The days of the in-house transportation management system (TMS) are fading. Sure, there are a few benefits to building a custom system. It’s designed for a shipper’s specific needs, and all the data gathered stays in the family, so to speak. Yet, there are problems. Many shippers find their custom systems don’t communicate properly with software in use by their carrier partners and service providers. Others find themselves with a bit of buyers’ remorse, as the speed of technology development leaves a custom system lagging within only a couple of years.
However, thanks to cloud computing, shippers of all sizes can now afford to foot the bill for a transportation management system and stand on equal footing with the giants. Hosted solutions, or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), leave all the costly headaches of hardware installation with the provider, allowing for faster deployment. Standardized forms and reports enable easy integration with partners, and support and continuous improvement experts are available without needing to keep extra personnel on staff. SaaS also receives frequent updates, so it stays current with leading-edge technology developments. An up-to-date TMS ensures shippers benefit from all the network efficiencies—such as better reporting, improved exception tracking, and easier load consolidation—that come from increased supply chain visibility.
Many executives fear giving up control of their data to a third party, but most hosted solutions allow companies to back up data on their own servers, and/or provide quick and easy access to data. After all, the provider may own the TMS, but the shipper owns the data that TMS generates about their company.
The days of the in-house transportation management system (TMS) are fading. Sure, there are a few benefits to building a custom system. It’s designed for a shipper’s specific needs, and all the data gathered stays in the family, so to speak. Yet, there are problems. Many shippers find their custom systems don’t communicate properly with software in use by their carrier partners and service providers. Others find themselves with a bit of buyers’ remorse, as the speed of technology development leaves a custom system lagging within only a couple of years.
However, thanks to cloud computing, shippers of all sizes can now afford to foot the bill for a transportation management system and stand on equal footing with the giants. Hosted solutions, or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), leave all the costly headaches of hardware installation with the provider, allowing for faster deployment. Standardized forms and reports enable easy integration with partners, and support and continuous improvement experts are available without needing to keep extra personnel on staff. SaaS also receives frequent updates, so it stays current with leading-edge technology developments. An up-to-date TMS ensures shippers benefit from all the network efficiencies—such as better reporting, improved exception tracking, and easier load consolidation—that come from increased supply chain visibility.
Many executives fear giving up control of their data to a third party, but most hosted solutions allow companies to back up data on their own servers, and/or provide quick and easy access to data. After all, the provider may own the TMS, but the shipper owns the data that TMS generates about their company.
Source: https://www.inboundlogistics.com
CUT COTS OF THE FLEET WITH OUR AUDIT PROGRAM
The audit is a key tool to know the overall status and provide the analysis, the assessment, the advice, the suggestions and the actions to take in order to cut costs and increase the efficiency and efficacy of the fleet. We propose the following fleet management audit.