The entire global economy runs on logistics networks. Those logistics networks run on transportation software. It’s hardly an exaggeration to say that these tools are essential for making everything from our morning cups of coffee to filling up our cars at the gas tank possible.
But what is this software powering the global economy and what benefits does it provide? If you’re interested in accessing those benefits, how can you choose the software that’s right for you? Below we answer these and many more crucial questions.
What is transportation software?
Transportation software (often called transportation management software) helps organizations manage complex logistics networks. This may include monitoring the position of trucks, trains, and ships, calculating optimal routes, predictive maintenance, data collection and analysis, and much more.
What are 5 benefits of a transportation software?
Considering all the things this software can do, the full list of benefits is quite long. However, there are 5 key benefits that you really need to understand.
Accurate Reporting and Analytics
Managing sprawling and complex logistics networks requires accurate data about everything in those networks. This is why transportation software generally automates the process of gathering, analyzing, and reporting this information. For example, you might create a custom dashboard to monitor a specific region.
The challenge can come with synthesizing millions of individual data points into actionable information. So the way a piece of transportation software visualizes and presents information can be just as important as how it gathers it.
But ensuring all of this data is accurate and well presented is so important because it’s the basis of critical decisions. Whether it’s where to invest resources to upgrade fleets or whether to reroute around a storm, transportation and logistics companies thrive or fail based on such decisions.
Improved Efficiency
One of the main benefits companies can unlock from all that data and analytics is improved efficiency. For example, by studying data from many combinations of routes, drivers, tire types, truck types, etc. a company can determine the optimal setup for its truck fleet.
Because of the scale at which so many transportation companies operate, even small efficiency gains can translate into substantial savings. In fact, to remain competitive, these companies need to constantly be searching for new ways to optimize their networks. Powerful software capable of identifying such opportunities thus forms the backbone of that competitiveness.
Compliance and Safety
Whether you’re talking about captaining ships, driving trucks, or flying planes, safety and compliance are paramount. This is both for the safety of everyone involved and to comply with strict regulations around how transportation and logistics companies operate.
Transportation software can help automate these rules. For example, by ensuring truck drivers take their mandatory rest breaks or that maintenance is done on vehicles before safety becomes compromised.
Such software can also help with compliance by gathering safety data and generating the right reports needed by regulators. This both helps ensure standards are met and streamlines the entire process. The result is transportation companies that are safer, more efficient, and less burdened by regulations.
Enhanced Visibility and Tracking
Managing a global fleet of vehicles and the logistics network they enable requires knowing where things are. Transportation software can ensure this happens by providing real-time tracking for all your shipments.
As a result, companies can inform their customers when to expect a delay. They can also make necessary adjustments to other shipments to ensure the entire system continues to operate at maximum efficiency. In this way, the visibility and tracking this software provides is essential for great customer service and efficient operations alike.
Cost Savings
All of the benefits listed here boil down to one fundamental end: cost savings. From ensuring your operations are as efficient as possible to streamlining compliance, all of these benefits save transportation companies money.
This is why the right transportation software can easily pay for itself many times over. So the question is, how can you choose the software that’s best equipped to deliver these and other benefits you need?
Choosing the right transportation software for your business
The first step to selecting transportation software is understanding what exactly your needs are. Do you want a custom enterprise-level solution capable of tracking thousands of shipments at once? Or, would an off-the-shelf piece of software meet your needs?
Start by building a prioritized list of the features and capabilities you want. From there you can compare existing options and talk to custom transportation software development companies to understand your options.
Just be sure to think beyond the present. You ideally want software that’s scalable, adaptable, and ready to evolve along with your business. Any choice is going to involve trade-offs, but that flexibility is always key to long-term sustainability and success.
