As the transportation sector becomes more layered and complex, transportation management solutions must respond in kind with more advanced in-app functionality and logistics planning. Most standalone transportation management systems are too limited to encapsulate the tiered complexity of an international, multi-segment supply chain, but technology that can integrate and converge transportation with other supply chain functions, such as order management, set the new industry standard.

What you look for in a transportation management system should vary depending on a variety of factors, including but not limited to:

• Distribution area (regional or global)
  
• Network size
  
• Existing operations for enterprise resource planning (ERP)
  
• Communications with in-house and/or 3PL Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
  
• Multiple sourcing and distribution channels
  
• Product type and regulation and/or storage constraints
  
• Varying service level agreements (SLAs)
  
• Exception events
  
• Regional stability
  

Transportation management is a key component of supply chain optimization, especially as global networks become increasingly broad and complex, involving multiple origins, destinations and modes of transport. Today’s transportation management system (TMS) is highly integrated and data-driven to meet challenges head-on and provide greater control and insight across the network - from manufacturers and distributors to shippers and logistics service providers.

Here are some of the key ways the solution has developed to provide greater intelligence and optimization across the multi-party ecosystem, improving flexibility, agility, and resiliency.