Blog > Last mile delivery

The best transport management software in 2023

28 February 2023 | 7 min read

If you have to hire carriers or regularly plan transport routes, this question has probably already crossed your mind.
But it is difficult to find your way around, as there are many transport software systems on the market with different management features.

The most important is to find the application, which will really meet your needs and uses.

Let us help you, by comparing 5 of the leading transport management software. In this article, we will look at their use cases and features, their target market, their pricing and the quality of their customer service.

• AntsRoute
• Alpega
• Shiptify
• Shipingbo
• Rout4me

When do you need transport management software?

Whether you are an online seller, freight forwarder, logistics provider or carrier, you are probably familiar with the term TMS (Transport Management System).
TMS software is designed to manage the entire transport part of the logistics chain. They automate and optimise transport planning from upstream to downstream: from the definition of transport plans to reporting. These improvements often result in better traceability and a reduction in the transport budget.
There are also some Transport Management Systems that include route optimisation features.
And on the other hand, route optimisation software now integrates related functionalities: from the setting up of delivery resources and vehicles to invoicing.

In order to choose between these different applications, you will need to determine which features you really need.

The 7 main features of transport management software are listed below:

• Traceability and tracking of shipments: get complete overview of your shipments, to track your transports in real time and be informed of the location and current status of all your deliveries.
• Planning of routes: optimise the routes of your shipments and deliveries, taking into account your transport capacities and vehicles, traffic and traffic conditions.
• Management of transport costs: estimate the fuel costs, taxes, tolls, customs fees, carbon emissions and other costs associated with each shipment.
• Management of transport documents: this includes invoices, delivery notes and customs documents.
• Management of returns: manage product returns and exchanges, as well as refund requests.
• Management of stocks and orders: monitor stock movements and levels and orders in real time.
• Analysis and reports: monitor supply chain performance and make more informed and strategic decisions.

The features are different, depending on whether you are a shipper or a carrier. You can find these differences on our dedicated article.

Once you have defined your needs, you can move on to selecting the right transport software.

What are the criteria for selecting transport software?

The first criterion to be considered is of course the features available. But we advise you not to stop there.

There are at least 6 other criteria to analyse:

1. Integrations – the software selected must be compatible with your company’s other IT systems:
   • CRM: customer relationship management system
   • ERP: in-house accounting and billing system
   • e-commerce application: Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.
   • WMS: warehouse management system
2. Ease of use: Your TMS should be easy to use for all users in the company, including transport operators, logistics managers or employees responsible for invoicing.
3. Customisation: Your business, your products and your processes are rarely duplicatable. Make sure that the software you choose can be customised to your business and technical terms.
4. Pricing: Most software is now offered in SaaS mode, with registration in the cloud. Therefore, you will mainly be offered subscriptions. But it is important to check for any additional costs, such as training costs, installation or maintenance costs, updates or licences if it is not in SaaS mode.
5. Technical support: Your transport probably doesn’t stop at office hours. So remember to check if you can have access to reliable and responsive technical support at any time, in case of issues or questions. This is particularly important if you choose SaaS software that you cannot edit in-house.
6. Performance and security: The TMS must be able to manage all the required information efficiently without interruption or delay. It must also have reliable security mechanisms to protect the corporate data and guarantee the privacy of the information.

The best transport management software

Among the transport management software available on the market, we have selected 5 that offer complementary features.

1. The AntsRoute route optimization software

The AntsRoute transport software was initially a French software for route optimisation. However, it has gradually expanded its functionalities to include solutions, such as fleet and field service management and logistics performance analysis.

It offers:

• The pick-up and delivery route planning and route optimisation, with real-time geolocation.
• The fleet management and optimisation of vehicle loads for courier activities. Thanks to the AntsRoute Scan application, field workers can scan each parcel before starting their routes. The application indicates to them in which truck this package should be loaded and at which moment in the route this package will be delivered. This optimises the loading process and saves a considerable amount of time.
• The integration with several e-commerce platforms (WooCommerce, Shopify via Zapier, PrestaShop). It allows you to retrieve in real time all the information about the orders to be delivered and to plan the delivery routes immediately.
• The real-time tracking of shipments, with a tracking link sent to the customers.
• The analysis and monitoring of logistics KPIs.

Its great advantage is its ease of use and its very responsive customer service, with telephone support, chat and an extensive FAQ.
It is available with a subscription from 24 euros per month.
It can be used by companies of all sizes in the retail and logistics industries. But it can also be used to schedule appointments and field services in the health care and food delivery sectors.
In contrast to other TMS software, it does not offer stock management or tracking of maritime transport.

2. The 100% digital TMS from Shiptify

The Shiptify TMS software allows companies of all types to manage their shipments from start to finish.
It is perfect if you charter many carriers around the world and want to create pick-up routes at multiple locations, while maintaining centralized control.

It includes:

• The planning of shipments worldwide.
• The stock management.
• The invoicing, the management of quotations, orders, and labelling.
• The tracking of shipments and deliveries, with geolocation, notification and real-time reporting.
• The daily monitoring of performance with centralized dashboards.

Designed for business and warehouse managers, it is not as customisable as other TMSs and does not offer public pricing.
Compared to the Antsroute software, it does not offer integration with e-commerce platforms, neither route optimisation, with tracking of kilometres, fuel and returns, etc.

3. Alpega TMS – end-to-end transport management system

The Alpega TMS software is mainly designed for medium and large companies.
Like the first two, it is cloud-based, but can be implemented at the customer site as a single module or as a complete transport management system.

It offers:

• The route planning;
• The shipment optimisation;
• The stock management;
• The invoicing;
• The tracking of deliveries and traceability.

It is perfect for manufacturers, retailers and logistics service providers transporting raw materials in bulk or in large containers. It can be used for road, rail and sea transport, in part or full loads.

It is very complete and helps to optimise staff planning, transport costs and reduce delay costs.
The initial configuration of Alpega TMS may be a bit complex at first, but could be solved with their support service. However, it does not have a free version and online chat, neither public prices. It also lacks CRM and sales order management, but it can connect with other systems and offers a tender management system.
Its system does not include some route optimisation features, such as mileage and fuel consumption tracking.

4. The Route4me route planning system

Route4Me is a flexible route planning software for small and medium-sized companies, especially for couriers and field salesmen.
It is based on worldwide maps and search and categorisation functions.

Based on this data and the information provided on the customers, it is able to:

• Create, plan, manage and share optimised routes;
• Optimise routes;
• Improve fleet management;
• Track and geolocate drivers in real time;
• Analyse performance.

Route4Me enables the integration of the data and addresses of thousands of customers. Depending on the needs, operators are able to reassign drivers, change their routes and monitor their movements in real time.

The mobile application also allows you to add electronic signatures, photos or other notes and to send automatic notifications in case of changes.
It integrates with Google Maps, Shopify and Salesforce Pardot. It also offers solutions to manage the stocks and suppliers, and to track mileage and fuel consumption. But it does not support real-time reporting, appointment management, order labelling and shipping management.
There is a free version, but it is rather limited in terms of functionality. The paid version starts at $199 per month.
It is known for its flexibility and ability to adapt to the needs of companies, although some reliability problems have been reported.

5. The e-commerce TMS Shippingbo

The Shippingbo E-commerce TMS is the last software presented in this article.
It is offered in addition to WMS and e-commerce OMS.
It ensures both:

• The planning of shipments;
• The management of stocks;
• The invoicing;
• The tracking of deliveries.

It helps to reduce the time between the taking of orders and their dispatch, and to communicate with customers about the status of their orders and any delays.

It is possible to integrate a product catalogue via marketplaces and CMS, such as Magento, PrestaShop, WooCommerce, Shopify and Wizishop. This interconnection facilitates the monitoring of orders, shipments, stock levels and returns.
It can also generate notifications and reports on completed transports.
It is available from 9.90 euros per month.
However, it does not include a module for organising appointments, optimising routes, and monitoring fuel consumption and miles travelled.
And it doesn’t have 24/7 online or direct support, which may explain why some reviews mention customer service being a bit slow to respond.

As mentioned above, these 5 software packages offer different functionalities and services, which must be studied on a case-by-case basis according to your needs.
If the AntsRoute transport software ticks these boxes, our customer service team is available online to answer all your questions.