Resource Center

TMS Buying Guide for Freight Forwarders

TMS can help freight forwarders plan, tender, track, and settle freight movements in one operating workflow. Evaluate each option against how your team manages multi-modal bookings, overseas partners, documents, customs milestones, and customer communication across regions.

Why this category matters here

For freight forwarders, the most relevant fit is multi-modal coordination. Confirm that the product supports this workflow in practice and fits the people, systems, controls, and exceptions already in place.

Capabilities to evaluate

  • Int'l shipping
  • Customs docs
  • Order-to-load workflow coverage
  • Rating, tendering, and dispatch controls
  • Shipment tracking and settlement records

Questions to ask vendors

  • Which modes and shipment types are supported natively?
  • How are exceptions, accessorials, and re-rating handled?
  • Which shipper, carrier, accounting, and visibility systems connect without manual re-entry?
  • How will this fit the way your team manages multi-modal bookings, overseas partners, documents, customs milestones, and customer communication across regions?

8 marketplace profiles are listed for TMS and Freight Forwarders. Compare their listed details with your requirements and confirm fit with each provider.

Options for Freight Forwarders

  • Banyan Technology LIVE Connect

    Multi-mode freight rating, execution and reporting, available as a TMS or API connectivity.

    Listed features: Carrier Rate Comparison, Truckload, LTL, Final Mile and Parcel Shipping, Load Tendering. Listed integrations: McLeod Software, MercuryGate, Revenova.

  • e2open Transportation Management (formerly BluJay)

    Cloud TMS for multimodal planning, carrier collaboration, shipment tracking and freight settlement.

    Listed features: Multimodal transportation planning, Routing, consolidation and load building, Carrier rating and tendering. Listed integrations: SAP ECC/S/4HANA via e2open ERP Add-On (configured), C.H. Robinson truckload rating via API/EDI (partner setup), Redwood Rating API (announced for BluJay shipper TMS in 2021; confirm availability).

  • Infios TMS

    Infios Transportation Management, formerly MercuryGate, for multimodal transportation planning and execution.

    Listed features: Multimodal Planning and Optimization, Carrier Onboarding and Tendering, Rate Optimization. Listed integrations: SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics.

  • Magaya

    Modular digital freight platform for freight forwarders, 3PLs, and connected logistics workflows.

    Listed features: Freight forwarding workflows, EDI & API connectivity (configuration dependent), US & New Zealand customs filing (separate offerings). Listed integrations: QuickBooks Online, Xero, FedEx.

  • Oracle TMS

    Cloud transportation management for shippers and logistics service providers managing domestic and international multimodal freight.

    Listed features: Shipment planning, Route optimization (Operational Planning option), Carrier selection and rate management. Listed integrations: Oracle E-Business Suite (release-specific order, shipment and financial interfaces), Oracle Fusion Cloud applications via Oracle Integration Cloud (configured sample flows and ERP adapter), Oracle Cloud SCM via Oracle Integration Cloud (order and shipping sample flows).

  • SAP Transportation Management

    Enterprise transportation management for freight planning, execution and settlement across SAP deployments; available modes and integration scope depend on the SAP release, deployment and licensed components.

    Listed features: Transportation planning and optimization (release and scope dependent), Freight orders for road and rail; freight bookings for air and sea (release dependent), Shipment consolidation and load planning. Listed integrations: SAP S/4HANA (confirm release and deployment), SAP ERP logistics integration (confirm supported version), SAP Extended Warehouse Management (separate SAP product; configured TM/EWM integration).

  • Shipsy TMS

    AI-powered transportation management for shippers and logistics providers, with planning, execution, visibility, and settlement workflows.

    Listed features: AI-assisted route optimization, Load consolidation, Vendor and carrier workflows. Listed integrations: SAP (specific edition and scope to confirm), Oracle ERP Cloud (specific edition and scope to confirm), Microsoft Dynamics 365 (specific edition and scope to confirm).

  • Trimble Transporeon TMS

    Modular cloud TMS connecting shippers, carriers and logistics providers across the freight lifecycle.

    Listed features: Transport planning, assignment and carrier coordination, Time Slot Management for configurable dock scheduling and ETA-based replanning, Shipment visibility across road, ocean, rail, air and intermodal transport. Listed integrations: SAP interfaces and SAP Add-on, Oracle OTM interface, Samsara GPS data via Transporeon Visibility (shared customers and carrier consent).

Explore the full interactive guide · Browse TMS listings

TMS (Transportation Management System) for freight forwarder buying guidance

At a glance: A transportation management system (TMS) helps plan, execute, monitor, and settle transportation activity. Scope varies by product and operating model: a broker may focus on quote-to-load and carrier pay; a shipper on tendering, freight audit, and service visibility; a 3PL on repeatable workflows across client accounts. Oracle describes transportation planning, shipment monitoring, and freight billing as parts of its TMS offering; that vendor taxonomy is illustrative, not a universal standard. A software label does not establish compliance, integration depth, or fit. Transportation Management; 49 CFR §371.3 Records to be kept by brokers

Fit for freight forwarder (conditional)

Fit depends on mode, forwarding role, shipment-document needs, consolidation, and handoffs. Confirm which functions belong in this TMS versus forwarding or customs systems. Transportation Management

Workflow: Map booking, consolidation, document exchange, milestones, and partner handoffs for one shipment. Transportation Management

Ask in a demo: Ask the vendor to follow a multi-leg shipment and show ownership of documents and exceptions. Transportation Management

Check before choosing: This category review does not determine licensing, customs, or mode-specific obligations. Transportation Management

Common workflows

  • Order, quote, and tender: Trace one real order from intake through rate selection and tender. Verify which fields are imported, which require review, and how rejected or duplicate tenders are handled. For brokers, keep shipper and carrier sides distinct; for shippers, test routing-guide rules and tender response. Transportation Management
  • Shipment execution and exceptions: Follow a shipment through status events, delay or appointment exceptions, customer communication, and closure. Confirm the source, freshness, and ownership of location data; a TMS connection does not guarantee continuous tracking or a particular update interval. Transportation Management
  • Freight settlement and records: Reconcile a quoted rate with accessorials, carrier invoice, customer invoice, and payment status. Brokers should separately verify their transaction-record process against 49 CFR §371.3; the regulation requires records but does not prescribe a specific TMS feature. 49 CFR §371.3 Records to be kept by brokers

Questions to ask providers

  • Which exact transaction types, modes, client accounts, and exception paths are included in the proposed edition?
  • What is native, what relies on a partner integration, and what remains manual? Show field mappings, direction, latency, error queues, and recovery.
  • Who owns each order, shipment, carrier, rate, status, and financial record, and can we export it in a usable format?
  • Can you demonstrate our broker or shipper workflow and, for a 3PL, separate rules, users, billing, and reporting for two clients?
  • What are the implementation, migration, integration, usage, support, renewal, export, and termination costs in a written proposal?
  • How are access controls, audit history, data retention, and customer separation configured and verified?

Frequently asked questions

What does TMS stand for?

TMS means transportation management system. The label is broad; assess the specific planning, execution, visibility, settlement, and integration scope offered for your workflows. Transportation Management

Is a TMS only for shippers?

No. Shippers, brokers, carriers, and logistics providers may use transportation software, but their workflows differ. Compare the role-specific transactions and permissions rather than relying on the acronym alone. Transportation Management

Does a TMS have to retain broker transaction records?

A broker must keep the transaction records specified by 49 CFR §371.3. That rule does not mandate a particular software product; verify that your process retains the required records and can retrieve them. 49 CFR §371.3 Records to be kept by brokers

Will TMS software guarantee freight savings?

No. Cost depends on rates, shipment mix, execution, contract terms, and adoption. Establish a baseline and compare like-for-like shipments and total costs; do not treat vendor examples as guaranteed outcomes. Transportation Management

Does a TMS replace an ERP or WMS?

Not by definition. Products and architectures vary; map the system of record for orders, inventory, transportation events, invoices, and payments, then demonstrate the required data exchanges. Transportation Management

What should a TMS demo include?

Use the same representative order, tender, exception, invoice, and correction in every demo. For brokers include shipper and carrier transactions; for 3PLs include separate client rules and outputs. Transportation Management; 49 CFR §371.3 Records to be kept by brokers

Sources (2)
  1. Transportation Management — Oracle
  2. 49 CFR §371.3 Records to be kept by brokers — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations