The Best Transportation Management Systems
Streamline your logistics supply chain with transportation management systems for truckers, freight brokers, and carriers. We reviewed the top platforms for essential features such as real-time tracking, route optimization, and seamless carrier management.
- Powered by the Network TMS
- Track and trace shipments
- Monitors ETA of in-transit orders live
- Cloud-based TMS
- Used by freight brokers, 3PLS, and intermodal users
- Minimizes manual track and trace operations
- Designed for the transportation industry
- Fully integrated management systems
- 24/7 real-time satellite tracking
Transportation management systems (TMS) help plan and optimize the physical movement of goods across the land, sea, and sky. Using our advanced review methodology, our team has carefully evaluated TMS software to find the best options for brokers, carriers, and freight forwarders.
- Rose Rocket TMS: Best Overall
- Descartes Aljex: Most User-Centric Design
- Axon: Best for Trucking
- Blue Yonder: Strong Supply Chain Planning
- ezLoads TMS: Great Mobile App
- MercuryGate TMS: Open Standard Architecture
- TruckMaster Envision: Strong Accounting Features
- 3G-TM: Best for Mid-to-large Shippers
- PCS TMS: Best AI Integration
Rose Rocket TMS - Best Overall
Rose Rocket TMS is our top overall pick because it lets you report on important business metrics like on-time percentage, total spend, and IFTA. There are different features depending on if you are a carrier, broker, or freight broker.
This TMS includes popular functionality such as real-time reporting and IFTA. Additionally, there are customer and partner portals for easy access, along with a driver mobile app for updates on the road. Handle finances with consolidated invoicing and sales commission tools. Or just keep tabs on drivers with a calendar feature.
Descartes Aljex - Most User-Centric Design
Descartes Aljex features a user-centric design and cloud-based nature that make it easier to learn for new users. The dashboard-driven TMS is popular with freight brokers, 3PLs, shippers, and intermodal users operating across the North American logistics supply chain. Descartes Aljex offers accounting, customer and carrier management, operations, utilities, and administration features.
Axon - Best for Trucking
Axon’s accounting module is specifically designed for the trucking industry and helps increase cash flow. The accounts receivable tool automatically updates invoicing and driver pay when trips and orders are entered. This allows you to receive payment as soon as possible after a trip is completed.
The accounts payable section automatically matches fuel and expenses to the carrier, maintaining accurate expense records. You can generate reports with drill-down capabilities into key metrics such as cost-per-mile and miles-per-gallon to identify inefficiencies. It even includes payables EDI order tenders, streamlining payment communications between carriers.
Additionally, Axon’s accounting module offers real-time financial analysis. You can easily analyze reports like profit/loss statements, cash flow, and balance sheet statements. The system also offers unlimited custom reporting so you can analyze metrics specific to your company. These can include load profitability analysis, IFTA, or maintenance expenses by vehicle or fleet, giving you full control over your trucking finances.
Blue Yonder - Strong Supply Chain Planning
Blue Yonder, previously known as JDA Demand Planning, is a supply chain planning software with an emphasis on transportation, warehouse, labor, and distribution networks. Predictive scenario planning grants your company complete visibility into automation and control practices.
Planning, Logistics, and Commerce come together with Blue Yonder Luminate. Each helps you better manage your supply chain operations with features like demand planning, transportation management, and merchandise operations.
ezLoads TMS - Great Mobile App
We picked ezLoads TMS for its driver app integration. The mobile app connects drivers to the TMS, allowing them to update load statuses and submit scanned Proof of Delivery (POD) or other receipts directly into the ezLoads TMS. It’s an all-in-one trucking solution that handles all the DOT safety compliance requirements and documents for drivers and equipment. This software keeps track of all expiration dates so you can remain compliant with all regulations.
With ezLoads it takes seconds to prepare driver settlements. DS is emailed to a driver right from the system. Invoicing is done in just one click. Invoices can be sent directly to customers from ezLoads’ system. IFTA is done in one click. Since all miles and gallons are already in the system, ezLoads gives an IFTA report in just one click.
MercuryGate TMS - Open Standard Architecture
Built on open-standard architecture, MercuryGate enables adaptors to all major ERP and warehouse management systems. Users can customize the software to their specific needs without specialized integrations. They can also readily scale the software to meet changing demands.
MercuryGate TMS combines power and accessibility to create a feature-rich yet easy to use transportation management system. The platform fully automates the transportation lifecycle, and is used by top tier third-party logistics providers (3PLs), shippers, brokers, carriers, and freight forwarders.
TruckMaster Envision - Strong Accounting Features
We picked TruckMaster EnVision for its fully-integrated accounting system. The software offers support for custom ledger and multiple bank accounts. It also delivers standard and industry-specific reports for precise financial analysis. Any information users enter into the Dispatching module flows effortlessly through billing, driver settlements, payroll, and accounting. Last, the ability to generate tax forms and control changes to closed periods adds another layer of functionality.
3G-TM - Best for Mid-to-large Shippers
3G-TM is our top pick for mid-to-large shippers with large volumes of over-the-road freight. The platform helps manage the complete transportation lifecycle, including rating, routing, tendering, track-and-trace orders, and managing settlement.
3G-TM offers features for handling the pricing of profiles and responding to requests for proposals (RFPs) efficiently. It includes batch rating and analysis capabilities. Specifically, in the context of less-than-truckload (LTL) rating, it has a batch rater that can evaluate carrier and non-carrier tariffs and rate applications to generate spreadsheets and pricing information.
PCS TMS - Best AI Integration
We picked PCS TMS because it’s an AI-powered transportation and logistics software. The platform leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence to automate shipping operations, from route optimization to logistics management. PCS TMS automates logistics planning, execution, and settlement. It also provides a variety of reports, including predictive analytics, compliance, financial, operational, ad hoc, and performance.
What Is Transportation Management Software?
Transportation management software (TMS) plans, executes, and optimizes the physical movement of goods. Interchangeably referred to as “trucking software” in some sectors, TMS is a subset of supply chain management systems and is either used as its own system or as part of a larger ERP software package. Unlike standardized packages, TMS addresses the specific needs of the transportation industry with customized functionality to help companies operate across the land, sea, and sky.
Key Features
Broadly speaking, TMS software offers several functions to help distributors and transportation companies coordinate, calculate, and maintain shipments, shippers, and vehicles. Some of the most common TMS functionalities include the following:
| Feature | Functionality |
|---|---|
| Accounting | Take care of all your specific accounting needs, including invoice reconciliation and matching, pricing, freight billing and auditing, carrier rates, and other general accounting tasks to establish and ensure proper and correct payments. |
| Order management | Streamline order processing by fulfilling orders across multiple channels and ensuring timely delivery. |
| Invoicing and pricing | Shippers can fully calculate the costs of delivery through TMS based on many different factors, including the distance, cargo weight, and mode of shipment. TMS offers in-depth reporting and analysis to help shippers determine the best and most cost-effective methods of shipment. |
| Route optimization | Part of transportation execution, find fuel and time-efficient routes for your shippers by analyzing maps, traffic information, speed limits, modal limits, and the cost of fuel. |
| Load management | Determine the best carrier for each delivery and help consolidate shipments into the most efficient loads possible. |
| Fleet management | Maintain a complete fleet of vehicles, with functionality including procurement, payment, disposal, costing, and valuation, along with advanced functionality like driver and service record management, mapping and route optimization, and location history. |
| Maintenance management | Oversee a fleet’s maintenance workflow, implement a preventative maintenance plan, review tire conditions, order spare parts, and stay on top of a repair schedule. |
| Compliance management | Use recording and reporting modules to stay compliant with the latest DOT regulations. |
Primary Benefits
Organizations that deal with logistics know shipping a package isn’t as simple as placing a box on a truck and sending it off to a destination. Across the supply chain, moving goods throughout the globe is a serious business that requires detailed monitoring, reporting, and insights throughout the entire process. For logistics companies, having the right software to manage shipping and transportation is crucial to making sure items get where they need to go as efficiently as possible.
Fortunately for freight brokers, carriers, and trucking companies, transportation management software provides multiple benefits by:
- Updating fuel costs: The freight audit and payment component of the TMS can keep track of fuel prices between your contracted agreement and current fuel indices, ensuring you don’t overpay for such a volatile resource.
- Meeting regulatory compliance: Transportation is one of the world’s most heavily regulated industries. TMS can ensure your organization is compliant by accurately recording regulated tasks like driver hours worked, fuel tax payments and surcharges, vehicle maintenance schedules, and other common restrictions.
- Lowering costs: It may seem counterintuitive, but investing in better TMS can help logistics companies save money in the long run through better resource management.
- Automating data entry: Rather than relying on users’ recording information by hand, leading to human error, TMS can enable automatic logging and tracking to reduce the potential for user error.
- Optimizing routes: Route optimization leads to reduced fuel costs, faster deliveries, and better turnaround times on orders.
- Automating fleet and maintenance management: Use preemptive measures to lower overall downtime from maintenance and unexpected repair costs.
- Providing real-time, remote access: Gain access to your transportation tools from anywhere in the world with cloud-based TMS software. Mobile apps make it possible to track drivers and shipments on-the-go.
- Organizing document management: Cut down on physical paperwork (i.e. scheduling spreadsheets) and digitize your records.
Depending on your exact business, there may be many more benefits from implementing an all-in-one transportation management solution.
Pricing Guide
Transportation management software pricing varies based on how many total users you have and the exact functionality you need. Cloud-based SaaS plans range from $30 to $200 per month. Some plans additionally charge per user. One-time purchases of perpetual licenses range from $650 to $20,000.
If you’re on a budget or just starting out, there are options to meet your budget. There are some free-forever TMS solutions available, though many TMS vendors offer free trials and demos. Both perpetual licenses and SaaS subscriptions may charge extra for continued maintenance, user training, and add-on functionality.
Market Trends
Some of the latest trends to consider when looking to buy transportation management software include:
- Standalone TMS vs. enterprise resource planning software functionality: Your organization may be looking at a standalone TMS, but there are a number of ERP software packages that include similar functionality. The right choice for your business will depend on the scale of your transportation operations.
- Cloud vs. on-premise: Cloud technology enables logistics companies to access their data anywhere. The modern TMS is cloud-ready, making your trucking software more capable and smarter than ever before.
- The emergence of driverless technology: Self-driving trucks are already on the horizon. These will require new and complex software solutions to oversee a fleet of virtual drivers. Switching to a modern TMS can future-proof your system as technology continues to evolve.
QuickBooks Upgrade Options
As one of the leading accounting software solutions, Quickbooks is the choice for many different industries, including transportation. Most trucking or TMS systems offer full Quickbooks integration, with Quickbooks acting as the core accounting program and TMS features handled through add-ons or integrations. A Quickbooks TMS integration is a great option for organizations seeking to stick with Quickbooks while enhancing their TMS capabilities.
