Data-driven TSL: analytical and decision support tools in fireTMS

One of the most important advantages of working with a Transportation Management System (TMS) is the quick access to a wealth of collected information. With all data in one place, you can generate reports, search and analyse data, and organise documents. Discover the reporting and analysis tools, as well as effective data search and sorting features, available in fireTMS!

Data analysis in a transport and forwarding company

The term “data-driven company,” referring to a company where decisions are primarily based on the analysis of hard data, gained significant traction in the last decade.  We are now seeing just how relevant this approach is and how many positive changes it can bring. This is not only true for large corporations or big IT companies but also for small and medium enterprises in the TSL industry.

Documentation, such as orders, invoices, transport documents, permits, insurance, registration documents, etc., plays a crucial role in every company, even the smallest. In the case of sole proprietorships, all this can be effectively organised using a spreadsheet, a simple accounting programme, and binders. 

As a company grows, the number of documents, processes to be carried out, and decisions to be made increases rapidly. Simple tools are not only insufficient to organise all the data, but also to help in their analysis. This makes it much more difficult to make good decisions, ultimately affecting the ability to handle orders and the overall financial situation.

How to approach data in transport and logistics?

Data plays a huge role in the TSL industry. All information about the transport fleet, cargo, orders, routes, costs, and prices ultimately contributes to making decisions about the further development of the company. This is especially important in times of dynamic economic changes, rising fuel costs, and transport fees. Advanced data analysis, both those estimated by the TMS system, such as the cost of transport on a given route, and actual data obtained after order completion, enables cost optimisation and a change in approach to acquiring orders.

In this case, in line with the principle of a “data-driven company,” data is the primary source of decision-making. This makes the term particularly relevant to the TSL industry. Now, let’s see what fireTMS has to offer in this area.

Categorising data with tags in fireTMS

A useful tool for organising information and documents in fireTMS is tags. These are keywords that you can use to label various objects in the system. Tags can be used to describe vehicles or semitrailers, as well as customers. This allows proper differentiation and grouping of tagged objects according to needs.

Importantly, tags in the fireTMS system can be one-time or inherited. The former are used only to label specific objects, such as trucks and semitrailers. For example, if you want to tag equipment used for standard orders, you can use the “standard” tag for each element of such a transport set. 

Inherited tags are worth using when tagging relates to the entire process within an order. For example, tagging an important customer with “premium” will cause all assigned loads, orders, or invoices to inherit this tag. This helps, for instance, when categorising your customers by the profitability of their orders or business relationships.

Using tags enables quick access to needed information and speeds up data analysis in the system.

Data analysis with automatically generated reports

Data collected in fireTMS is a goldmine of information about your company. This is because all documents and information you enter into the system are stored in one place. This allows the system to automatically fill in data for each order based on information already in fireTMS, such as drivers, vehicles, loads, and customers, etc. Thus, the system gathers complete information about orders, their costs, and the revenues generated in relation to the objects involved, such as vehicles, employees, or branches.

Because all information is gathered in one place, you can take advantage of automatic reporting in fireTMS. These reports can be viewed at any time, as long as you have internet access. It is worth mentioning that the automatic reports do not need to be downloaded to your hard drive and are presented in a convenient visual form with appropriate tables and charts. Checking specific data requires just one click—simply select the appropriate report from the list in fireTMS.

What reports are available in fireTMS?

• Daily turnover
• Turnover and commission by branch
• Customers
• Forwarders
• Carriers
• External vehicles
• Fleet profitability
• Fleet costs
• Orders: own fleet
• Waybills: vehicles and drivers
• Accounting report

This means you can quickly and confidently make decisions on any key issue for your business. 

Data search using the fireTMS Dispo application

The last fireTMS solution that supports decision-making is the mobile application fireTMS Dispo. This tool is designed for forwarders and dispatchers, facilitating communication with drivers on the road and transport coordination. The application is a source of information necessary to continuously monitor order execution and make key decisions based on this.

What does fireTMS Dispo offer?

• 24/7 order status view
• Detailed load information 
• Route and driver monitoring
• Order and performance reports

A dispatcher using fireTMS Dispo not only has all the relevant information about the order and the load at hand, but can also check the execution status in real time. This is crucial for forwarding companies, as the application allows you to see not only the transport stage, but also the current location of the vehicle and whether the load has been received by the recipient. Thanks to full integration with the system, searching for order details is very easy and opens up new possibilities for real-time data retrieval for other decision-makers.

The fireTMS Dispo app also enables quick and direct contact with drivers. This is important because, in the event of unforeseen incidents, such as vehicle breakdowns, traffic jams, or road closures, problems can be resolved in real time. 

How to use data analysis and speed up decision-making with fireTMS?

As you can see, the fireTMS system has features that help you better utilise the information and knowledge you possess. At every stage of order execution, you can rely on the collected data in an organised and analytical form. This translates into the accuracy of decisions made, estimation of expected profits for the coming months, and planning for growth.

Want to see how our tools work in practice? Register for free and start a 14-day trial period in fireTMS. During the trial, we will understand your needs and provide support from an experienced team, and then suggest the best solution.