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Automation in transport with fireTMS

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June 2, 2023 / Author: fireTMS team

Do you need tools to handle orders quickly and efficiently? Do you want to automate the work of forwarders, dispatchers or your accountant? Do you want to keep profits and fleet costs under control? Use fireTMS! Its functions will prove themselves in the daily work of small, medium and large transport companies.

In this article you will find information on:

Managing a transport company – the benefits of fireTMS

The advanced fireTMS tools enable end-to-end order management, from order acceptance and delivery monitoring to billing and reporting. With them, carriers, forwarders, dispatchers or accountants can streamline their duties. With fireTMS, you can scale your business and stay ahead of any competition, no matter the size of your company. Key benefits: 

  • digital transformation – move from paper documentation to working in a modern system 
  • quick access to information – all data and documents are in one integrated system 
  • saving working time thanks to work automation
  • ongoing monitoring of company profits and costs

Automating the work of carriers and forwarders

Learn about tools that will speed up and automate the daily work in your company.

Cargo templates

The function speeds up and facilitates the process of entering orders into the system for repetitive loads. Each fireTMS user has the option of defining sample templates, which they can then use when creating an order without having to enter the data again.

Vehicle and driver schedule

The vehicle schedule in fireTMS is visible to all forwarders and dispatchers. It facilitates transport planning and fleet control. Thanks to the drag&drop method on the vehicle schedule, orders and events such as holidays, driver changes or maintenance can be managed quickly and conveniently.

Import of costs from CSV file

In addition to manually adding costs to vehicles, trailers and drivers in the system, it is also possible to import them collectively from CSV files. To import a file, an import template needs to be defined, which can be used to import the same type of file in the future. This will undoubtedly facilitate and speed up the entire process of registering costs with their breakdown into individual categories and assignment to specific objects.

Monitoring vehicles and orders

See features to keep track of your route and order status.

Vehicle monitoring – detection of abandonment of the route by the driver

The freight forwarder can designate the corridor the driver is to follow, and thanks to the GPS position from the driver app or telematics system, he can check in real time whether the driver is driving correctly. To make this check easier for him, there is a function in the Enterprise plan that will detect when the driver leaves the planned route and inform him. It is also possible to specify in the system the number of kilometres the driver is allowed to deviate from the corridor and indicate to whom an alert is to be sent if these are exceeded.

Mobile application for forwarders and dispatchers fireTMS Dispo

The mobile app for freight forwarders allows them to instantly see at what stage a transport order and cargo are at. Benefits of fireTMS Dipso: 

  • 24/7 access to orders
  • transport status
  • chat with the driver 
  • information on loads
  • reporting of results
  • route monitoring
  • quick contact with the customer

Quick access to documents and invoices from orders

With the Enterprise plan features, you can streamline the load transfer process between principal and contractor, as well as communication with large customers.

Customer panel

This function allows selected customers to have access to create new loads, download documents or view the current position of the vehicle on a map. This allows the customer to check in real time the progress of their order. In addition, once the order has been completed and the fireTMS user has issued an invoice, it will be available for download in the panel.

Carrier panel

The function reduces the time spent on the bureaucracy involved in receiving and processing documents after an order has been completed. A carrier who receives an order by email, will be able to:

  • add a scan of the invoice to the order received
  • add a CMR scan to the load 
  • complete the invoice data

The attached documents will appear in fireTMS and the system user will additionally receive an email with information on how to upload them.

Control of financials in a transport company

Monitoring a company’s profits and costs, as well as receivables from contractors, contributes significantly to improving its financial liquidity.

Detailed fleet reports

The automatically generated reports in fireTMS are an excellent tool for monitoring company expenditure. They assist in making business decisions and highlight areas for improvement. Popular reports include: 

  • Fleet Profitability report – contains information on the use and profitability of your own fleet. It is based on costs and data from transport orders entered into the system.
  • Fleet Costs report – contains information on the individual costs assigned to a selected own vehicle. This makes it possible to see which vehicle is unprofitable to maintain and generates the greatest burden. 
  • Orders: own fleet – is based on data from transport orders. It provides information on so-called ’empty mileage’. With this knowledge, empty runs can be minimized by exploiting the potential of transport exchanges and thereby reducing expenses.

Automatic vindication

fireTMS has an automatic vindication feature, which involves sending an email reminder to the customer of an upcoming or missed payment deadline or a call for payment. The content of the summons is automatically generated and the contractor data is automatically extracted from overdue invoices. You do not have to waste time manually filing documents or outsourcing this to external companies.

Debit notes templates

Plan Enterprise features Notes from a template, so that issuing a document takes just a moment. All you need to do is enter the name, the currency in which the notes are to be issued and the objects (such as loads, orders, invoices) with which they are to be linked. The template allows you to add notes which will be visible on the note printout. The whole process of creating notes runs smoothly, as you do not have to enter new data each time.

Integration with external systems

Find out what carriers and forwarders gain from integrating fireTMS with external IT systems.

Integration with Trans.eu and TIMOCOM

fireTMS enables freight offers to be issued directly from the system to the Trans.eu and TIMOCOM exchanges. Integration with the platforms automates the work of carriers and freight forwarders and gives the opportunity to quickly conclude a profitable transaction. The process of publishing an offer is carried out in a single system, so there is no need to use several tools at the same time and re-enter data from orders.

Integration with GPS telematics

fireTMS is integrated with 74 GPS telematics providers. Integration with GBox’s advanced telematics improves the work of forwarders and dispatchers, as it enables the rapid exchange of information with the driver. It allows fireTMS users to send transport orders directly from the system to the driver’s onboard terminal and then status them. This provides real-time information on the vehicle’s current location and the progress of the transport. Importantly, once the load has been delivered, the driver can use a hand-held scanner to download the order documentation required for invoicing. This takes just a few moments and allows the transport to be finalised quickly. The two-way communication between the freight forwarder and driver allows continuous monitoring of the transport and order fulfilment.

Summary

fireTMS is a very beneficial solution for any transport and forwarding company, regardless of its size. Thanks to modern technology, it allows you to automate your daily work and thus improve and speed up the execution of orders. The system will prove itself to a company that is conscious of its needs and wants to be competitive in the market. 

See the possibilities of fireTMS during a free online presentation. Contact us for details.

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fireTMS team

fireTMS team

The article was written by the fireTMS team, based on their knowledge, experience and awareness of the TSL industry.

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