Is your transportation management system (TMS) a sunk cost or an investment?
The difference may not be clear-cut. If you added the time, effort, and money you spend annually on your platform, could you demonstrate a compelling return on investment (ROI)? If not, consider it a sunk cost.
Your TMS should move the needle, month after month, by creating ROI from cost savings and revenue generation as you scale your operations to drive profitable growth. If not, now is the time to advance in this fast-paced and competitive liquid bulk transportation industry.
A system should propel you forward, not hold you back. Let’s explore six ways to get an inevitable return on investment (ROI) with a modern, purpose-built TMS for this industry segment.
Growth Without Headcount
Increasing back-office efficiency is one of the most effective ways to gain a competitive edge. A modern TMS that enables your current staff to handle more business is a foundation for growth.
Gartner research found that businesses plan to direct almost two-thirds (65.9%) of their spending on application software toward cloud technologies in 2025, up from 57.7% in 2022. This was certainly the case for Western States Oil when it partnered with TrueTMS.
Adopting the cloud-based TrueTMS with the TrueLiquid extension for tanker fleets yields impressive results, according to Transportation Manager Scott Swain, who has been in the petroleum and fuel-hauling business for 30 years.
“I could double the dispatch workload of each dispatcher with this technology. We’re not hiring more bodies,” he says.
TrueLiquid streamlines processes and improves coordination among Western States Oil’s dispatchers and drivers. With locations in northern and southern California, the company is set to grow without increasing labor costs.
Optimize the Order-to-Cash Lifecycle
Traditional TMS vendors are adding new applications onto aging or legacy platforms. Users toggle between screens to access different applications and functions to move orders through the quote-to-cash lifecycle.
This fragmented approach to order management is time-consuming and prone to errors. TrueLiquid offers an all-in-one order management platform that creates substantial savings with greater accuracy and automation.
With these capabilities, tanker fleets can expect 15% to 25% savings in the quote-to-cash order lifecycle. The system streamlines billing by streamlining the flow of orders through delivery planning and dispatch. Drivers use a native mobile app to receive load assignments and capture delivery documents.
You don’t have to take our word for it. As Swain notes, “Our billing can go out by the next day after we deliver.”
Enhance Visibility Across Operations
Real-time visibility is a game-changer in the liquid bulk transportation industry. TrueLiquid provides comprehensive dashboards showing a holistic view of orders, high-level trends, and real-time exceptions. This lets users plan loads more effectively and stay ahead of changing conditions.
Advanced route planning algorithms and live tracking updates provide more accurate, efficient, and error-free scheduling. Real-time updates on trip times give dispatchers a complete view of drivers’ workdays, including estimated drive times, loading times, and total trip times. This level of detail eliminates guesswork and allows for optimal order sequencing to ensure on-time deliveries, safety, and compliance.
Prevent Costly Errors
Cross-drops, where the wrong product is loaded into the wrong location, can cost six figures to correct and pose significant safety risks. TrueLiquid tackles this challenge head-on by implementing a detailed load planning process.
The system allows users to assign specific commodities to trailer compartments and ground tanks at consignee locations. This level of detail optimizes trailer space utilization and dramatically reduces the risk of cross-drops.
By coupling this detailed load planning process with a native driver app, accurate information and updates are passed directly to drivers, ensuring they load the correct products and volumes into the proper compartments and tanks.
Improve Routing Efficiencies
Efficient routing can make the difference between profit and loss in an industry where every minute and mile counts. TrueLiquid offers advanced features like TrueCast, Best Buy, and Dynamic Planning that work together to optimize your operations.
TrueCast is an integrated forecasting model that predicts customer demand using historical or live tank-level readings. This allows you to consolidate order volumes, maximize delivery efficiencies, and reduce deadhead miles.
Dynamic Planning acts as a “first pass” resource scheduling option, reducing planning time and enabling dispatch users to “manage by exception.”
TrueSource is a sourcing extension for reviewing daily pricing and associated costs to identify the lowest-cost commodity to purchase from suppliers.
These features allow you to accurately forecast required commodities, source the best suppliers, and plan efficient dispatches—all from a single platform.
Simplify Training and Onboarding
Traditional TMS platforms often feature complex interfaces with screens of data grids, requiring users to navigate multiple screens to complete tasks. This complexity can hinder productivity and complicate training, especially for new employees.
TrueLiquid addresses this issue with an intuitive design that is fast and easy to learn. This allows for quicker uptime when growing and scaling operations. Employees can be trained rapidly to utilize all the system’s features. The flexible interface allows fleets to focus on growth, knowing that training will be virtually non-existent.
The Final Analysis
Evaluating the ROI of a traditional TMS for a potential replacement is like sizing up an iceberg. Due to complex pricing structures, startup costs are a fraction of what you will pay due to many unknowns.
By contrast, TrueLiquid provides everything you need to achieve a compelling ROI. All features and updates are included with a predictable monthly subscription.
Implementing a modern TMS like TrueLiquid positions liquid bulk transporters for expansion by maximizing efficiencies, elevating customer service, and centralizing fleet management. Whether you haul fuel or food-grade liquids in bulk, TrueLiquid will raise your bottom line.
With TrueLiquid, you’re not just getting software. You’re also gaining a team of experts invested in your success to drive your business forward with innovation.
Are you ready to turn your TMS from a sunk cost into a profit engine? Discover how TrueLiquid can move your transport business into the future. Schedule your demo today and see our next-generation tanker fleet management system in action!