A transportation management system (TMS) is technology that streamlines the shipping and freight management process. As an industry leader, Landstar is developing a new TMS to help its agents stay at the forefront of industry trends and efficiently meet customer needs. Several Landstar agents are involved in a pilot program transitioning to the new TMS system in stages toward full implementation. This system will increase efficiencies, provide new tools, and enhance business processes for agents, customers and capacity providers. The project is part of the company’s overall technology upgrades and enhancements initiative internally referred to as Landstar 2020.

Trevor Hagerman, TH Logistics, Sterling, ON   

How do you feel the new TMS system is meeting your business needs?

“Landstar conducted a focus group with agents to ask us what we need to make our lives easier. They’ve implemented all of that into the new system specifically to meet the business needs of agents for Landstar’s unique business model.”

What specific TMS feature makes your life easier?

“Not having to leave the system, ever, to go to another software program system or resource in order to look up information makes using it incredibly efficient.”

Give an example of how  the new TMS makes your agency more efficient.

“In the new system, with the push of one button you’re able to reach all of the different capacity platforms from business capacity owners to approved third-party carriers.”

“Our experience has been that the new TMS can reduce the amount of time spent processing a load by up to 30 percent. These efficiency gains will enable us to increase overall revenue by 20 percent without having to hire additional staff.

“With the addition of the new dashboard in September, we believe we will see ever more efficiencies as a result of usability and other upgrades.”

What’s your biggest concern about Landstar’s new TMS?

“We absolutely love the system. My biggest concern with the new system is the fact that we don’t have all of our customers on it yet.“

Our agency will be adding an additional customer to the new TMS in September 2017.”

Josh Pinson, R&B Express, Augusta, GA   

What are you most looking forward to when every agent is on the new TMS system?

“The fact that we are all going to be in one system – the agents, capacity providers, customers and Landstar employees. With the legacy system it was challenging to simultaneously be in multiple systems (LEADS, Express Trak, etc.) at one time. To be in one system is going to be a huge benefit to the agent family, as well as capacity.”

How do you think Landstar responded to your needs as an independent Landstar agent?

“Landstar took feedback from agents in the focus groups and pilot program, and incorporated that into the functionality, including the carrier bid process and enhanced tracking. So, you can actually see evidence of our suggestions in the system today.

“As with any pilot program, throughout the process there have been challenges. But, as those challenges have come up, Landstar has addressed them immediately – every step of the way.”

Tell us what you’ve discovered after using the new TMS system for nearly a year.

“We’re finding that the new system is going to be able to handle unique customer needs that we weren’t able to handle within the old system.

“Examples include multi-leg functionality – one customer load with multiple carriers – and an enhanced billing feature which allows all the billing to be complete in the TMS without the need to communicate via emails and phone calls.

“Now, all the information we need is in the TMS!”

How has the new TMS system improved your agency’s efficiency so far?

“We estimate that the new TMS has reduced the amount of time we spend to process a load by up to 15 to 20 percent, allowing us to spend more time meeting customer demand and focus resources on exceeding customers’ expectations.”