Transportation Software Development – Cost and Feature Guide

There has been dramatic improvisation in the logistics industry with the introduction of transport management software for a few years. It has become an essential tool for streamlining operations and optimizing the supply chains of logistics companies. Whether the need is to track shipments or optimize delivery routes, the transport software can fulfill all such needs. Transportation software development has become increasingly essential today when the worldwide desire for logistic service expands. That’s why the transport software solutions give you an excellent opportunity to increase your transport business share and leave your competitors behind.

With nearly 2 decades of experience in software development, we at Octal IT Solution are ready to provide our best services of Transportation Software Development meeting your requirements. In this article, we will go through all about transport software development, features & functionalities, cost, and other key aspects.

What is Transportation Management Software?

A transport management software is specially curated for managing, optimizing, and improving the logistic and transportation process of the organizations. Using transport management software can help any company that is involved in the movement of vehicles and goods with the means to organize and coordinate the transportation of goods or people.

It enhances operational efficiency, and transportation cost reduction, and improves the visibility of the end-to-end transport process. It encompasses automated functions, process simplification, and creating reports for further analysis.

If you are a business in an industry like automotive, retail, logistics, manufacturing, and e-commerce, then you must leverage the capabilities of transportation management software.

How Transport Software Works?

Transport software is designed to manage and optimize several aspects of the movement of goods and people. It finds out the most efficient routes on different parameters like distance, traffic, etc., and optimizes them. It helps in fleet management, inventory, and freight management, creating schedules, assigning jobs, and data analytics & reporting. It employs the latest technologies like GPS, Telematics, ML & AI, IoT, and Cloud Computing for its high efficiency.

Related Post: Inventory Management Software Development

Statistics For Transport Software

The global transportation management software market size was valued at $3.45 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach a valuation of $5.98 billion by 2026 with an impressive CAGR of 6.8%. The largest market for transport software is North America which alone accounts for nearly one-third of the total share in 2018, driven by increased spending on transport optimization and automation. To build a transport software app you will need to contact a company that provides quality Software Consulting Services. 

Benefits of Investing in Transportation Software Development

Here are all the major benefits of investing in transportation software development. It will cover benefits for logistics and transportation companies and any business that relies on transportation services:

1. Optimization of Routes and Time

The automation feature of transport software can automate all the necessary calculations for finding an optimized route for the delivery of goods & passengers. It considers every possible parameter like traffic, distance, road conditions, vehicle conditions, etc. Optimized routes will save a lot of fuel and time. As per a study by Researchgate, optimization of routes can reduce fuel costs by 20%.

2. Improve Operational Efficiency

By leveraging GPS technology, transport software gets updates on the real-time position and status of the vehicle. Thus, you can quickly react to any changes in plan, prevent delays, and provide highly accurate forecasting of deliveries. As per a survey conducted by Verizon’s Connect, 75% of respondents accepted that GPS tracking significantly boosts vehicle efficiency.

3. Helps in Managing Warehousing Operations

If you are in a business that has warehouses, then you can integrate the transport software with warehouse management systems for better inventory tracking, management, and delivery planning. As per SupplyChain 24/7 survey, 36% of the people find better insights by integrating warehouse software with transport software.

4. Better Customer Experience

With real-time data on vehicle location, and delivery status, it is possible to give a better customer experience by using transport software. Do you know that delivery time affects 87% of the purchasing decisions by customers? Thus, with transportation software, you can deliver products on time and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

5. Lower Costs

All the above benefits i.e. route optimization, accurate scheduling, and more efficient transportation will ultimately save cost and increase the profitability of businesses. Additionally, it can help businesses reduce overhead expenses related to human labour and general transportation.

6. Better Data Analysis

With the data analytics tools built into the software, it will generate data on order fulfillment, routes, delivery times, and other key aspects. Managers can further analyze this data to identify any opportunities, bottlenecks, risks, trends, and improvements. Forbes mentions that 85% of companies agree to the fact that data analysis can help them to succeed and grow faster.

7. Environment Friendly

As most of the vehicles run on non-renewable fuels and omit harmful gases; with better route planning there will be minimum vehicle idle time in traffic which can reduce thousands of tons of CO2.

Top Transport Management Software to Inspire You Build One

These are the top 5 transport software that you can check out and get inspiration from their capabilities and features.

1. LogiNext

LogiNext aims to offer seamless delivery and unparalleled customer experience. It helps in end-to-end planning and execution of transportation of goods. It is an easy-to-configure system which you can easily integrate into your existing system. There are features like real-time live tracking, geofencing, fleet performance monitoring, 3D packing optimization,  capacity utilization, carrier management, customer invoicing, and others.

2. FreightPOP

FreightPOP is a cloud-based transportation management solution specially designed for manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and 3PLs. It offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface, with instant integration with your existing system, and quick onboarding. It has next-level proactive planning, audit, and analytics features to help you find opportunities for saving. It is one of the best transport management software that reduces data entry time, minimizes errors, and enables analytics for smarter decisions.

3. Tailwind TMS

Tailwind is a cloud-based trucking and freight management software that does not require a set-up fee or a contract, and you can begin with a free trial. It is highly suitable for mid-size businesses and growing companies. Their commitment is to allow the shipments to reach their destinations faster and cheaper than traditional logistic methods.

4. OnFleet

OnFleet is particularly dedicated to last-mile delivery platforms and specialises in local deliveries. Thus, if your industry is courier, food & beverages, retail, e-commerce, furniture, pharmacy, etc. then you can rely on this app to delight your customers, scale operations, and boost efficiency. The software offers end-to-end route optimization, dispatch, and communication, with an analytics platform. It comes with automatic notifications, seamless integrations, and enterprise-grade APIs.

5. Omnitracs

Omnitracs transport management software is designed to help you improve business efficiency; increase driver safety and retention, and maximize ROI in your logistics & transport operations. It offers the most comprehensive fleet management software in trucking and offers features like telematics, payments and factoring, fuel cards, compliance, and accounting.

Features To Consider For Transportation Software Development

In transport software, there will be 3 different solutions to meet the needs of the user roles. These will be:

• Customer-End Solution
• Driver-End Solution
• Admin Panel

Each of these solutions will have its own set of features. Let’s delve deeper into the features of each side:

1. Customer-End Solution

The customer-end solutions will be focused on providing an interface and functionalities for the users who will use the app for transportation service access. The main features of the customer-side solution are:

User SignUp and Authentication

Firstly, the users have to register on the app through e-mail, phone numbers, or social media accounts. Authentication will be required to have secure access to personal information and app features.

Booking and Scheduling

The end users would be able to book the journeys and select pick-up point and destination, specify the date & time of the ride, and select vehicle type.

Real-Time GPS Tracking

The GPS tracking will provide real-time location of the vehicle. It will let you know the driver’s movement, arrival and departure time of the vehicle, and track the trip.

Fare Estimation and Payment Processing

Based on the distance and time, the users will get an approximate amount as fare. They will be able to make payments on the app through payment methods like PayPal, BrainTree, etc.

Ratings and Reviews

The users would be able to give feedback, reviews, and ratings of the journey or delivery to the driver. Also, users would be able to check driver ratings while booking. It will help the user experience and overall riding quality.

Notifications and Alerts

The notification will give regular alerts with the latest information. The transportation software can notify the users about the confirmation of booking, driver location, trip start and end, etc.

Trip History

In the trip history, the users would be able to check all the previous trip details and can even access the trip receipt, cost, time, and place of the trip.

Support and Contact Options

If there is a need for any assistance with any queries or concerns, then the support and contact options are helpful. You can also add the feature to contact drivers in the transportation app to improve the user experience.

2. Driver End Solution

At this end, the features are designed to organize the driver’s work efficiently with all the necessary tools and data. Here are the essential features for the driver’s end:

Registration and Verification

Just like the users, the drivers will also be required to register on the app through license, insurance, and other documents. The verification of this data ensures the safety of vehicles and safe travel.

Related Post: How to Ensure Driver Safety within your Taxi and Driver Mobile App

Acceptance and Assignment

The driver will accept the trip sent by the admin or any other entity. This feature will also allow them to assign bookings as per the availability and location.

GPS Navigation and Route Optimization

The driver can optimize their route to deliver the product or cargo in the minimum possible time but without compromising safety. The application will also consider road conditions, weather, traffic jams, road repair, etc.

Earnings and Payments

The drivers can track their earnings and the payments that are still left or in progress. It will also help them control their trip structure and keep it financially organized.

Communication with Customers

The drivers would be able to connect with the customers through calls or chat. It will help them to know the address, any landmarks, or any other customer query.

3. Admin Panel

The admin panel will have a crucial role in the transportation software development. It will allow the logistic managers to keep things in control and on track. It will provide all the insights into financial management, payments, user control, and other features. Here are the major features of the admin panel:

Dashboard

The foremost feature will be a highly intuitive dashboard whose glance can give a lot of information. The dashboard will help the admin know incoming orders and dispatched and delivered orders. With the GPS technology, the admin can check the status of any current delivery.

Fleet Management

The admin would be able to check the current status of its whole fleet i.e. the number of vehicles on transit, idle vehicles, etc.

Related Post: Fleet Management App Development – Cost & Features 2024

Driver Management

Drivers make up the majority of employees in the logistics industry. Administrators compile their drivers’ data to manage their driver profiles. Name, contact number, address, license plate number, assigned car, and other details are included in the data. In addition to this, the same interface can be used to assign cars or modify compensation.

Order History and Tracking

This feature will help to know which orders have been completed, and how many are left. It will also allow you to check the current status of each order.

Schedules and Routes

The admin would be able to check all the routes created and monitor if any changes have been made.

Tech Stack for Transportation Software Development

Here is the important tech stack for developing transport management software:

Purpose	Technology Stack
Front-end	HTML, CSS, JavaScript (React, Angular)
Back-end	Node.js, Ruby on Rails, Django, ASP.NET
Database	MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
Integrations	RESTful API, GraphQL
Cloud Services	Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure

How much does it cost to develop Transport Management Software?

Many factors decide the cost of developing a transport management software like the type of solution, features and functionalities with their complexities, design specifics, location of developers, platforms you want to cover, etc. Considering all these factors, the average price can lie between $20,000- $150,000.

We always recommend using the outsourcing method, in which you get the best quality software development services at highly reasonable costs.

Also, the location of developers will play a major role. For example, the hourly rate of a developer located in North America ranges from $100-$200 while the same skills you can get in $20-$100 in Asia. Here are the average hourly rates of the developers across popular locations:

Location	Hourly Rate
North America	$100-$200
South America	$35-$60
Western Europe	$75-$150
Central and Eastern Europe	$25-$70
Asia	$20-$40
Australia	$80-$120

How can Octal help you in Transportation Software Development?

If you are looking for a reliable company that provides next-level software development services, then Octal IT Solution would always be the right choice. With more than 17 years of experience in developing software, apps, and web applications, our team has gained practical experience in creating logistics solutions and transportation software development.

Our expert software developers have experience in integrating transport management software with 3^rd party solutions like Google Maps, Xero, SAP ERP, Salesforce, LogitaaS, etc. We also offer flexible cooperation models like dedicated staff, outstaffing, etc. Contact us to share your requirements.

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