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The role of fleet maintenance has traditionally been to oversee internal shop activities with the added responsibilities of managing outsourced repair work. For an increasing number of companies, maintenance has been elevated to stand on equal footing with operations and finance to maximize revenue and cost-saving opportunities.

Technology advances bringing together artificial intelligence and telematics will offer fleets predictive maintenance in the not too distant future. To start, experts now predict sensors on various truck and trailer components will upload data to the cloud, where the AI application will trigger alerts about conditions needing attention.

The value of a comprehensive transportation management system (TMS) is found in the efficiencies and enhanced profitability it creates for a transportation company’s operations. But unlike the immediate benefits you can see when replacing an old truck with a new, fuel-efficient model, greater efficiencies and profitability from a TMS take time to be realized.

The key to success is implementing a TMS (transportation management system) that fits your company’s needs. Special modules and applications may drive initial and ongoing costs. However, there should be no mystery about how a transportation management system is priced.

What’s your business endgame?

Perhaps it’s improved asset utilization and customer satisfaction, or you’ve decided to focus on compliance and ensure you’re fully on point with government mandates.

Most carriers would list all these points and add some of their own. Factor in owner and shareholder expectations, and it’s clear that, whatever the objective, fiscally successful companies need procedures that reduce unnecessary labor, drive revenue and have a universally positive effect on the bottom line.

Trucking has always been a low margin business. The most efficient operations generally only realize profits of just a few cents on a dollar. Even something like a spike in the price of fuel can be the difference between red and black ink on a carrier’s balance sheet.

It’s normal in everyday life to wing it. Sure, you may play it by ear when you’re going out with friends on the weekend or fly by the seat of your pants when driving to a vacation destination. But not often do you do it off the top of your head at work, especially when it comes to implementing a complex software solution. For transportation companies, that intricate solution is most likely a Transportation Management System (TMS).

We all fall into certain habits: Whether it’s the time for rising each day, our breakfast choices or the way to tackle our work. Sometimes it’s good to have a steady routine. Other times, a routine can be static and prevent us from living life and performing business tasks more efficiently.

At the 2018 in.sight user conference + expo, two customer companies presented their experiences with searching for a dock management solution and how implementing Trimble’s ConnectedDock created more efficiencies. During “A Case for ConnectedDock” representatives from both Maritime-Ontario and Carlile Transportation explained the importance of using robust, hand-held devices to streamline cross-dock operations and eliminate misdirected freight.

It can be tough to make the right move when you don’t see the whole playing field. Managing your business is a high-stakes strategy game that pits you against a huge number of obstacles, and it’s up to you to overcome them in the smartest way possible. If you want to win, you need to understand all of the pieces in play, what cards you have in your hand and what moves you can make.

Learn how to lead your fleet to victory by checking out our latest infographic about the numbers game that is trucking:

Just how much freight do 3PLs or brokers move for tens of thousands of shippers every day? Here’s an interesting fact: The $166 billion third-party logistics industry is 1.5 times the size of the beer market and four times larger than the market for candy.