5 Things Every Freight Management Software Should Do

Your business spends a great deal of money on shipping freight. Every year, your transportation spend increases as fluctuations in capacity and fuel prices deplete a large chunk of your revenue. Can you confidently say that you're paying the best possible price on every shipment you make? If not, you might consider using freight management software to uncover hidden freight savings.

Our system simplifies freight planning by giving you a "big picture" look at your freight spend and lane usage over time. That's just the beginning. Here's five things every TMS should do.

1. Bid Procurement

You should be able to compare rates from several carriers all at once through one system. Most LTL-specific carriers will provide rates electronically and your software should be able to accept that data in real-time and display it to you easily when you're running a quote. Booking LTL and truckloads can all be handled online, and you should never have to resort to calling around for rate and service.

Cirrus TMS goes one step further. We've partnered up with FreightCenter to provide affordable rates and services from their large network of carriers. So whether you have your own contracts or not you'll be able to compare more rates from more carriers, which ultimately lets you confidently select the absolute best rate available. The system also lets you match new truckload bids to past loads and to available trucking companies within a radius of your pickup zip code.

2. Dispatch Carriers & Track Shipments

It's 2014 and scheduling pickups and deliveries should be as simple as setting an appointment. More and more carriers have enabled GPS tracking of drivers and loads and this information should be available to you as it happens. LTL shipping is almost an entirely automated process, but there is still some manual functions of securing full or partial loads.

Cirrus TMS can handle both your LTL and truckload volume. The system can post to popular load boards like DAT and Internet Truckstop, or any load board of your choosing. With our truckload dispatch board, you will be able to see all of your bids and in progress shipments. New truckload features are constantly being added to our system or we can customize any feature for you.

2. Load Execution

You shouldn't have to wait to find out if a carrier has capacity at the quoted rate you received. If you book a rate with a carrier that may or may not have the space or trucks available to provide the service, than you're going to go through the headaches of missed pickup dates and delayed deliveries. Both of those can be a huge hindrance to effectively running a supply chain.

Cirrus TMS users execute inbound and outbound shipments with ease. Our system automates load tendering and empowers your shipping or sales department to do more in less time.

3. Advanced Reporting

A business is only as good as the data it relies upon to make decisions and strategize for growth. A good system will let you view and export historical shipment data, carrier data and customer data. You should be able to tell within seconds whether your freight spend increased or decreased month to month.

Cirrus TMS is only a placeholder for your data. You completely control what goes into your system and what comes out. Export your shipment data daily and import it into your accounting software - like QuickBooks - so you can audit and settle carrier invoices.

4. Return on Investment

ROI is a no brainer. What is the use of software that doesn't pay for itself either immediately or within a short period of time?

Our system gives you three different ways to achieve ROI: compare multiple rates, optimize routes, and execute loads. When you compare multiple rates, you get to shrink the spread between the best price and the next best price. Use your reports to identify high-cost lanes and optimize your routes. Improve the productivity and efficiency of your shipping or sales department to reduce labor costs.