TMC Blog

It’s important to tailor transportation management systems (TMS) to individual corporate users. But the technology can also be customized to specific industries, particularly in cases such as the chemical sector where there are many special needs.

According to the American Chemistry Council, the chemical business is a $ 720 billion industry that is one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy. More than 96% of all manufactured goods are directly touched by chemistry. Read More...

As we explained in our previous post (Demystifying LTL ), managing less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation can be less difficult than you might think, especially if you understand how these services are priced. But having cracked the LTL pricing code, how can you make the service more cost-effective?

Shippers often find major savings opportunities when they work to increase the density of the cargo they flow into LTL networks. This is not surprising given LTL’s fragmented nature compared to full truckload service. Read More...

There are many ways to check the pulse of a transportation network. One of these vital signs is depth of tender, which, with the right analytics, can reveal much about the wellbeing of your network.

Some leading transportation management systems (TMS) support the routing guide on several levels. Take, for example a situation where for some reason your primary providers are unable to accept a load. A TMS-based spot bid tool will send out a notification to a preset carrier base that the business is available, and that you are requesting rates for the load. Another example is the need to locate capacity for a short-lead shipment. The usual approach to finding a provider by cascading the tender through the carriers in your routing guide is often too limiting in these situations. The TMS helps you to secure capacity quickly by alerting all carriers that an urgent shipment is up for grabs.  Read More...

During tough economic times, long established practices tend to come under scrutiny as companies search for ways to gain a competitive edge. This is one reason why freight managers in Europe are reviewing a practice that has been part of their industry for many years: allocating all the cargo in a lane or other operational areas to a single carrier.

Another approach is to employ multiple carriers in each lane to mitigate risks such as an unexpected capacity shortfall. This alternative strategy appears to be gradually gaining ground in Europe. Read More...

Are you surprised by how regularly you have to educate people on the dynamics of a truckload market? We often see many shippers spending time educating their internal constituents on the subject. This dynamic isn’t new, but it can still be more than frustrating; it can throw a transportation management strategy off track.  Read More...