The Industry's Premier TMS Technology
Our proven, web-based TMS technology was designed by transportation experts and built specifically to handle the rigors of day-to-day freight operations. The system offers a complete menu of planning, execution, and settlement functions, in addition to strategic procurement capabilities.
Key features include:
- Bids and Procurement
- Bulk Planning
- Mode/Route Optimization
- Continuous Moves
- Automated Shipment Tender
- Rate Assignment
- Carrier Broadcast
- Shipment Monitors
- Yard Management
- Dock Scheduling
- Inbound Transportation
- Visibility
- Claims Management
- Business Intelligence
- Reverse Logistics
Bids and Procurement
Our constraint-based bidding software, Navisphere®, empowers clients by helping determine the optimal combination of carrier capacity and rates across their transportation networks. Our tools help clients constrain scenarios based upon real-world requirements, such as price, service, equipment type, and transit time. Our application can help clients determine the lowest landed cost across multiple series of lanes and consider proposed rates and capacity in a single lane. Unlike most procurement applications, our solution integrates directly with our web-based TMS to ensure a seamless transition from bid result to day-to-day execution. Carriers also benefit from web-based access that includes robust metrics and detailed information regarding freight characteristics to ensure accurate bidding.
Bulk Planning and Order Optimization
Our optimization technology supports high volume, complex order aggregation and rating and optimization scenarios. Both cube utilization and weight optimization are supported. During the bulk planning process, simple consolidation, multi-stop truckloads, straight LTL, and truckload shipments are automatically created based upon a client's business and customer-specific requirements. Complex multi-leg shipments, crossdocking, pool points, and inbound and outbound freight networks are supported. Transportation modeling capabilities enable clients to design and model optimized freight networks.
Mode and Route Optimization
Route optimization creates the most efficient routing and scheduling plans. Our optimization tools efficiently match orders to optimally planned routes. They also increase control by enabling the movement of orders or shipments between routes, dynamically changing route sequences, establishing zones or regions, and executing pool points or crossdocks. Specified equipment, ship windows, and customer delivery requirements are standard criteria considered during the optimization process. During planning, the optimization tools will recommend the best mode of transportation, such as LTL, truckload, or intermodal, based upon best cost and service requirements.
Continuous Moves
Our tools identify complementary shipments within a freight network or series of freight networks to help utilize truckload capacity more effectively and reduce carbon emissions. Our tools evaluate the client's freight network, both from a historical and real-time perspective. Routine round trips are typically identified through the historical data. Dynamic, real-time opportunities are created based upon real-world scenarios, such as capacity and product availability, appointment scheduling, and customer-specific shipping requirements. Freight payment is also supported.
Automated Shipment Tender
Our technology seamlessly translates bid events and sophisticated procurement strategies to day-to-day operations. Client procurement strategies generally prioritize carrier preference by cost or service rankings. Our automated process includes carrier capacity constraints provided by the client's core carrier community. Multiple tendering techniques are supported, such as by cost, by rank, or by percent awarded to a lane. Simple and complex scenarios are also supported, such as three- to six-digit ZIP to ZIP, city to city, city to state, state to state, or region to region. Various combinations of the above to support additional rating strategies or inbound and outbound networks are also supported.
Both web-based and EDI tendering is available. Carriers are given a set time (shot clock) within which to respond to an electronic tender. If a carrier does not respond or rejects the shipment, the tender is withdrawn, the event is documented, and the shipment is tendered automatically and electronically to the next carrier on the routing guide. This process is linked directly to our business intelligence tools to ensure accurate and robust carrier scorecards and identify cost opportunities.
Rate Assignment and Freight Payment
Managed TMSTM includes complete rate assignment at the time of tender and freight payment capabilities. This process dramatically increases invoice accuracy and eliminates costly and environmentally unfriendly paperwork. Since 2004, we have measured and proven that our auto-pay process reduces carrier and client costs while increasing carrier and client satisfaction. Clients and carriers benefit from the ability to review detailed or line item freight charges in real time.
Our process allows the carrier to accept the known charges at the time of tender, so the carrier can identify discrepancies before the load ever ships. Further, clients are able to begin the accrual process when a shipment tender is accepted. To help ensure data accuracy and timely billing, we've connected core processes, such as requiring completed delivery status before payment. Online accessorial management, which allows a client to approve/review a submitted accessorial before the billing process is completed, is also available.
Carrier Broadcast and Spot Bid
Carrier broadcast functionality and our spot quote tools help clients obtain automated market rates in real time. In the event that a client has exhausted the routing guide or wants to perform a spot bid to obtain a rate, our web-based application will notify a pre-selected group of carriers or broader carrier community of a new rate opportunity. Shipment characteristics and requirements are communicated electronically to carriers to ensure accurate bidding. Once a carrier has submitted their bid, rates queue up in real time for a planner to review, approve, or even negotiate further. Rates can be coded as a one-time event; they can also be planned as a regular occurrence or route guide update.
Shipment Monitors and Proactive Track and Trace
Managed TMSTM allows a client to preestablish specific logistical events and associated monitoring systems. Typical schematics include monitoring on time arrival and departure from shipping locations, driver check calls in transit, and on time arrival at a consignee. In the event that a logistics milestone is not complete, our system will document the event, update scorecards, and route information accordingly to pre-selected parties. This technique helps reduce costs, improve service, and expedite communication across the client's supply chain.
Monitors can also be configured to perform proactive analyses to warn clients and carriers of events that are likely to happen, such as missed delivery appointments on critical shipments.
Yard Management
Our Yard Management System (YMS) provides trailer and inventory visibility leading to increased control, improved productivity, and reduced detention charges. Our YMS is integrated with our TMS technology, allowing clients to coordinate trailer and dock appointments and manage trailer inventory in conjunction with product availability. Shipping managers have complete visibility to available trailers, loading trailers, and departed shipments. Exception management is easily facilitated through this application.
Dock and Appointment Scheduling
Our web-based appointment scheduling tools provide visibility throughout the client's supply chain, allowing staff to increase control and automate work flows. Supply chains and carrier communities benefit from the 24/7 availability, ease of use, and collaborative work environment.
Our process engineers work with the client's organization to optimize and create a digital version of their network and dock configuration and associated rules, such as loading/unloading rules and times, available docks, product requirements, and inbound or outbound networks. Our scheduling tools are integrated with our YMS and core TMS technology, helping to streamline processes and maximize visibility. These tools can also be configured as a kiosk for drivers to obtain or submit information when they arrive at and depart from a client's facility.
Inbound Transportation and Supplier Management
Our web-based supplier applications bring software to a client's suppliers, allowing for visibility and control throughout the supply chain. Complete order life cycle capability is provided from online order entry, optimization, freight tender, track/trace, freight payment, and online visibility. Our process engineers are available to model a client's inbound network, help convert payment terms, facilitate change management, and train their supply base, carriers, and internal stakeholders to ensure successful execution.
Visibility, Exception Management, and Information Routing
Our process engineers design core processes and client-specific event codes and leverage our software capabilities to collect order and shipment status information from all trading partners throughout the life of a shipment. Preestablished monitors and criteria facilitate the routing information and key logistical events to internal stakeholders, carriers, and other supply chain partners. This information is available via custom searches or alerts online. Or information can be sent electronically according to customer-specific requirements or "what if" scenarios. For example, late delivery information on a specific client may only need to be routed electronically to a subset of users or supply chain associates. Clients can select visibility rights and routing information through the supply chain, ranging from sales, customer service, manufacturing, third party warehouses, suppliers, and others.
Carriers can submit status updates online or via EDI. If a carrier misses a status update, our system will notify the carrier and update their scorecard accordingly. Both clients and carriers can search for shipments via pro number, shipment number, or customer identification number. Advanced searches allow users to search by almost any criteria. A shipment can be viewed online at any point during its life cycle. All information is provided based on the user's rights.
Claims Management
Managed TMSTM provides clients with the tools to document, manage, and track claims. Major alerts and milestones can be preconfigured to help manage the claims process. All relevant documents and paperwork can be stored electronically to reduce paperwork and increase ease of administration. Custom reports can be run to update stakeholders and provide additional analysis.
Business Intelligence
Our business intelligence tools lead the industry in ease of use, depth and range of available reports, speed, availability, and data accuracy. Our process engineers and power users work with clients and carriers to implement control processes to ensure accurate data and the collection of customer-specific data elements, eliminating the pitfall of inaccurate or questionable data.
Clients benefit from our preestablished reports and can create ad hoc reports on demand. Customer-specific business requirements, calculations, and formats are part of our service. Our reports are available at a summary or dashboard level. Drill down capability, shipment detail, and root cause analysis are also supported. Freight characteristics, spend, performance, financial analysis, and trend analysis are also available.
Reverse Logistics
Managed TMSTM provides functionality to execute and report on returns and over, short, or damaged products. Preconfigured business rules govern return authorization and ensure compliance. Sophisticated reporting enables analytical reviews and root cause analysis associated with reverse logistics.
