Start optimizing fleet logistics, centralizing business processes, and reducing costs with one of these best transportation management software solutions.
With e-commerce and global trade on the rise, the ability to efficiently manage and track shipments and handle your daily operations is more important than ever. Therefore, transportation management solutions are becoming a must-have for businesses to stay competitive in today’s market.
However, with so many options out there, how do you pick the right one?
Let’s discuss the top 7 transportation management solutions, their key features, benefits, and potential drawbacks. All that’s up to you is to see which best suits your business needs and budget, start streamlining your logistics, and boost your bottom line.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one transportation management solution
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Good for rapidly growing companies
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Good for mobile shipment tracking
Why trust us?
Our team of unbiased software reviewers follows strict editorial guidelines, and our methodology is clear and open to everyone.
See our complete methodology
25
Tools considered
16
Tools reviewed
7
Best tools
chosen
What to Look For in a Transportation Management Solution
When looking for a good transportation software solution, keep an eye out for the following aspects and features:
- Ease of use: It’s easy to set up and offers an intuitive user experience.
- Customizability: It’s customizable to suit your team structures.
- Automations: It uses automations to help you select carriers, schedule shipments, and optimize routes.
- Shipment tracking: You can track the location and status of shipments in real-time.
- Reporting & analytics: You can track and generate reports on transportation data and performance metrics.
- Integration options: It integrates with other related systems, such as enterprise resource planning and warehouse management systems.
- Price: It is cost-friendly and suits your budget.
- Support: It comes with good customer support to help you with any issues.
The 7 Best Transportation Management Solutions of 2024
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Connecteam — Best all-in-one transportation management solution
At the top of our list is Connecteam’s all-in-one employee and operations management solution. It offers a wide range of transportation management features that allow you to effectively manage your daily operations and team, even while on the go.
Let’s take a quick look at the main transportation management features:
Scheduling and dispatching
Easily schedule and dispatch drivers based on their submitted availability and qualifications. Attach all the relevant shipment details, files, and information for your drivers to access right on their mobile phones.
GPS tracking
With the GPS-powered time clock, you can track each driver’s location, progress, and work hours in real-time. This allows you to ensure drivers stay on schedule and take the most efficient routes. And on top of that, you’ll have accurate timesheets ready for processing payroll and billing.
Digital forms & checklists
Create and share customizable forms and checklists for any task at hand – from vehicle inspection checklists to delivery completion forms. Simply have your team members fill them out, add their signature and optional image, and send them back for your review, wherever they are. You can furthermore use these forms to ensure compliance.
Document management
You can manage, store, and keep track of employee documentation – such as driver licenses, insurance certificates, and other compliance-related documents – from one centralized place. You can send your team document requests, which they can directly upload to the app.
Communication
Connecteam offers multiple private, group, and company-wide communication features. These allow you and your team to instantly communicate and share updates, such as route changes, delivery delays, and policy changes.
Connecteam also offers a free for life plan – Try Connecteam here!
Key Features
Pros
Intuitive and easy to use
All-in-one solution
Great customer support
Budget-friendly
Cons
Needs internet or wifi access to work
Pricing
Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users
14-day free trial, no credit card required
Start your free trial -
MercuryGate — Good for rapidly growing companies
Available on
- Web
MercuryGate’s transportation management system aims to simplify and centralize freight transportation management and save time and money for shippers, 3PLs, brokers, and carriers around the world.
With it, you can delegate specific processes to trusted agents, maintain shipment visibility, manage dynamic workflows, and improve your decision-making based on delivery performance. You can further optimize each shipment’s route, rates, and delivery speed with MercuryGate’s optimization algorithms.
The software supports all transportation modes including ocean, air, rail, truckload, LTL, last mile, parcel, and intermodal.
Key Features
- Designate processes to trusted agents
- Dynamic workflows
- Supports multi-modal transportation
- Integrated transportation contract management
Pros
- Global transportation options
- Rate and route optimization features
Cons
- Complex user interface
- Analytics tools are time-consuming to customize
Pricing
Pricing is not publicly available Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Alpega — Good for mobile shipment tracking
Available on
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Alpega is a TMS system that aims to offer a truly scalable cloud-based solution that empowers transport professionals to manage their logistics and supply chain processes.
With it, you can plan shipments over both the long and short term, track their location, and receive live updates about events such as traffic jams and delivery completion. You can also message shippers, carriers, and LSPs to enhance collaboration.
Alpega is further able to make quick changes to shipments according to the circumstances of daily operations using algorithms.
Key Features
- Mobile app for iOS and Android
- Communication with carriers and drivers
- Long-term strategic planning
- Automated load tendering
Pros
- Integrates with hundreds of carriers
- Flexible analytics tools
Cons
- Limited flexibility for LTL and multi-modal shipments
- Occasional platform outages
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
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Kuebix — Good for free shipping quote comparisons
Available on
- Web
- Windows
Kuebix’s software aims to help transportation management companies capitalize on supply chain opportunities through visibility, control, and predictive analytics.
The transportation management solution allows you to gather and compare different carrier quotes for any mode of transportation and book shipments. It further offers real-time freight-tracking and analytics tools that allow you to stay on top of your operations and generate reports.
Kuebix offers integration options with enterprise resource planning systems, including Microsoft Dynamics and Netsuite.
Key Features
- Real-time shipment tracking
- Compare quotes for all transportation types
- Route-optimization algorithm
- Automatic invoice auditing
Pros
- Very user-friendly
- Flexible analytics dashboard
Cons
- Must book shipments manually
- Doesn’t display rate quote history
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes
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Shipwell — Good for automating the shipping process
Available on
- Web
Shipwell offers a transportation management solution that aims to transform the supply chain industry with a cloud-based shipping solution that grows with your business.
With it, you can automatically organize your incoming orders into load-optimized shipments and optimize shipment routes and rates. You can furthermore monitor the performance of your logistics network and rank the performance of your carriers, identify the cause of increasing costs, and track customer satisfaction.
It offers integration options with financial management software such as TriumphPay, NetSuite, and QuickBooks.
Key Features
- Rules-based load management
- Route- and rate-optimization algorithm
- Integrates with popular accounting software
- Analytics dashboard with custom reports
Pros
- Many automation features
- Mobile app for real-time shipment tracking
Cons
- Doesn’t support global shipping
- Complex shipment tracking tools
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
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E2open — Good for end-to-end logistics management
Available on
- Web
- Android
E2open is a transportation management solution that aims to help the world’s largest companies transform the way they make, move, and sell goods and services.
With it, you can manage your supply chain, search and book carriers across all transportation modes, manage multimodal shipments, and find the best shipping rates. It further allows you to streamline global imports and exports and forecast cross-industry demand.
You can further collaborate with suppliers and customers, track shipments, and share tracking data with customers.
Key Features
- Book and manage multi-modal shipments
- Route and rate optimization
- Centralized platform for suppliers and customers
- Real-time tracking for every shipment
Pros
- Automated rules and workflows
- Uses AI to forecast rates and delivery times
Cons
- Expensive
- Steep learning curve
Pricing
Pricing is not publicly available Trial: No Free Plan: No
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SAP Transportation Management — Good for visualizing logistics data
Available on
- Web
SAP Transportation Management software aims to give you the visibility and control to optimize logistics and improve services.
It gives you a clear overview of your current supply chain, including a map of active routes and a Gantt chart of ongoing shipments. The transportation management solution further allows you to coordinate sales and order shipping and adjust routes on the fly.
The transportation software solution further integrates with SAP Business Network for Logistics to facilitate freight collaboration with logistics partners.
Key Features
- Visualize routes and shipment progress
- Automatically sync sales and shipments
- Load-optimization tools
- Compare rates across hundreds of carriers
Pros
- Supports flexible automations
- Customizable analytics dashboard
Cons
- Limited support for multi-modal shipments
- Basic rate quote and booking tools
Pricing
Contact vendor for price Trial: No Free Plan: No
Compare the Best Transportation Management Solutions
| Topic |
Start for free
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews |
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 |
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| Pricing |
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
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Pricing is not publicly available
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Contact vendor for price
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Contact vendor for price
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Contact vendor for price
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Pricing is not publicly available
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Contact vendor for price
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| Free Trial |
yes
14-day
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no
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no
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yes
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no
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no
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no
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| Free Plan |
yes
Free Up to 10 users
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no
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no
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yes
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no
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no
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no
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| Use cases |
Best all-in-one transportation management solution
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Good for rapidly growing companies
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Good for mobile shipment tracking
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Good for free shipping quote comparisons
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Good for automating the shipping process
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Good for end-to-end logistics management
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Good for visualizing logistics data
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| Available on |
Web
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Web, iOS, Android
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Web, Windows
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Web
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Web, Android
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Web
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What Are Transportation Management Solutions?
Transportation management software is a digital solution that allows you to manage your daily transportation operations more efficiently. Transportation management companies mainly use it to plan and automate shipping and logistics processes. This can include booking shipments with carriers, tracking shipments, billing, and reporting.
How Do Transportation Management Solutions Work?
While each transportation management solution works differently and offers varying sets of features, they generally compare shipping quotes from different carriers to find the most cost-effective way to transport your goods. It also allows you to track your shipments from the warehouse to the destination and pay carriers, and if relevant, manage your in-house fleet.
Some transportation management solutions offer integration options with other platforms such as warehouse management software or enterprise resource planning software. The transportation management software can use insights from the integrations to adjust and optimize shipments and loads based on product flow.
What Are the Benefits of Transportation Software Solutions?
The main benefits of using the best transportation management software include that it helps:
- Boost efficiency by allowing you to streamline your transportation processes and automate time-consuming and complex manual tasks.
- Increase profitability and reduce shipping costs by optimizing transportation routes and transportation methods.
- Enhance visibility by allowing you to monitor the status of your shipments in real-time and quickly respond to any issues that arise.
- Improve customer satisfaction by providing accurate and timely shipment information.
- Enhance decision-making by gathering and analyzing data on transportation operations, allowing you to make data-driven decisions and identify areas for improvement.
- Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements by offering different tools such as for performing internal audits or document management.
How Much Do Transportation Management Solutions Cost?
The pricing of transportation management solutions largely differs per provider and often depends on the number of users and the feature package. It often ranges from hundreds to thousands of dollars per year. Particularly those that charge per user can get rather expensive if you’re working with a large team.
Note that high pricing does not necessarily equal a better user experience. Our number one pick, Connecteam, offers premium plans at a flat monthly rate of $29 for the first 30 employees.
FAQs
What criteria should I judge TMS software on?
Mostly you want to know if the transportation management software can easily scale with your company then look at how easy it is to use and how easy it is to implement. After all, you want to use it on a regular basis so it should be simple and not complicated.
How do transportation software solutions help with compliance?
Transportation software solutions help with compliance by ensuring carrier and regulatory compliance, assisting with required documentation, providing audit and reporting tools, and helping businesses stay up-to-date with regulatory changes.
What types of businesses can benefit from transportation software solutions?
Any business that deals with transportation can benefit from an employee transport management solution, including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and third-party logistics providers.
The Bottom Line On Transportation Management Solution
All in all, transportation management solutions are a must-have if your company relies on shipping. The right program allows you to streamline and stay on top of your daily shipping process – from booking and tracking shipments to ensuring timely delivery and optimal expenses.
And perhaps the best part is that it doesn’t even have to be expensive. Our number one pick, Connecteam, allows you to efficiently schedule and dispatch drivers, track their real-time location and performance, ensure compliance, and more – all with one affordable and easy-to-use app.