As transportation costs skyrocket, having the right dispatching software in place is more critical now than ever. And the good news is that vendors have developed some robust options to serve the needs of both small and big fleets.
Soup-to-nuts packages in this space integrate all aspects of your trucking — including dispatching, driver management, IFTA fuel tax reporting and DOT compliance — with related systems, like billing and accounting.
Integration Equals Power
“We highly recommend one unified system for all department functions,” says Al Ceric, CEO, Axis TMS.
Jerry Noonan, president, Truckwin Software, agrees. He explained, “The more integrations you work with, the more confusing and less organized you become. Keep it simple, have one software program that does everything for you.”
But there are also smaller, stand-alone dispatch packages that offer basic services that can be integrated into your legacy accounting and other already existing systems — systems that you may want to hold onto.
“Integration is key to a full-featured dispatch system,” stated Joanne Gulnac, general manager, HighJump, makers of Prophesy software (https://mile.com). “Integrations with electronic logging devices, GPS, mobile communications systems, financial packages, imaging systems, and customer tracking portals will streamline and eliminate the double entry of data. This increases productivity — while assuring accuracy.”
Features Overview
The primary advantage of any system you go with is an easy-to-use, graphic overview of your entire trucking operation, which can be easily managed with just a few points and clicks.
Key features to look for in these systems, according to trucking dispatch specialists, include:
• Birds-Eye-View of Your Trucking: Virtually every dispatch system these days offers a birds-eye-view of your trucking operations. But you’ll want to evaluate a number of graphic overviews to see which one feels right for your company.
• Rich Color-Coding: Many providers, like ProTransport, have taken great pains to color-code their graphic interfaces to ensure you can more easily understand what’s going on with your fleet. Color is a key tool in all these systems – so again, opt for the style you feel will work best.
• One-Touch Fleet Status View: Any decent dispatch software will be able to instantly show you where your trucks are, where your drivers are, who’s behind schedule and who’s on time. “Visibility to all loads that need to be moved, what drivers are available, automated rating and driver pay,” are essential to any decent trucking dispatch program, according to HighJump’s Gulnac.
• Route Optimization: Some programs, like TMW’s Applian Direct Route, will take a look at your routes and find the best way to minimize wear-and-tear on your trucks, hours on the road and other variables — ultimately to find the lowest cost option for any shipment. Added Truckwin Software’s Noonan, “Not only is it important to know your cost on a day-to-day basis, but to track those costs efficiently so decisions can be made with proper reporting.”
• Vehicle Maintenance Monitor: Programs like HighJump enable you to stay current on your vehicle maintenance needs for each truck in your fleet, and also offer automated alerts when scheduled maintenance is looming due.
• Deadhead/Load Availability Matching: PCS Software and some other solutions are equipped to match any deadhead truck you have to any loads you have available – and vice versa. This will be a definite plus for you if you find you have a lot of drivers sitting around idle.
• Google Maps Integration: A number of packages can superimpose a view of your entire fleet over Google Maps to give you a true, real world view of what’s going on.
• Mobile-Ready: Given that so many truckers are using smartphones and tablets to keep in touch with dispatchers, mobile-ready dispatch software is pretty much a must these days.
• Automated Dispatcher/Driver Communications: Some solutions, like PCS Software, automate a lot of the routine communications between dispatchers and drivers so that both parties can focus on more pressing matters.
• A Window on Operations for All Stakeholders: While your dispatch software will be relied upon most heavily by your dispatchers and drivers, knowing where trucks are and how shipments are going is also important to other company departments like accounting, sales, marketing and more. Some packages, like HighJump’s Prophesy, ensure that all pertinent company departments get their particular take on what’s going on with the company’s shipments at all times.
“Giving dispatchers, along with other people in the office, visibility to all loads and drivers is key to effectively managing the operation,” said Gulnac. “It also allows users to provide up-to-date information to customers on the status of loads they may be looking for information on.”
• Customization: Many programs, including Axon, allow you to create custom reports to help you do business your way. With Axon, for example, you’re able to set up a custom report that will give you a snapshot of the last location of every one of your trucks — a ‘nice-to-glimpse-at’ just before you plan to call it a day.
Axon also allows you to set your own status descriptions — words you use to indicate available drivers, out-of-service drivers, waylaid drivers — so that the software talks to you in your own language.
• Customer Portal: One of the coolest features of doing business with UPS, FedEx and the like is that you can use their portal to track a shipment coming your way. Fortunately, some truck dispatch packages, like HighJump’s Prophesy, offer your customers the same kind of portal to track shipments on your trucks.
Finally, when evaluating the market, don’t make a decision on price alone, suggested HighJump’s Gulnac. “Make sure it does what you need it to do while considering the investment amount.
“Also, look for a system that will grow with you — one that is scalable. You may not need all the features offered today. But this will prevent you from outgrowing the system and having to implement a new one down the road.”
The Top Ten Truck Dispatch Solutions
The dispatch packages below represent the best the industry has to offer, according to a 2017 report released by RTS Financial, an IT trucking service provider (http://www.rtsfinancial.com/articles/dispatch-software-products-trucking-companies#).
While some are designed for businesses that have very large truck fleets — perhaps fleets larger than a pallet or lumber company would ever need — all of the top packages are worthy of study.
Essentially, when you take a look at the most comprehensive solutions the industry has to offer alongside some more modest offerings, you’ll have a much better idea of what you need — and what you don’t.
Here are the top ten, according to RTS Financial:
• Axon Trucking Software (www.axonsoftware.com)
• TMW Systems (www.tmwsystems.com)
• PCS Software (www.pcssoft.com)
• Prophesy (https://mile.com)
• ProTransport (www.pro-transport.com)
• ITS Dispatch (https://truckstop.com/product/tms)
• Tailwind Transportation Software (https://www.tailwindtransportationsoftware.com)
• McCleod Software (www.mcleodsoftware.com)
• Trinium Technologies (www.triniumtech.com)
• Trucking Office (www.truckingoffice.com)
