The transportation management system (TMS) market has expanded exponentially over the last years, and it won’t slow down anytime soon. Small- and medium-sized businesses are catching onto the advantages that TMS products have offered large companies for a long time.
Safety, efficiency, forecasting and planning can each be improved with the implementation of a TMS. But with so many choices available, how can businesses know which product is best in 2024?
After extensive research, FreightWaves Ratings has identified the top TMS solutions across several categories. Even if none are a perfect fit, they can give you an idea of best-in-class features for comparison’s sake.
And when you’re finished reading, check out the other articles in our ‘Choosing a TMS’ series:
- How logistics management software can help grow your business
- Questions to ask TMS trucking software providers before buying
- Top TMS solutions for 2024
Quicklook: Best TMS solutions for 2024
- Best for small- to mid-sized carriers: Truckbase
featured ad - Best for enterprise trucking software: Rose Rocket
featured ad - Best for carriers: PCS
- Best supply chain management suite TMS module: Oracle
- Best for ease of use: FreightPOP
- Best for efficiency: Load Logix
featured ad
Top transportation management systems
The market for transportation management systems is flooded with numerous options, potentially overwhelming prospective customers. However, considering the anticipated growth of the industry, the influx of new market entrants is understandable. Despite serving the same general purpose, TMS solutions differ significantly in design and target users.
To cater to small- and medium-sized businesses, many providers are introducing solutions that are inexpensive, user-friendly, and easy to implement. This segment was previously overlooked but has recently been adopting transportation management technologies at an increasing rate, making it a new frontier for providers vying for market share.
To appeal to this valuable customer segment, emerging providers are also developing niche solutions that cater to specific industries, regions, business sizes, modalities used, shipping volume, fleet operational models, or number of users. Niche TMS platforms require less customization, resulting in lower costs and faster implementation, and address common customer pain points out of the box. These advantages are particularly beneficial for smaller organizations that lack the internal IT resources to support heavily customized implementations.
Considering these trends, below are the top TMS solutions for 2024, organized by customer segment or need.
Top TMS for small-to mid-sized carriers: Truckbase
Truckbase lets small trucking companies grow their fleets without increasing complexity. The software is affordably priced for smaller trucking companies looking for a simple, easy TMS to automate their back-office.
Manage dispatching without any excess data entry. Automate load building and dispatch with a PDF importer, send to drivers via text, and let drivers upload BOLs directly with integrated mobile scanning. Use instant invoicing and financial reporting tools to improve cash flow. Build trust with drivers with simple driver settlements without extra hassle or data entry using Truckbase.
Top TMS for enterprise trucking software: Rose Rocket
Ready to transform how your trucking and logistics company works? Meet Rose Rocket’s Platform software— designed for the uniqueness of your business, no matter how large. This is not your regular TMS; it’s an all-in-one operating system that organizes and streamlines everything you do. What makes Rose Rocket special is that it doesn’t lock you into strict ways of doing things; instead, it lets you make everything on your own – custom workflows, tools and rules that are flexible as your business changes. It’s user-friendly design let’s you customize the software with panels, quick actions, custom templates, and more. Not to mention a full suite of integrations, order automation capabilities, plus ELD & live tracking. Rose Rocket’s Platform is the go-to for big companies in trucking—ready to make things better for your business.
Top TMS for carriers: PCS
With fleet management, dispatching and ELD monitoring capabilities powered by AI, the PCS end-to-end solution is perfect for carriers. Bells and whistles like a graphical scheduling matrix, load and deadhead optimization recommendations, and dashboards are cherries on top.
It’s easy to see why this award-winning up-and-comer TMS is quickly becoming a customer favorite.
Top supply chain management suite TMS module: Oracle
Oracle narrowly edged out SAP for this honor, based on largely enthusiastic customer reviews. Both enjoy immense name recognition and are easily integrated into their respective companies’ other supply chain management modules.
Oracle is perceived by some as offering the more “mature” technology, but businesses with straightforward needs are unlikely to notice.
Top TMS for ease of use: FreightPOP
FreightPOP’s end-to-end solution earns high marks for usability wherever you look. It’s intuitive for users, easy for administrators to manage, and customer support is very responsive when questions come up.
With countless industry recognitions under its belt, FreightPOP’s client list includes some of the best known names in retail and manufacturing. And remarkably, despite its ease of use, the platform’s capabilities are also considered best-in-class.
Top for efficiency: Load Logix
Load Logix’s transportation management system uses machine learning algorithms to analyze data and provide real-time recommendations for load planning, dispatching, and carrier selection. By automating and optimizing these processes, Load Logix’s platform can reduce costs and increase operational efficiency for its customers.
Load Logix’s TMS integrates with other supply chain management systems, providing end-to-end visibility and control over the entire supply chain. This integration can help customers improve their planning and execution processes, reduce errors, and increase productivity.
What is a TMS?
Transportation management systems are technology-based logistics platforms used to plan, monitor and optimize end-to-end supply chains. They can streamline inbound and outbound shipping with automated operations based on customizable parameters set by individual businesses.
In many ways, a TMS modernizes how companies handle their transport operations. They often replace spreadsheet- or even paper-based systems that are completed manually and offer little strategic benefit. By integrating them with an enterprise resource platform (ERP) or warehouse management system (WMS), businesses are able to gain total control over their supply chains.
Read Discover 4 TMS Benefits for Your Business to learn more about how a TMS can help you.
Understand which TMS features are most important to you
Having literally hundreds of TMS options to choose from can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve never used one before. Knowing which ones other businesses find valuable is certainly one helpful approach for narrowing the field.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t find the perfect fit for your business among the popular options listed here, though. Note which capabilities sound most helpful, and use them to search for and evaluate other solutions. All the research may seem like a pain now, but it’s better to put in some extra work up front than to rush into a decision you’ll later regret.
For more guidance on how to evaluate solutions, read How to make a TMS decision.
FAQ
Transportation management systems are technology-based logistics platforms used to plan, monitor and optimize end-to-end supply chains. They can streamline inbound and outbound shipping with automated operations based on customizable parameters set by individual businesses.
A TMS can help users plan, manage and analyze the pre-pick-up, in-transit and post-delivery activities of a load life cycle. These integrated capabilities enable benefits that, on a high level, often fall within four categories: simplification, automation, optimization and differentiation. Read Discover 4 TMS benefits for your business to learn about these benefits in more detail.
Any organization that relies on shipping and receiving items in a volume that requires coordination may benefit from a TMS. Users often include:
-Manufacturers
-Wholesalers
-Distributors
-E-commerce businesses
-Retailers
-Freight brokers
-3PLs
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