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Software for transport and logistics

A transport company makes its money with full vehicles, correct trips and fast invoices. Software helps at every step: planning orders across vehicles and drivers, seeing where the vehicles are, recording trips and hours, running the warehouse and processing suppliers' invoices. Here you see, part by part, which packages suit transport and logistics.

By Auke Westra, founder of SoftwareWatcher
Text checked on the lists follow the suppliers' data

For most transport companies the transport management system (TMS) is the centre: orders, planning, trips and invoicing. Around it are a fleet management system with on-board computers and the tachograph, trip registration for the company cars, a WMS if you also store goods, and software for your drivers' schedules and hours. The more vehicles and customers, the more important it is that these packages link with each other.

Transport management (TMS)

A TMS handles transport from the order to the invoice: importing orders by email or EDI, planning trips across vehicles and drivers, calculating the route, letting the driver work with an app and invoicing after the trip based on your rates. There are packages for transport companies, for businesses that deliver with their own vehicles and for shippers that book their transport with carriers.

The packages in this category:

5 more packages

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Fleet and on-board computers

Fleet management software shows where your vehicles are, how they are driven and when they need maintenance or an inspection. For lorries the system also reads the tachograph, so you keep an eye on driving and rest times. Check whether the system links with your TMS, so the planner sees the positions and arrival times.

The packages in this category:

  • Cartracker

    From € 7 per vehicle per month

    No reviews yet

  • Fleetio

    From $4 per vehicle per month

    No reviews yet

  • fleetster

    From € 4 per vehicle per month

    No reviews yet

  • Frotcom

    Price on request

    No reviews yet

  • Geotab

    Price on request

    No reviews yet

6 more packages

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Mileage tracking

For vans and your employees' lease cars, trip registration automatically records which trips are business and which are private. The Dutch Tax Administration requires this if someone drives fewer than 500 private kilometres a year, and it gives you an overview of the kilometres per car.

The packages in this category:

  • Gekko

    €1–€10 per user per month

    4.6 out of 5 (4 reviews)

  • RouteLogic

    €25–€75 per user per month

    4.9 out of 5 (2 reviews)

  • TimeChimp

    From €10 per month

    5.0 out of 5 (1 review)

  • DigiBoox

    From €16.50 per month

    5.0 out of 5 (1 review)

  • My GPS Tracker

    Price on request

    No reviews yet

7 more packages

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Warehouse (WMS)

If you store goods for customers or for your own distribution, a WMS runs the work in the warehouse: receiving, locations, order picking with a scanner and getting shipments ready. Logistics service providers also need invoicing per customer and a customer portal.

The packages in this category:

6 more packages

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Scheduling drivers and staff

Drivers, warehouse staff and planners work in shifts, often at night and at weekends too. Staff scheduling makes rotas based on availability, leave and contract hours, and lets employees swap shifts in an app. The TMS plans the trips; staff scheduling makes sure there are enough people.

According to the supplier, suitable for transport and logistics:

11 more packages

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Hours and allowances

In transport, hours, breaks, overtime and allowances for night and weekend work all count towards pay. Time tracking records them via an app, a time clock or the on-board computer, and gets them ready for payroll.

According to the supplier, suitable for transport and logistics:

23 more packages

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Purchase invoices

A transport company receives many invoices: fuel, tolls, maintenance and subcontractors. Invoice processing reads them in automatically, matches them with the trip or the purchase order and sends them for approval before they go into the accounts.

According to the supplier, suitable for transport and logistics:

5 more packages

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How the packages work together

At most transport companies, orders, trips and rates are in the TMS. The fleet management system sends the vehicles' positions and arrival times back to the planner, the driver app or on-board computer reports when a shipment has been delivered, and the TMS turns the completed trips into invoices for the accounts. For each package, ask which integration there is with your TMS and on-board computers, so nobody has to retype trips or hours.

What to look for

  • On-board computers: which on-board computers and apps do your drivers already use, such as Transics, Webfleet or FleetGO? Choose software that links with them as standard.
  • Customers: large shippers send orders via EDI and want to track their shipments themselves. Ask whether the package has EDI, track & trace and a customer portal.
  • Digital consignment note: with the eCMR the recipient signs on a phone or tablet and the proof of delivery is at the office straight away. Ask whether the app supports the eCMR.
  • Costs per vehicle: many packages charge per vehicle, per user or per shipment. Work out what that means as your fleet grows.

Frequently asked questions about software for transport and logistics

What software does a transport company need?

Usually a TMS for orders, planning and invoicing, with a driver app or on-board computers and a fleet management system for the vehicles and the tachograph. Staff scheduling, time tracking and invoice processing can be part of the TMS or separate packages that link to it. If you also store goods, add a WMS.

What is the difference between a TMS and fleet management?

A TMS is about the shipments: which order goes on which vehicle, along which route and at what price. Fleet management is about the vehicles themselves: where they are, how they are driven, what they consume and when they need maintenance. Many companies use both and link them, so the planner sees live where each vehicle is.

What is the difference between a TMS and a WMS?

A WMS handles what happens in the warehouse: receiving, storage and order picking. The TMS takes over as soon as the goods leave the warehouse and handles the transport to the customer. Logistics service providers that store and transport often need both, sometimes from the same supplier.

How we choose the packages

For each area, this page shows the packages from our comparison whose supplier says they are suitable for this industry. In a category that is made for the industry itself, all packages are shown.

At the top are the packages made mainly for this industry: their supplier picks a few industries, not almost all of them. They are followed by the packages with the most reviews on SoftwareWatcher. Nobody pays for a place on this page.