14 Trimble Transportation What to Look for in a TMS For almost any size or type of operation, a TMS is a good investment. Trimble Transportation What to Look for in a TMS Total Solutions • Is it to grow the top line by boosting freight volume and improving relationships with your customers? • Is it to improve the bottom line by managing business needs and controlling costs? • Choosing the right TMS solution is the critical first step to meeting the challenge head-on. You have a challenge. TMS technology is continually evolving and addressing emerging trends, needs and functions for a variety of operating models. However, a TMS does not solve management issues. It can facilitate management practices but it will not fix poor business processes. While choosing the right TMS depends on a wide range of factors, with so many options to choose from, companies increasingly fail to identify the solution that aligns with their strategy and supports their transportation processes. Choosing the right type of TMS begins by defining the scope of your transportation needs. All TMS solutions are not equal, notes The Transportation Management Group (TMG), which offers transportation management system consulting services. Each software provider has different features and approaches to transportation management systems and how they should operate. Some may be highly flexible and configurable yet lack the industry expertise to take full advantage of best practices. Others may be so rigid that there is no opportunity to conform to your unique business rules. Driven by growing demand for connectivity and visibility for shippers, outside carriers and increased need for internal management processes and information, TMS adoption rates are rising. On a steady basis, carriers, brokers and 3PLs are turning to their ability to centralize information, streamline management, provide accurate and actionable data and enable analytics capabilities. For almost any size or type of operation, a TMS is a good investment. But it is vitally important to make an informed decision and choose a supplier that offers a total solution for all your information management needs.