Top 10 TMS in 2021

Transportation Management Software is a piece of technology that allows businesses to plan, execute, and optimize the physical movement of incoming and outgoing goods and helps with compliant shipment and necessary documentation in order to provide transparency of day-to-day transportation operations and ensure the timely delivery of freight. Transportation management software facilitates the key processes of transportation management – planning and decision-making, transportation execution, transport follow-up, measurement and execution of the transportation plan. It studies planning and coordination of product delivery, fosters efficiency in  route planning, load capacity, expediting shipping in order to increase the margins of business owners. 

The goal of TMS is to provide the most effective transport schemes and to reduce transport cost, lead-time and amount of stops, allowing any physical or administrative operation regarding transportation (traceability,  invoicing, documentation, reception editing, sending alerts notifying about any additional stops, delays or accidents), as well as monitoring supply chains in real time and improving customer service

Top benefits that TMS can provide for your business:

• Reduced costs (for both the business and the end customer)
• Simplification of supply chain processes
• Automation of business operations (more accurate billing and documentation)
• Improvement in visibility and security
• Time savings—less manual work means less delays and faster delivery 
• Freight track on a single platform
• Better import and export compliance (fewer penalties and shipment delays)
• New business insights (better reporting fosters faster action and process improvement)
• Improvements in customer service and customer satisfaction 
• The ability to scale the business by meeting customer’s demands for rapid, timely shipments

Many companies with basic and complex logistics operations have already appreciated the advantages that the right technology can provide making logistics management and conducting business across the globe seamless.  

Among extensive functions of TMS are optimizing terrestrial transport rounds, management of motor carrier, air maritime and rail transport, inbound and outbound transportation mode, selection of transportation provider, real-time transportation tracking, service quality control in the form of KPI’s, load and route optimization, freight audit, shipment batching of orders and scheme simulation. 

We’ve collected top 10 TMS in 2021 based on reviews and our own analyses below:

• MercuryGate TMS is a perfect combo of new technology and dynamics unceasingly enhanced with added functionality. It is a highly configurable TMS both in the cloud and on mobile devices that allows multimodal planning, optimization and execution, provides necessary support and improvement of the workflow, control tower visibility, decision support, reusability for setup, on-boarding, recurrent actions, as well as closed-loop procurement, allocation and invoicing. MercuryGate enables powerful transportation management solutions proven to be a competitive benefit for today’s most successful shippers, 3PLs, freight forwarders, brokers and carriers. 
• Oracle TMS is great for operational planning, fleet management and transportation intelligence, facilitates an in-depth and fully consolidated stack of cloud applications, engineered systems and platform services. Oracle’s cloud-based and on-premises solutions enable clients full deployment flexibility and unparalleled benefits including advanced security, scalability, high availability, application integration, energy efficiency, low cost of ownership and powerful performance. Oracle TMS fosters a constant optimization of transport networks while contributing to real-time data visibility into the transit of shipments and strives to keep up with the impetuously growing world of global trade and shipping.
• JDA TMS allows you to drastically decrease administrative and operative costs and increase productivity and visibility through automating and streamlining your business processes. JDA provides support for the entire transportation lifecycle, order management, operationally implementable planning, contributing to reliable network performance. This TMS facilitates standardization throughout procurement, planning, execution, freight audit processes as well as centralizing logistics visibility. By utilizing the characteristics of this TMS, users can optimize plans and streamline supplier and carrier collaboration.
• MPO TMS retains strong characteristics to streamline all transportation life cycle processes across carriers, favoring cost reduction, enhancing customer satisfaction and improvement of operational efficiency. MPO’s unique order-centric framework enables a superb rush and expedite order management. And as there is no batching or special processing, it enables users to consolidate and optimize flows as necessary. MPO specializes in multi-leg planning and promotes flexible configuration of rate agreements, capturing any rate model, permitting accruals, invoice matching and billing.
• Descartes TMS allows next generation transportation management solutions that are convenient and easy to implement, use, maintain and deliver high value. This unique platform enables efficient management of the flow of freight with unmatched connectivity to various transportation providers. Suitable for both domestic and international supply chains. Their transportation management solution has all necessary capabilities to synchronize transportation operations, control costs, and enhance service. Descartes provides extended capabilities needed to run today’s multimodal transportation operations.
• SAP TMS dramatically simplifies transportation by integrating fleet and logistics management throughout the network, encourages real-time visibility for both global and domestic shipping.  Effectively increases business productivity, improves end-to-end visibility and service, promotes cash flow for freight transportation, optimizes logistics processes and operations and accelerates decision-making processes. Analyzes carrier performance and data for trade lanes to plan for future transportation needs.
• Cerasis TMS enables precise control, transparent shipping and spend processes, decreases shipping problems through over-the-road transportation management solutions. Cerasis provides truckload freight management, accounting, parcel and freight claims management, reverse logistics, carrier relations, as well as inbound and vendor freight management. This TMS nurtures technological capabilities to help shippers achieve their long term logistics strategy goals.
• Ascend TMS facilitates complete logistics and load management for freight brokers, carriers and shippers. Enables users monitor the financial side of their load assignments to find out the most profitable options. This TMS also allows users to assign the most profitable carriers and third party logistics service providers to ship their loads. AscendTMS features GPS tracking which helps identify the location of the carriers on a map.Works from any gadget and supports full international functionality, including weights, measures, currencies.
• BluJay TMS is an easy-to-use platform with robust functionality that offers cloud-based procurement, supply chain planning, execution and settlement transportation. Users get rapid innovation, scalable solutions and benefit from accessing BluJay’s Global Trade Network, permitting members to collaborate with partners. One platform and workflow offers high efficiency and decreased spend.
• 3Gtms TMS is dedicated to helping shippers and logistics service providers gain a competitive advantage through technology and simplifying the process of transportation management. Made as a single system, this TMS  seamlessly manages the full transportation lifecycle, including transportation planning,optimization, execution, settlement and enabling customers make better shipping decisions while addressing their everyday problems. 

There are many benefits of TMS that manufacturers, distribution companies, and anyone who ships freight realize. Transportation management systems can help companies move freight from origin to destination efficiently, reliably, and cost effectively. A more efficient transportation planning and execution eventually results in higher customer satisfaction. That, in turn, leads to more sales, favouring business growth. And considering this dynamic global trade environment we live in, it is important to have a system that will allow you to successfully navigate complicated processes around trade policies.

But probably the main reason why companies implement a TMS is to minimize freight spend. A TMS achieves these savings based on process enforcement, analytics, and optimization.

Before buying a TMS make sure to have skilled experts – whether you have an IT team in-house or working for you remotely, this will simplify the integration process for you. Consulting with tech experts is crucial even on the initial stage  – you need to identify the right TMS for your company, based on your requirements, transaction volume and features that are needed for your business. Dedicated Lab would gladly help you with that. We provide consulting services to help transportation companies define technology they need and we can help you with deployment.