A Transportation Management System (TMS) is a vital component of modern freight logistics. Without this essential software, businesses lack critical visibility into the real-time location of their drivers and cargo. I can’t imagine operating in the freight and logistics industry without it!
In 2011, I collaborated with the team at ResultWorx, a division of BIS Computer Solutions based in Los Angeles, California, to develop the first proof-of-concept version of the ResultWorx TMS platform, Load-Logix. This project laid the foundation for a powerful solution designed to streamline freight management and improve operational efficiency.
The first version of this software was designed completely bespoke around an individual freight broker’s requirements building out the feature set they required in their day-to-day operations – functions they were previously tracking with Excel and old-fashioned pen-and-paper.
Those features included but were not limited to:
- Map view of all available and unavailable drivers in the TMS.
- Live real-time newsfeed of driver availability as users throughout the organization updated the driver database.
- Ability to “cover” a driver to keep another operator from communicating with or updating driver information if a specific back-office operator was already working with the driver. (You can see this in the screenshot, where in the news feed, the record is blocked from updates.)
- Integration with GPS and automated calling systems to determine a driver’s location, whether or not they have a smartphone. This eliminates the need for back-office employees to manually call drivers for location updates.
- Rich reporting to drill down based on truck type, location, availability, desired destination, and more.
Technologies utilized in development of this initial TMS application included JavaScript, PHP, and the Google Maps API.
The Load-Logix platform would eventually spin-off into a standalone SaaS platform after my time at BIS and is now used by multiple customers in the management of their freight and logistics operations
Does your organization need help building something like this? I can help! Drop me a DM and let’s make it happen.
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