How to choose a TMS: 12 questions to ask before you sign.
To choose a TMS, run every demo on one of your own loads and ask each vendor the same 12 questions. Count the clicks from rate confirmation to invoice, see what the driver app records, and ask who picks up when it breaks. Then get the all-in price per office user, driver seat and EDI transaction in writing.
- The 12 questions in the order a demo runs: order, dispatch, invoice, driver pay
- What a good answer sounds like, and the answers that should make you walk
- A scorecard to rate up to three TMS vendors side by side
- Cross-border checks: ACE and ACI, PARS and PAPS, CAD and USD billing
- How to make the case to your partner and who to bring to the demo
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Ask every vendor the same questions, in the same order.
Bring one of your real loads to every demo. Here are the questions and what a good answer sounds like; the guide adds the scorecard.
Show me one of my loads from rate con to invoice. How many clicks, and how many times do we type the customer, rate and stops?
Good answer: Typed once at the order, then it carries through dispatch, the driver app and the invoice. You count the clicks yourself.
When my driver gets to the shipper, how does the arrival time get on the load, and can I bill detention off it?
Good answer: The arrival time comes from the driver app or from telematics and lands on the trip, and billing can use it for detention without anyone keying it in again.
Can I file ACE and ACI e-manifests from the trip, and bill US customers in USD and Canadian customers in CAD without a second system?
Good answer: Yes, from the trip. The manifest is built from the load you dispatched, the driver gets what they need for the crossing, and each customer is invoiced in their own currency.
Does IFTA come from the trips we already dispatched, or does someone rebuild miles every quarter?
Good answer: Miles by state and province come from the dispatched trips and the truck's GPS or ELD data, fuel comes in with them, and you review it truck by truck before you file.
What's the all-in monthly price for my office staff and my drivers, with every module I need?
Good answer: One written quote with each office user, each driver seat, every module you need and the onboarding fee, before you sign.
What does EDI cost at my load count (setup, monthly and per transaction), and who fixes it when the 214s stop?
Good answer: Three numbers in writing (setup, monthly and per transaction) priced at your real monthly volume, and an EDI team you can call by name.
Do invoices and driver pay post to QuickBooks or Sage, or does my bookkeeper type them in again?
Good answer: They post to your accounting package with your accounts and tax codes matched at setup. Your bookkeeper checks them, they don't re-key them.
What comes over from my old system, who loads it, and what do we re-key by hand?
Good answer: A written import list (customers, drivers, trucks, trailers, carriers), a named person who walks you through the templates, and a straight answer on what isn't on the list.
How many days from signing to running real loads, and who's my person the whole way?
Good answer: A date range for a fleet your size, a named onboarding specialist, and a customer your size you can call who went live on time.
When the system's down or EDI stops at 6pm, who picks up, and do they know trucking?
Good answer: Published live support hours, a person who knows trucking on the other end, and an emergency line after hours. Not a ticket number and a callback tomorrow.
How long is the contract, does it auto-renew, and how much notice do I give to leave?
Good answer: Term, renewal and notice in plain words on the order form, and the same answer the rep gave on the demo.
If I leave, how do I get my loads, customers and invoices back, in what format, and how long do I have to ask?
Good answer: It's in the contract: you ask, you get a file you can open, and the window to ask is written down.
TMS buying questions
How do I choose a TMS for my trucking company?
Run each demo on one of your real loads, not the vendor's sample, and ask every vendor the same questions in the same order. Count the clicks from order to invoice, check what the driver app puts on the trip, ask what your data import covers, and get the price, the term and the exit terms in writing before you sign.
How much does TMS software cost?
Most TMS pricing is a monthly fee per office user, plus driver-app seats, add-on modules and EDI fees. TransPlus Fleet Manager starts at $350 a month for one user and Logistics Manager at $500 a month for one user, billed quarterly. Driver seats, EDI and onboarding are quoted for your fleet before you sign.
How long does it take to switch to a new TMS?
Onboarding takes 30 to 90 days depending on fleet size and data migration, and most Fleet Manager customers are live within 60 days, with a named onboarding specialist. Your customers, drivers, trucks, trailers and carriers come over through TransPlus import templates, so you know what is on the list before day one.
What cross-border questions should a Canadian carrier ask on a TMS demo?
Ask whether you can file ACE and ACI e-manifests from the trip, track PARS and PAPS, get the clearance to the driver's phone, and bill a US customer in USD and a Canadian customer in CAD without a second system. Then ask who you call when a truck is held at the border.