In road transport, every euro counts. With fuel prices rising steadily, maintenance costs on the rise, and customer pressure on prices, hauliers' margins are under severe pressure. Yet behind the visible expenses lie invisible transport costs: avoidable reductions in mileage, unplanned downtime, duplication between departments, and lack of coordination between operations, fleet and maintenance.
These silos hamper performance and eat away at profitability. Yet, solutions do exist: synchronizing transport planning (TMS), fleet management and maintenance not only reduces your direct costs, but also enhances operational reliability and service quality.
In this article, we present a plan structured around three pillars - intelligent planning, synchronized maintenance and optimized fleet management - as well as a strategic planning methodology for rapid, measurable ROI.
The first lever for reducing logistics costs is flow planning. All too often, routes are still drawn up manually or using simplified rules (zones, fixed times), resulting in empty miles and poor utilization of available resources.
A modern transport management system acts as a real transport software and optimization tool. It overcomes this approach thanks to efficient methods and real-time data:
Beyond transport optimization, the TMS serves as a management platform or decision-making cockpit for the buyer and transport operator:
👉Transporters who adopt this type of technology to optimize see a 5-10% drop in the number of kilometers traveled, shorter delivery times and improved delivery in the event of hazards.
A vehicle immobilized at the wrong time is costly: lost sales, emergency chartering, penalizing delays, customer dissatisfaction. And yet, according to several studies, the costs associated with unanticipated breakdowns are up to 3 times higher than those of planned preventive maintenance.
Synchronizing maintenance, fleet and operations enables resources to be optimized and costs to be managed more effectively:
👉 The result: a direct 15% reduction in workshop costs, increased availability and lower total cost of ownership. It also means overall logistical optimization: less costly recourse to replacement solutions, and a positive environmental impact thanks to fewer non-productive journeys.
But the impact goes beyond the "workshop" item: a more reliable fleet also means more robust transport planning, less costly recourse to replacement solutions and greater customer satisfaction.
Beyond planning and maintenance, fleet management is a central lever for optimizing transport costs. Telematics and real-time monitoring tools provide visibility that transforms data into tangible savings.
A connected fleet manager knows in real time where his vehicles are, their status and availability. This global visibility makes it possible to :
👉 A cost management system integrated into a TMS or management platform helps to align fleet, operations and maintenance. At the same time, good eco-driving practices help to reduce emissions and carbon footprints, while boosting the competitiveness of companies in the sector.
Reducing transport costs is not based on a single "best practice", but on a structured approach. TMS - fleet - maintenance synchronization must follow a clear plan, to limit risks and maximize ROI.
👉This structured approach is based on strategies for continuously improving operational efficiency, while generating a visible reduction in logistics costs from the very first months.
Synchronizing TMS, fleet management and maintenance is not a long and costly transformation project: it's an approach that produces visible effects from the very first months.
In concrete terms, carriers generally see a 5-10% drop in empty kilometers, thanks to better consolidation of routes and more appropriate choice of carriers. Fuel consumption follows the same trajectory, with a reduction of 5-8% as a result of eco-driving, telematics monitoring and the detection of risky behavior. In terms of maintenance, the benefits are even clearer: preventive planning and the reduction of unplanned breakdowns cut costs by almost 15%, while extending vehicle life.
These combined results translate into a reduction in TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of up to 10%, a reduction in indirect costs (late penalties, unscheduled downtime) and improved fleet availability. In other words, every euro invested in systems integration is quickly offset by the savings generated.
With the right methods and an appropriate optimization tool, ROI is generally measured between 6 and 12 months. The gains are not one-off, but cumulative: a better-maintained and better-driven vehicle retains a higher residual value, which limits the expenditure involved in fleet renewal.
In short, the "TMS - fleet - maintenance" approach enables us to transform a logic of costs incurred into a sustainable financial lever, directly visible in operating margins.
In a sector where every liter of fuel, every hour of downtime and every kilometer traveled counts, optimizing transport costs can no longer be based on one-off adjustments. It's the fine-tuned orchestration between TMS, fleet management and maintenance that transforms data into decisions, and decisions into measurable savings.
By synchronizing route planning, vehicle availability and condition monitoring, carriers can move from a reactive to a proactive management approach. The benefits are rapid and tangible, and go far beyond simply reducing costs: they also enhance operational reliability, customer satisfaction and the ability to absorb growth without exploding costs.
At Sinari, we support carriers in this process every day, with solutions designed to integrate existing systems and deliver a tangible return on investment.