TMS (Transportation Management System)
Software carriers, brokers, and shippers use to plan, execute, and track freight movement — dispatch, routing, settlement, and customer communication.
How it works — and why it matters
For a carrier, the TMS is where dispatchers assign drivers to loads, plan routes, capture proof of delivery, and run driver settlements. For a broker or shipper, it manages tendering, carrier selection, rating, and freight audit. Either way, it is the operational system of record for every shipment the business touches.
Because the TMS sits at the center of freight operations, it is also the natural integration hub: load tenders arrive via EDI or API, telematics feeds update shipment status, and invoices flow out to customers. How well a TMS connects to the systems around it largely determines how much manual re-entry an operations team lives with.