Logistics software and services provider Freight Management Systems (FMS) has announced its web-based transportation management system (TMS) software for transportation companies needing an integrated back-office solution. The solution, named LOADPlus Pro, is tailor-made for mid-sized businesses that gross between $5 million and $100 million annually, with the new TMS solution bringing in much-needed open API to extend and function within any brokerage operation.
“At FMS, we’ve been in the business for 30 years. We’ve gone through several generations – DOS-based, Windows-based, and now cloud-based software. With LOADPlus Pro, we’ve really gone back and redesigned the solution from top to bottom. This release is now the web-based product of our current software,” said Henry Sheldon, the president of FMS.
Sheldon explained that the idea was to help trucking businesses graduate from being desktop-oriented to adopt technology on the cloud, enabling them to work “on the run” and not restrict themselves to back offices.
“We decided that our software really needed to be on the web. Our clients were asking us to do it, as they wanted something more accessible – rather than having the software based out of their office,” said Sheldon. “Four years ago, we started on that basis by moving to Microsoft Azure’s cloud network and started developing an entirely new API layer over the software to create LOADPlus Pro.”
With its open API, FMS created a TMS that acts as the lynchpin to all the softwares enveloping the transport business. Sheldon contended that TMS platforms must offer flexibility and work similarly to customer relationship management (CRM) platforms that bring different segments within operations together. “With an open API, companies can link their CRM to the TMS without issue. If they want a customized accounting system, they can have it and link it to our TMS,” said Sheldon.
Targeting mid-sized brokers that make $5 million to $100 million annually was a decision that FMS took after surveying the marketplace. Sheldon pointed out that there was a visible lack of a programming interface that lets these brokers connect to other softwares seamlessly.
“A lot of our competitors don’t have it. Some of the high-end TMS softwares do, but it is not made for a brokerage that has roughly 20 users, and thus is unable to connect to the CRM as desired,” said Sheldon. “The ability to program our API and to put a great user interface in the hands of our users is what differentiates us from the rest. Our software allows smaller brokers to grow and to compete with the larger ones in the market.”
LOADPlus Pro has been received very positively by FMS customers. To ensure a smooth transition, FMS allows customers to move their users to the cloud in a manner they see fit and at a leisurely pace, rather than asking them to move to the cloud all at once.
“LOADPlus Pro’s technology is user-friendly and easy to navigate, providing all the necessary functions to run our transportation company. Plus, the key features and integrations allow us to stay ahead of the competition and run efficiently,” said Gregory Dye, vice president at Dye Star Transportation Group, one of the earliest adopters of LOADPlus Pro.