Custom Transportation Management Application Development

• Transportation demand planning (by period, region, business entity, mode of transport, etc.) based on the analysis of historical data on inbound and outbound orders.
• Rule-based prioritization of:
  • Inbound and interfacility inventory orders based on projected inventory needs, item category, and more.
  • Outbound orders of finished goods based on customer value, order date, item category, and more.
• Planning direct-to-customer and multi-stop routes, transportation modes (road, rail, air, water, intermodal) based on distance, cost, order priority, deadlines under existing customer SLAs, etc.
• Template-based creation of shipping schedules, including international shipping schedules, with critical milestones like order pickup, arrival at particular points, custom clearance, etc.

• Setup of transportation provider requirements, e.g., delivery terms, sustainability, capacity, based on the internal sourcing policies.
• AI-enabled pre-qualification of shipment providers against pre-set requirements based on data from public data sources (e.g., transportation provider rating platforms).
• Automated categorization of transportation providers by user-defined parameters (type, mode, rate, region, etc.).
• Automated RFx creation and submission to selected providers.
• Real-time RFx status tracking for sourcing specialists.
• Automated evaluation of RFx responses based on user-defined criteria for transportation provider scoring and selection.
• Automated workflow for multi-department provider approval.
• Configurable registration forms for shipment provider onboarding.

• Automated calculation of transportation cost based on the pre-defined parameters (delivery mode, rate, shipment distance, cargo weight and size, the number of stops, discounts under carrier contract agreements, etc.).
• Automated cost allocation to individual orders.
• Real-time tracking of shipment spend.
• AI-powered analysis of transport spend and suggestions on spend optimization opportunities.
• Spend planning by period, region, transport provider, mode, etc.
• Automated calculation and analysis of transportation savings.

• Template-based creation of transport orders.
• Automated workflow for multi-department approval of transport orders.
• Rule-based consolidation of transport orders across departments, business entities, etc., for bulk transportation.
• Automated submission of transport orders to the pre-selected transportation providers (via email or a vendor portal).
• Scheduled submission of recurring transport orders.
• Real-time tracking of order status (sent, confirmed, invoiced, in progress, etc.).

• User-defined rules for transportation optimization (e.g., keeping lower cost, shorter shipping time, fewer stops possible).
• AI suggestions for optimal shipment schemes based on analysis of relevant historical data:
  • Optimal transportation modes and multi-modal combinations.
  • Optimal shipping routes, including multi-stop routes.
  • Optimal item consolidation (in pallets, stacks, packages, etc.).

For fleet owners:

• Optimal combination of third-party transport and private fleet.
• Optimal rates by vehicle type, unit of cargo weight, unit of distance, and more.

• Tracking international and domestic shipments and last mile deliveries across all transport modes using a pre-assigned tracking number.
• Real-time monitoring of transport location, driving conditions (including driving speed, mandatory driver rest periods, unplanned stops), goods transportation conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, vibration), and more.
• ML-powered forecasting of shipping time and estimated time of arrival (ETA) based on the analysis of driving conditions, traffic conditions, customs workload, weather data, and more.
• Automated notifications to forwarding agents on particular shipment milestones, delays, accidents, non-forecast stops.
• AI recommendations for fleet owners on alternate delivery routes in case of transportation disruptions.

• Template-based creation of contracts with transportation providers.
• Collaborative contract review and editing (for internal stakeholders and vendors).
• Configurable contract approval workflow (collecting approvals of internal stakeholders and a transportation provider).
• Contract status tracking (approved, signed, etc.).
• Alerts to a transport sourcing team on a transportation provider contract start, expiry, renewal dates.
• Automated contract version control.
• Automated validation of carrier invoices and submitting them for payment.

• Centralized storage of transportation documents.
• Search engine with filtering and metadata querying to navigate the documents.
• Template-based creation of multi-language, multi-currency documents, such as bills of lading, import and export documentation (e.g., commercial invoices, export declarations), and more.
• Automated submission of required import and export e-documents to the cross-border trade control systems, e.g., for automated export system (AES) and customs and border patrol (CBP) in the US.

• Shipment provider performance monitoring against pre-defined KPIs, such as percentage of orders delivered on time, average delay in transportation, the number of claims, and more.
• AI-powered analysis of reputational, financial, operational, and other risks for current transportation providers based on internal and public data sources.
• Rating of transportation providers based on their performance.

• Tracking essential transportation KPIs, including the number of transport orders (by period, customer, carrier, etc.), percentage of on-time pickups, average cost per transport order, the number of claims (by period, customer, transportation provider, etc.), and more.
• Granular analysis of the transportation plan variance to identify the root causes of transport planning errors.
• Scheduled and ad hoc transportation reports.
• Trend-based forecasting of shipment demand (by period, region, mode, customer, etc.).

• AI-powered claim validation based on the analysis of existing customer commitments and transportation compliance.
• Automated re-submission of customer claims for goods damaged or spoilt during transportation to the appropriate carrier.
• Tracking the progress of claim resolution.
• Automated notifications to customers on denied and approved claims (sent via email, messaging apps, a customer portal).

• Real-time tracking of fleet availability, vehicle location, fuel consumption, tachograph data compliance with applicable regulations, and more.
• Rule-based assignment of drivers and vehicles to transport orders.
• Template-based creation of fleet schedules.
• Fleet maintenance scheduling, monitoring, and reporting upon completion.
• Planning fuel costs, fleet maintenance costs, vehicle insurance costs, driver payroll, etc.

For shippers: 

• Instant messaging to communicate with transportation providers.
• Uploading transport orders to the portal.
• Downloading shipment invoices from the portal.

For transportation providers:

• Self-registration, managing and updating essential business information.
• A provider profile with all related activities: received RFxs, transport orders, contract reviews, submitted invoices, etc.
• Alerts to transportation providers on received RFxs, transport orders, expiring data that need updating (accreditations, insurances), etc.
• Uploading and updating order shipment data.

For shippers:

• Instant messaging to communicate with customers.
• Uploading tracking numbers for customers to the portal.

For customers:

• Self-registration, managing and updating essential business (for organizations) or personal (for individuals) information.
• Real-time monitoring of order shipment status.
• Creating claims and attaching supporting documents (e.g., quality inspection reports).

• Multi-factor user authentication.
• Role-based access control.
• Document e-signing.
• Full audit trail for all transportation-related activities.
• Customer and partner data retention and deletion policies.
• Compliance with SOX, SOC 1 and SOC 2, WTO regulations, ISO standards, DOT regulations (for the US), IATA standards (for air freight), other relevant industry- and country-specific regulations.