The transport sector is under constant pressure: regulatory pressure, competitive pressure, and pressure from customers who expect ever greater real-time visibility, punctuality and responsiveness. All this in a tense economic context, marked by supply tensions and recruitment difficulties. Digitizing operations is therefore no longer an option, but an essential performance lever in the supply chain. It's not just a question of improving productivity, but of boosting long-term competitiveness.
But how do you know which features are really useful? How can you avoid choosing a solution that's too complex, too rigid, or simply ill-suited to your day-to-day needs? Good TMS software doesn't just tick boxes. It has to save you time, give you clarity in your data, and help you manage more effectively.
In this article, we'll help you make sense of it all, by listing the key functionalities of a modern TMS tool, designed to meet the concrete expectations of an operations manager, a haulier or a transport executive.
One of the first benefits of a TMS tool is its ability to centralize all your transport data in a single, accessible and shared space.
Today, in many transport and logistics companies, information is fragmented. Planning is in an Excel spreadsheet, orders in an ERP, customer instructions in e-mails, and driver feedback on the phone. The result? You spend an inordinate amount of time putting the pieces together. The risk of errors multiplies. Reactivity becomes difficult.
A TMS platform lets you bring everything together:
This centralization creates a solid basis for anticipating unforeseen events, improving coordination and streamlining flows between departments. Automating the circulation of information is an obvious performance lever.
For example, your teams can know in real time whether a round has started, whether a document is missing, or whether a parcel is late. No need to search through different tools. Everything is available in a clear user interface, designed with operators in mind.
A good TMS solution also manages interactions between departments: operations, customer relations, invoicing. This cross-functionality enhances the efficiency of the internal management system and improves the traceability of exchanges.
A driver has access to a connected mobile application, which transmits all information in real time. The result: greater customer satisfaction, thanks to improved reliability and responsiveness.
Every operating day is a complex equation to solve. You have to allocate the right resources to the right routes, optimize mileage, take into account driving times, customer constraints, compulsory stops... and all this, often, in a hurry.
A TMS tool enables you to transform this complexity into clear, efficient processes.
Take the example of Martin, operations manager for a 30-vehicle SME. Every Monday morning, he spent three hours on the task of manually creating schedules. Excel, phone calls, strokes of the stabilo... A real headache. Since installing his software, he's been able to generate typical routes in less than 20 minutes. The system takes all variables into account, visualizes inconsistencies and suggests optimized operating scenarios.
A comprehensive software solution such as Sinari Optim takes this a step further, with automatic route optimization that takes into account volumes, time constraints, costs, delivery points, and even the most efficient route according to mode of transport.
Above all, Martin now has more time to deal with the unexpected. And in the road haulage business, they happen every day.
A TMS tool also helps you to :
This time-saving also translates into a significant reduction in transport costs, notably by finely analyzing tour patterns.
The tool also enables you to plan the most efficient routes, adjust your organization, and capitalize on best practices. It's a real lever for continuous assessment of your operational performance.
Once you've started planning, you still need to ensure that everything goes according to plan. And in the world of transport and logistics, unforeseen events are frequent.
Modern TMS software enables you to monitor route execution in real time, locate your vehicles, check compliance with schedules, and receive alerts in the event of problems.
Thanks to on-board sensors and connected applications, tools such as Sinari Telematics (on-board computing) or Sinari Mobility (mobile application) continuously gather data from the field. At any moment, you know where a parcel is, whether a round is ahead or behind schedule, or whether an incident has been reported. This automatic reporting saves you precious time.
The driver can report it via the mobile app, with photo or comment. Operations is immediately informed.
For example, if a vehicle stops outside the scheduled points, if a shipment is running late or if a delivery document is incomplete, operations is immediately informed via tracking tables shared with customers. This reactivity provides an immediate response and reassures customers.
This visibility also strengthens customer relations. In the event of delays or unforeseen events, you can proactively inform your customers, avoid reminder calls, and maintain a high level of trust.
Some TMS tools go even further by integrating standardized contingency management. When an event occurs (incident, customer absence, refusal of goods), the driver can declare it via the mobile app, with photo or comment. Operations are immediately informed, and the history is kept for quality monitoring or an appropriate invoice.
Some tools also integrate an external portal for customers or a tracking link. This is a source of transparency, a vector for customer relationship management, and a way of freeing your teams from a multitude of requests.
Feedback from the field is clear: real-time tracking reduces stress, avoids follow-up calls, and enables proactive incident management.
Transport management isn't just about planning. Administrative tasks represent a major burden.
A good TMS tool automates the generation, transmission and archiving of these documents. It improves the reliability of data entry, speeds up invoicing, and reduces re-entry errors.
Thanks to the tool, waybills are generated automatically, data is fed back in real time (times, incidents, signatures), and the invoice is issued without re-entering data.
Result:
And above all: you can have a positive impact on your budget, with fewer reminders, fewer disputes, and greater predictability.
Many companies spend several days a month catching up on discrepancies or dunning for missing documents. With the right TMS software, you can make these steps more reliable, while saving your teams precious time.
It's also a source of indirect savings: fewer disputes, fewer late payments, less re-typing, more cash flow and fewer hidden costs.
A good TMS tool doesn't stop at the operational level. It must help you take a step back.
That's why it offers business-oriented dashboards: fill rate, profitability by tour, performance by customer, tracking of delays, analysis of empty kilometers... These indicators enable you to:
This data is essential for adapting your resources, reviewing your rates, adjusting your conditions with your service providers, or simply improving your supply chain.
For example, one of our customers was using his TMS tool to analyze the routes of a major client. He realized that over the last six months, the fill rate had been falling, due to progressive changes in volumes. He was able to present this data with concrete, irrefutable reports, request a rate adjustment, and restore the margin on this activity. Without this data, the problem would have remained invisible.
💬 "Thanks to the SINARI Group, we're saving significant amounts of time and are much more in control of our profitability, especially in terms of kilometers traveled. Recently, we also extended our partnership to integrate our administrative management, which has enabled us to gain even greater efficiency."
-Anthony Cunha, Pascal Chevron Transports
A TMS is not only a management tool, but also a continuous assessment tool. It enables you to compare your customers, your routes, your service providers and your rates. You gain visibility, hindsight and budgetary accuracy.
A modern TMS tool doesn't just perform technical tasks. It improves your overall operational management, helps you make the right decisions, and gives you the keys to optimizing your value chain.
At Sinari, we believe that a good TMS should be designed with and for transport and logistics professionals. That's why our tools are developed in close partnership with our customers, to meet their challenges in the field as closely as possible. And because we're also the publisher of our solutions, we're with you every step of the way.
Are you a shipper, carrier or operations manager? Are you thinking of taking the plunge to achieve your objectives? Take the time to compare, discuss and ask for appropriate training.
A good TMS tool will also support you over the long term, whether you're a large group or an SME. It evolves with your needs, your volumes and your customers. It's not a fixed investment, but a technological partner that supports your growth, even when your organization changes or your business requirements evolve.
Choosing a TMS also means choosing a partner. Over and above functionality, the quality of the support provided, the understanding of your business and the ability to train you are key criteria and advantages.