If logistics functioned the way you would want it to, your company would fulfil all client orders and score 100% on the customer ratings every time. There wouldn’t be any wastage of resources and fleet capacity utilisation will be to the fullest. Loss of goods or damage in transit won’t even be a realistic scenario. However, the real world of transport management is not utopia.
But then there is an alternative which is getting as close to perfection as possible, thanks to technology. It is known as Transport Management System.
What is a Transport Management System (TMS)?
As the name suggests, Transportation Management System (TMS) is a software platform that brings together various algorithms and technology systems to synchronise a company’s order management system, warehouse management software, shipment tracking and freight capacity fulfilment. It ensures timely deliveries for all stakeholders such as manufacturers, ports, distributors, wholesalers, stockists, retailers and end-consumers.
There are five major benefits that an advanced TMS can bring to your business:
Warehouse Management and Optimisation
There is always a root cause to every company’s logistics problems and more often than not, most of the problems have that root in the warehouse or the starting hub. That’s where the fleet capacity management and optimisation are the priorities. A good fleet management software can transform your capacity management by turning less than truck loads (LTL) into Full Truck Loads (FTL). Such optimisation leads to superior cost-saving and resource utilisation.
Delivery Routing Software
By using Delivery Routing Software, you can ensure that your FTLs are directed through most efficient routes.
There are two ways to do it:
- Route Planning: The hub manager uses a machine learning system based on predictive analysis to create the most optimised route which can help your vehicles avoid traffic congestions and other potential delay causing factors such as landslide-prone areas, etc.
- Dynamic Route Management and Alerts: The system issues immediate route deviation alerts when the vehicles get stuck for longer than anticipated, or the hub manager notices violations of service level agreements.
Line haul Express Tracking
Through Live line haul express tracking, you can have real-time information of the precise location of all your vehicles and the movement statistics. Whenever the vehicle moves through any checkpoint set by the hub manager, the manager receives an alert. Thus, precise geo-coded tracking data can help the manager monitor not only the route deviations but the temperature and sensitivity of the goods.
With precise line haul express tracking, the hub managers can efficiently plan the arrival schedules and management of the shipments and their teams.
Delivery Management Software
An advanced TMS which has efficient delivery management software can improve productivity across fleets and ensure smoother movement of the goods.
Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics
One of the key attributes of any TMS is the Logistics capacity and resource planning, which is integral to budget planning for transport management.
It can empower you to track and analyse all distribution activities to identify the exact extent of total vehicle capacity required and when. There is also the ease of analysing the compliance of various service level agreements by third-party logistics partners and vendors to improve service quality.
Thus, an advanced Transport Management System can help in transforming the business logistics and deliveries and help your company meet the requirements of a post-pandemic world of fleet management.
