes.

Any inefficiencies in managing goods transportation between the source and destination can significantly increase overall costs while aggravating customers and tarnishing the brand’s reputation. As a result, businesses are aggressively deploying TMS to avoid financial losses and protect brand reputation. TMS can also help to improve operational efficiency.

TMS can also improve operational efficiency and ROI through load and inventory optimization. However, as TMS evolves, ROI is derived from load and inventory optimization and other functions.

One of the most recent trends is the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies, such as blockchain and artificial intelligence, to improve the capabilities of transportation management systems. The increasing preference for cloud-based, anti-theft GPS, and IoT-enabled systems to ensure transparency and security are driving the adoption of advanced transportation management systems. The introduction of AI-enabled self-driving trucks and the continued rollout of 5G networks are expected to revolutionize the transportation industry and create new opportunities for market growth.

Transportation Management Systems Benefits

A TMS may be a system that may improve operations, drive business, and supply better customer service for any logistics company. There are numerous advantages to employing a TMS to assist businesses in moving freight from origin to destination accurately and cost-effectively. Before picking a TMS, consider the system’s value and how it can benefit your business. TMS has the following advantages:

#1. Lower freight costs

One of the foremost advantages of a TMS is the reduction of freight costs. This technique can save cash through analytics and optimization. A transportation management system suggests chopping costs and using data to supply helpful information.

#2. Real-time delivery tracking

A TMS allows you to determine where your drivers and shipments are in real-time. This provides information on how long a route takes, which may be accustomed to creating an efficient route schedule. This also provides information on which drivers and routes are foremost efficient.

#3. Improve customer service

A TMS improves customer service by allowing you to trace the on-time performance and the flexibility to locate shipments and their distance from the destination. The TMS provides an internet portal through which customers can track the situation of their shipments and notify their customers. Customers now have access to shipment and freight information, which improves customer service.

#4. Increase warehouse productivity and efficiency

When a TMS and a WMS are combined, they will create a record of orders and track where they’re within the warehouse, in transit, and once they arrive. Users will be ready to review processes and ensure they’re efficient.

#5. Improve the efficiency of the provision chain

The ability to trace drivers, inventory and other processes will help your company become more productive. This has the potential to boost the provision chain and reduce inefficiencies.

References

Investopedia