Transportation Management FAQs

A TMS plans, optimizes, executes, and settles freight. Planners build loads and routes (single/multi-stop, parcel/LTL/TL/intermodal), rate against contracts, spot, tender to carriers, and track shipments with live ETAs and exceptions. Appointment scheduling, dock/yield constraints, and driver-hour rules keep plans feasible. Freight audit & pay closes the loop. Strong TMS platforms add scenario modeling and analytics so you can continuously improve cost, service (OTIF), and sustainability on one control surface.

3-D Load Planning packs cartons/pallets into containers or trailers to maximize space utilization, while respecting reality: dimensions, weight, stackability, orientation, crush limits, axle balance, and stop-sequence (so the first stop is accessible). It supports mixed-SKU and mixed-pack patterns, vendor pack rules, and hazardous/temperature constraints. The outcome is fewer containers, fewer miles, and less product damage, plus plans that can be executed as-is on the dock.

It's the what-if and network-design workbench for transportation. Import historical moves and master data, then simulate alternate carriers, modes, consolidation rules, service levels, and node changes to quantify cost/service/carbon trade-offs before you roll them out. Use it for RFP prep, budget planning, contingency scenarios (port closures, fuel shocks), and continuous improvement (e. g., LTL multi-stop TL conversion). Insights flow back to the live TMS policies.

A collaboration layer that connects shippers, brokers, and carriers on shared workflows, capacity sharing, tender/accept, appointment scheduling, status/ETA events, documents, and scorecards in one network. API/EDI connectivity speeds onboarding; standardized milestones reduce noise; performance analytics drive fair carrier development. Result: faster acceptances, better coverage during peaks, and fewer exceptions without living in email threads.

Dynamic Price Discovery taps live carrier/market rates to complement contract tariffs, so you can compare real-time spot vs. contracted options and auto-select the best service-cost-carbon combination. It accounts for accessorials, transit promises, and capacity signals; can re-price when plans change; and writes the final buy rate to execution and settlement. Shippers cut tender rejects and expedite spend while keeping promised delivery windows.

Load Building creates feasible, cost-efficient loads across orders and stops. It consolidates LTL into multi-stop TL, enforces weight/volume/axle, and calendar constraints, and honors pickup/delivery windows, dwell, and driver hours. Rules can prioritize service (fewer touches, earlier windows) or cost (higher cube, mode shift). Plans are published for tendering and appointment scheduling, and the dock sees exactly what to stage and when.

A carbon-accounting workbench for transportation. It converts shipment activity (distance, mode, weight/volume, fuel type) into COe using recognized emission factors, then rolls results up by lane, mode, carrier, customer, and time period. Planners can compare route/mode options on cost and carbon, track progress against targets, and export audit-ready reports. With APIs feeding planning and execution, you can favor lower-carbon routings (e. g., rail/intermodal), right-size containers, and cut empty miles without flying blind on the trade-offs.

Transportation procurement is built into your TMS stack. Run RFPs and mini-bids, benchmark lanes, model award scenarios (single vs. multi-award, incumbents, caps), and push the final carrier matrix straight into planning and tendering. Lane health and compliance dashboards track acceptance, service, and cost drift; auto-reprice and spot options cover capacity gaps. Result: stronger coverage in peaks, fewer rejects/expedites, and a defensible audit trail from bid to execution.

A shared, network-wide appointment layer that coordinates pick-up/delivery times across shippers, carriers, and facilities. It exposes dock capacity, calendars, and rules; validates constraints (equipment, driver hours, yard dwell); and books/modifies slots automatically when plans change. Facilities smooth inbound/outbound waves, carriers cut detention, and planners see the ripple effects on loads and ETAs, so the yard, dock, and road stay in sync.

Multi-objective load/route optimization across modes and partners. It consolidates orders into feasible loads, sequences multi-stop tours, evaluates mode shifts, and assigns carriers while honoring windows, capacity, axle/weight, driver-hour, and service constraints. You can prioritize cost, OTIF, or carbon, and run what-ifs before releasing to tendering. Plans are published to appointments and execution so the dock knows exactly what to stage and when.

real-time shipment visibility from tender to proof-of-delivery. It normalizes carrier/telematics events, predicts ETA slippage, and triggers exception workflows (re-slot, re-route, re-tender) before service misses occur. Live status flows to customers and to planning (updating promises and ATP), while scorecards track dwell, on-time, damage, and claims. Where's my truck? calls; more proactive, measurable control.

ProfiTour is a route and tour planning for distribution fleets. It builds efficient daily tours with time windows and capacity constraints, sequences stops to minimize miles and service risk, and respects driver regulations and customer SLAs. Dispatch gets executable tours and turn-by-turn stop lists; operations can model territory changes, depot switches, or delivery calendars to raise service, and cut especially in dense, multi-stop networks.

A real-time, cloud-native layer that keeps plans and execution aligned. RTC ingests live events (status, traffic, weather, asset signals), re-optimizes loads/routes when conditions shift, and syncs changes to appointments, carriers, and customers. It centralizes detect-decide-act for transportation, so teams move from reactive firefighting to guided, measurable responses.

Transportation Analytics turns shipment, cost, carrier, appointment, and yard data into find-and-fix insights. Role-based dashboards expose lane hot spots, consolidation opportunities, acceptance gaps, and dwell drivers; modeling quantifies savings before rollout and verifies them after. Insights flow back into planning policies (mode shift, tender order, cube rules) so the network improves every cycle.

Transportation Manager is the core TMS control surface for planning, executing, and settling freight. Planners rate against contracts/spot, build multi-stop loads, and routes across parcel/LTL/TL/intermodal, tender to carriers, manage appointments, and track live ETAs/exceptions. Freight audit & pay closes the loop so accruals, invoices, and disputes reconcile off the same shipment truth. Embedded analytics and policies (mode shift, consolidation, service tiers) let you improve cost, OTIF, and sustainability continuously without bouncing between tools.

Transportation Mobile User puts driver and dock tasks on a phone/tablet: accept tenders, view stop-by-stop instructions, capture POD/photos, scan barcodes, and post real-time status/exception codes. GPS events feed ETAs and geofenced arrivals; document capture reduces disputes and accelerates settlement. For shippers and carriers, it shrinks " Where's my truck? noise, increases milestone compliance, and improves dock turns because everyone is working from the same live plan.

Transportation Modeler is your what-if and network design workbench. Import historical shipments and master data, then simulate alternate carriers, modes, consolidation rules, service levels, and node changes to quantify cost/service/carbon tradeoffs before rollout. Use it for RFP strategy, budget planning, contingency scenarios (port closures, fuel spikes), and continuous improvement (e. g., LTL-to-multi-stop-TL conversions). Validated policies flow back into live planning so savings are realized as modeled.

Transportation Modeling generalizes scenario capabilities across lanes and networks: test mode shifts, award strategies, delivery calendars, appointment rules, and cube policies; compare baseline vs. proposed on cost, OTIF, and COe; and publish chosen policies to production. It's the safe sandbox for changes you derisk decisions and verify ROI before they hit operations.

Transportation Optimization builds feasible, efficient loads and routes that respect real-world constraints: time windows, driver HOS, axle/weight, equipment, dwell, and customer SLAs. It consolidates orders, sequences multi-stop tours, evaluates mode changes, and balances objectives (cost, service, carbon). Results are published to tendering and appointment scheduling so the dock knows exactly what to stage and when reducing miles, touch points, and late deliveries.

Transportation Planner is the day-to-day cockpit for planners and dispatch. It surfaces suggested loads/tours, highlights exceptions, and capacity gaps, supports manual edits/locks, and releases plans to carriers with full visibility to downstream appointments and yard. Embedded KPIs (acceptance, OTIF risk, cube, cost/unit) guide prioritization; one-click what-ifs help resolve issues without leaving the screen.

This capability ties planning to time-bound reality, coordinating routes/loads with dock calendars, yard constraints, and carrier availability. It auto-books, or proposes appointment slots, rebalances waves to avoid congestion, and reschedules when upstream delays occur so service is protected with minimal expedites. The net: smoother yards, lower detention, and plans that actually execute.

Container Load Optimization (3-D load building) packs cartons/pallets into containers or trailers to maximize cube while respecting weight, stackability, orientation, crush limits, axle balance, and stop sequence. It generates pack diagrams that your dock can execute, lowering damage and touches. Fewer containers, fewer miles, and better on-time performance without trial-and-error on the floor.

DC Outbound Smoothing evens out the peaks and valleys on your dock by sequencing orders, waves, and carrier appointments so work is balanced by hour and door. It staggers pick/pack/replenishment, aligns yard moves, and trailer availability, and releases freight in a flow that fits labor and equipment limits. The payoff: shorter dwell, fewer congestion-driven delays, better carrier turns, and plans that actually execute under real constraints.

Freight Procurement manages full-cycle sourcing RFPs, mini-bids, and awards for contracted transportation. You benchmark lanes, model award scenarios (single vs. multi-award, incumbents, caps), and push the final matrix directly into planning. Compliance dashboards track acceptance, on-time, and cost drift; spot and reprice options close capacity gaps. Outcome: resilient coverage in peaks, fewer tender rejects, and provable savings from bid through execution.

Load Building consolidates orders into feasible, efficient loads. It honors cube/weight/axle limits, time windows, dwell, and equipment types while choosing multi-stop tours where it makes sense. Rules can optimize for cost (max cube, consolidate LTL to TL) or service (early deliveries, fewer touches). Loads are published to tendering and appointments, so the dock knows exactly what to stage and when.

Appointment Scheduling coordinates pick-up and delivery times among shippers, carriers and facilities. It exposes dock calendars, constraints, books, or rebooks slots automatically as plans change, and smooths inbound/outbound waves to reduce detention. Because its tied to planning and execution, changes propagate to ETAs, yard, and labor keeping doors, drivers, and freight in sync.

Route Optimization builds cost-and service-aware tours for multi-stop distribution. It sequences stops, assigns equipment, and respects time windows, driver HOS, capacity, and customer SLAs. You can balance multiple objectives (miles, OTIF, COe), test what-ifs (territory changes, depot moves), and republish new routes when conditions shift all from one planning surface.

Specialized TMS workflows handle freight with extra temperature-controlled, hazardous, oversized/overweight, or high-value. They add permit/escort logic, segregation, and cleaning rules, temp/condition monitoring, geofenced chains-of-custody, and stricter appointment controls. Planners choose compliant modes and equipment automatically, carriers get precise instructions, and audit trails prove that safety and regulatory requirements were met.

Transportation Analytics turns shipment, cost, carrier, appointment, and yard data into find-and-fix insights. Role-based dashboards expose lane hot spots, consolidation opportunities, acceptance gaps, and dwell drivers; modeling quantifies savings before rollout and verifies them after. Insights flow back into planning policies (mode shift, tender order, cube rules) so the network improves every cycle.

Transportation Optimization generates feasible load/route plans that minimize cost and risk while meeting service targets. It consolidates orders, evaluates mode shifts, sequences multi-stop tours, and enforces windows, driver hours, axle/weight, and equipment rules. Plans are published to tendering and appointment scheduling, reducing miles, touches, and late deliveries, giving operations executable instructions.

Transportation Planning turns orders into feasible, cost-effective load and route plans. Planners (or automation) select modes, and carriers, consolidate orders, build multi-stop tours, and respect windows, driver HOS, axle/weight, equipment, and service SLAs. Tight ties to appointment scheduling smooth dock waves; visibility and exception workflows keep ETAs and promises accurate. Scenario tools let you test consolidation and mode shifts before releasing to tendering, so operations execute the plan, not fight it.

This combines plan creation with algorithmic route/tour optimization. The system sequences stop, assign equipment, choose mode/carrier, and balance objectives (cost, OTIF, COe) while enforcing real-world constraints (windows, HOS, weight/volume, dwell). It re-optimizes when orders change, or delays hit, then republishes to appointments, and execution so the dock, and drivers stay in sync. Result: fewer miles, and touches, higher on-time performance, and resilient plans that adapt in-day.

Transportation Visibility gives a single, real-time view from tender to proof-of-delivery. It normalizes carrier/telematics events, predicts ETA slippage, and triggers guided actions (re-slot, re-route, re-tender) before service misses occur. Status flows to customers and back to planning/OMS to keep promises and ATP accurate. Scorecards track dwell, on-time, damage, and claims so you can improve lanes, carriers, and policies continuously.

Vehicle routing & scheduling (VRS) builds daily tours that meet time windows and capacity while minimizing cost and miles. It assigns orders to vehicles, sequences stops, and respects constraints like driver hours, service durations, equipment, and customer SLAs. Advanced VRS supports multi-depot, pickup/returns, and what-ifs (territory/depot changes), with re-optimization when exceptions occur. Net: tighter OTIF, fewer miles, and a plan the field can actually run.