The FreightTech boom of the past decade provided the industry with a number of advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, delivering levels of unprecedented productivity. Nowhere has this had a greater impact than on transportation management systems (TMSs).
TMSs have revolutionized how logistics companies track day-to-day shipments and process freight quotes. The use of these systems is widespread and their tasks have multiplied, but not all TMSs are built equally.
In the freight industry, time is money. Further, as innovations continue to pour into this legacy industry, resting on your laurels simply won’t cut it, nor will relying on your workforce to perform tasks that your TMS should be processing.
As freight volumes continue to rise and as the expectations of shippers, 3PLs and carriers grow even larger, employing a TMS without automation is no longer a viable solution. In fact, partnering with a TMS provider that isn’t committed to continuous innovation isn’t worth your time as the freight landscape only gets more complex.
Enter Tai Software, a TMS provider that prides itself on being a comprehensive, all-in-one platform, giving freight brokers unmatched visibility and scalability. Its platform, Tai TMS, is designed not just to handle your current freight volumes, but to master scalability as your business grows.
Centrality is key for Tai — both LTL and FTL shipments can be quoted, booked and tracked from one platform. Through its direct integration with all major carriers and load boards, Tai eliminates the need for a middleman to transact freight.
“Tai reduces the number of clicks needed to run your operation,” said Tai Software’s Vice President of Sales Sean McGillicuddy, detailing Tai’s ability to simplify operations management. “We’re providing brokers a centralized platform for everything that they do. They don’t have to jump into a load board’s platform or go to an LTL carrier’s website — all of those updates feed right into our platform.”
What sets Tai apart from other TMSs is its applied intelligence. According to CEO Walter Mitchell, Tai derives its capabilities from three different aspects of intelligence: company, consulting and machine intelligence.
He explained that Tai’s all-in-one logistics platform bolsters collaboration for workforces to share information easily across their teams. Mitchell attributes these advancements to his team’s 15-plus years of industry experience in addition to analytical breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“Tai takes these three aspects to drive a software platform that helps users easily do their job in a way that’s much more streamlined, easier to use and manage, and more automated than anyone else in the TMS space,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell explained that Tai’s use of automation isn’t designed to eliminate the dispatchers. Rather, the goal is to eliminate the need for dispatchers’ tango with “mundane tasks” throughout the day. Mitchell asserts that their time is better spent focusing on relationships instead of worrying about data entry with brokers and carriers.
“We focus heavily on automation to make sure it is not just making a connection, but that it’s really delivering the end results that are necessary,” Mitchell said, describing, for example, how dramatically automation can improve document recovery for items such as proof of deliveries (PODs). “It’s not good enough to have just 200 connections to different carriers. What’s important — can you successfully retrieve that POD when it’s needed? This is where the automation component of our TMS is really steps above anyone else in the industry.”
Tai Software came on the scene in December. It was known formerly as Teknowlogi, a leading TMS provider utilizing machine learning and AI. Under new ownership and leadership, Teknowlogi rebranded to better reflect its commitment to TMS software innovation.
“The rebrand helps us stay focused on intelligently evolving our TMS. “Tai” stands for — transportation applied intelligence,” Mitchell said.
McGillicuddy added, “Our new parent company allows us to become a standalone software provider that can focus our efforts specifically on what we do best — helping FTL, LTL brokerages scale their growth and operate at maximum efficiency.”
UniGroup Logistics, Team Worldwide, Armstrong Transport, Livingston International and Shipco Transport are just a few logistics leaders that have already incorporated Tai TMS into their operations.
Mitchell joined the company as chief technology officer, driving technology leadership and product development for over seven years before becoming CEO in September. McGillicuddy credits Mitchell for his integral role in laying the groundwork for Tai TMS’ success. Alongside Mitchell, he also credited software development manager Daniel Ely and the development team for their collaborative work.
“Tai has an innovation team that’s constantly looking for opportunities to improve,” McGillicuddy said. “For instance, we’re working on developing a solution that allows for brokers not to check their email inbox. We want them to essentially be able to send and field emails related to anything that they would be entering into the TMS to automatically pass through the TMS itself.”
Mitchell added, “Innovation is a core principle of who we are, and it’ll continue to be one as we ensure that Tai Software provides the best solutions to keep brokers at a level where they can do their jobs fast and efficiently.”
