A TMS and fleet management software do different jobs. A transportation management system (TMS) runs the freight: orders, dispatch, tracking, driver pay and invoicing. Fleet management software (FMS) runs the trucks: telematics, maintenance, fuel and compliance. Most carriers need both jobs done, and the two work best when they pass data to each other instead of being keyed twice.
The names overlap and vendors blur them on purpose, so here is the plain version: what each system does, where the two meet, and when one TMS connected to the ELD you already run covers enough of the fleet side. We build Fleet Manager, a TMS for asset-based carriers, so we will also say where it stops.
What is the difference between a TMS and fleet management software?
A TMS answers "where is the freight, and have we been paid for it?" Fleet management software answers "where is the truck, and is it fit to run?" Side by side:
| Area | TMS | Fleet management software |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Moves loads from order to invoice | Keeps trucks, trailers, and drivers road-ready |
| Who works in it | Dispatchers, billing, and payroll | The safety manager and the shop |
| Core record | The load or trip | The truck or unit |
| Money | Builds driver pay and customer invoices | Tracks what each truck costs to run: fuel, repairs, and parts |
| Location data | Shows the truck on the trip board against the load | Collects location, speed, and engine data from the device in the cab |
| Compliance | Driver files, safety records, and the IFTA report built from trip miles and fuel | Hours of service, inspections, maintenance history, and often IFTA miles by jurisdiction |
Run separately, the two leave somebody keying the same truck, driver and trip into two systems. Connected, dispatch sees the truck, the shop sees the miles, and billing sees the delivery without a phone call.
What does a TMS do for a trucking company?
A TMS runs the work between a customer tendering a load, by phone, email or EDI, and the payment landing. For a carrier, that means:
- Order entry: the load goes in once, with the customer, rate, stops and references.
- Dispatch and the trip board: assign the truck, trailer and driver, and see every load on one board.
- Track and trace: truck positions and ETAs come in from the ELD, so dispatch makes fewer check calls.
- Documents: PODs and bills of lading attach to the load, so billing is not waiting on paper.
- Driver pay: the TMS builds driver pay and settlements from the trips actually run.
- Invoicing and accounting: the customer invoice comes off the same load and posts to QuickBooks or Sage.
For the longer version, see what a transportation management system is and how it works.
What does fleet management software do?
Fleet management software watches the equipment and the people driving it. Most of it starts with a device in the cab:
- Telematics and GPS: live location, speed, idling and mileage for every unit.
- Hours of service and ELD: driver logs, available hours and violations.
- Engine data: fault codes and diagnostics before a breakdown turns into a tow.
- Maintenance: preventive maintenance schedules, inspections and repair history by unit.
- Fuel: fuel card transactions, consumption and fuel waste by truck and driver.
- Driver safety: harsh braking, speeding and the coaching that follows.
Where do the two overlap?
Four places: truck location, fuel, maintenance status and compliance records. That overlap is where carriers end up paying twice or keying twice. The fix is not a third system. It is letting each system own its job and passing the data between them: location from the ELD into the TMS, fuel purchases from the fuel card into the TMS for IFTA, and maintenance status where dispatch can see it before assigning a unit.
Do you need both a TMS and fleet management software?
Most carriers keep the ELD or telematics system they already run and add a TMS that connects to it. If you run your own shop, a maintenance system may still earn its place. The point is that each system does one job and passes data to the other. Here is how that split works with a fleet TMS such as Fleet Manager:
- Truck positions: come onto the trip board from Samsara, Motive, ISAAC, Geotab, PeopleNet, Omnitracs or FleetHunt. Telematics integration is on every Fleet Manager plan.
- Fuel: fuel card and fuel data from 34 sources come into TransPlus, and Standard and Enterprise plans handle fuel receipts and purchases.
- Safety and compliance: Standard and Enterprise plans include Safety and Compliance Monitoring.
- IFTA: the Enterprise plan builds the quarterly report from trip miles and fuel purchases. You file the return.
- Maintenance: if your shop runs MIR-RT by DataDis, the MIR-RT add-on module sends odometer readings and engine hours to the shop and brings each unit's maintenance status back, so dispatch can see which units are due.
Fleet Manager is not a maintenance or telematics tool. Engine diagnostics, hours of service and driver coaching stay in the ELD platform you already run, and Fleet Manager reads truck positions, ETAs and driver hours from it. If you also broker loads to outside carriers, Fleet Manager includes brokerage, so your own trucks and brokered loads run from one system. See the full list of TransPlus integrations to check your ELD, fuel cards and accounting package.
Fleet Manager: dispatch, driver pay and invoicing in one cloud platform
Fleet Manager is TransPlus's TMS for asset-based carriers, from $350 a month for one user, billed quarterly. 1:1 live technical support on every plan, 7am to 6pm ET, Monday to Friday, with emergency after-hours support.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fleet management and transportation management?
Fleet management looks after the trucks: where they are, how they are running, when they need service and what they burn. Transportation management looks after the freight and the money: orders, dispatch, driver pay and invoices. A carrier needs both jobs done, and most get there with the ELD they already run plus a TMS that connects to it.
Can a TMS replace fleet management software?
For many carriers, a TMS connected to their ELD covers what they used a separate fleet system for. In Fleet Manager that means truck positions on the trip board on every plan, fuel purchases and Safety and Compliance Monitoring on Standard and Enterprise, and the IFTA report on Enterprise. Engine diagnostics, hours of service and driver coaching stay in the telematics platform, which the TMS connects to rather than replaces.
Do I still need my ELD if I have a TMS?
Yes, if your trucks are required to run one. A TMS does not replace the ELD's hours-of-service record. The ELD, and the telematics platform behind it, is the source of truck location and engine data. A TMS such as Fleet Manager connects to it, so positions and ETAs show on the trip board and dispatch makes fewer check calls.
Does TransPlus Fleet Manager do fleet management?
Fleet Manager is a TMS for asset-based carriers, not a telematics tool. It runs dispatch, load and asset planning, driver pay and invoicing, pulls truck positions from Samsara, Motive, ISAAC, Geotab, PeopleNet, Omnitracs or FleetHunt, and adds fuel purchases and Safety and Compliance Monitoring on Standard and Enterprise, and IFTA reporting on Enterprise.
Related reading: cloud-based fleet management software: pros and cons, how to choose fleet management software: a buyer's guide for small and mid-size fleets, and 5 ways a TMS improves fleet maintenance and management.
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