Transport Management System vs Spreadsheets
Which system is better for planning and monitoring jobs in haulage? Find a wealth of assets to choose from to help you determine if your business is ready to make the switch.
The pros and cons of using Spreadsheets to plan your haulage work
Find key similarities and differences of using spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets etc) or Transport Management Software (TMS) to plan your haulage work, to help you find the planning system best suited to your business.
Exclusive TMS features for seamless haulage planning and execution
What if there was a method that incorporated all the best features of Excel, as well as the additional functionality specifically tailored to road haulage needs and processes? Watch our short video to see how.
On-demand webinar [13m]
Spreadsheets have been used by thousands of haulage businesses – typically from the businesses first emerging into the industry and sometimes propelling businesses to grow. In this webinar, you’ll find:
- The benefits and limitations of using spreadsheets as a planning tool
- Key similarities between spreadsheets and a TMS
- What differentiates a TMS from spreadsheets
- Why growing hauliers are increasingly relying on a TMS
- What other hauliers are saying about the benefits of a TMS
Simplify order to invoicing processes in 6 steps
Keeping up with growing demand from the industry, as well as customer expectations, can be difficult if your software doesn’t set you up with the tools to create an execute efficient plans at volume. Don’t let spreadsheets hold back your businesses ambitious growth targets. Find the 6 essential software features to future-proof your haulage business.
Like-for-like feature comparison
Find side-by-side comparison of the features and functionality of spreadsheets and TMS, find exclusive features you need to run a smooth operation.
Feature | Excel | TMS |
Accessibility Excel and a TMS are both easily accessible from anywhere as long as you have the device the TMS is installed on, meaning you can access all your data from home! |  | |
Customisable Excel and a TMS can both be customised to only show the data on screen that you require, with the ability to filter the data you need. | | |
Easy-to-use One massive advantage to Excel is its ease of use for beginners, Mandata TMS took many of these ideas on board and there is a lot of noticeable similarities between a TMS and Excel. | | |
Job entry It’s easy with both Excel and a TMS to enter job information into all the required fields. | | |
Repeat job entry With a TMS all customer data is stored, meaning that it will all be inputted automatically once a customer is selected for a job, greatly reducing admin burden. |  | |
Repeat job schedules Repeat job schedules can be set up in a TMS with all the data inputted automatically, allowing you to plan jobs weeks, or even months in advanced. | | |
Store customer details Customer data is all saved within the TMS, meaning that you don’t have to re-key in addresses, key contacts, telephone numbers etc. | | |
Drag and drop job assignment Jobs can be assigned with a TMS quickly and easily using either our drag and drop functionality, or by right clicking and assigning. | | |
Live job status updates When combined with our driver's Manifests app, you can view live job status updates within your TMS, meaning you always have full visibility of job progress. Your customers can also see their jobs' progress in real-time, reducing the admin burden and helping to offer better customer service. | | |
POD upload When combined with our driver’s Manifests app, your drivers can upload all proof of collection and delivery documentation that they receive while out on jobs. All POD information will be automatically attached to the job record. | | |
Map-based planning Plan out the best routes for a driver to take, automatically calculating empty miles and total miles and supporting both full load and multi-drop work types, saving you time and money. | | |
Sign-on-glass signature collection When combined with our driver’s Manifests app, your drivers can collect electronic signatures via sign-on-glass functionality which will automatically attach to the job record. | | |
Two-way communication with drivers Your staff, using the TMS, can send and receive messages with your drivers through their Manifests app while they are out on the road. | | |
Easy invoicing With all signature and POD information attached to the job record automatically, countless hours are saved matching PODs to invoices, improving cash flow. | | |
Customer job booking With our online customer portal your customers can book their own jobs ready for your planners to assign to drivers. They can also access all historical POD data between the two of you, eliminating needless conversation. | | |
Data security As the TMS is cloud-based, your data will be stored with us, eliminating the need for you to invest in top-end cybersecurity. Furthermore, at Mandata, we have ISO 27001 certification, which means we are at the forefront of cybersecurity. | | |
Ready to see a TMS in action?
Book a short demonstration with a member of our product specialist team to compare the way you’re currently work, with industry leading Transport Management Software.
Why hauliers choose Mandata as their recommended TMS supplier
"McCulla are excited and proud to be supporting the 'The UK's Kindest Town' campaign. This campaign represents an important step forward in promoting positivity and engagement across the road haulage industry in the UK with the wider community.”
The technology has significantly improved our invoicing, enabling us to quickly and effectively check off all the PODs at the end of the working week simply by clicking a button.
We handle 2,000 tyres every day and with over 56,000 tyres in stock with literally dozens of collections and deliveries every day, that presents a significant amount of admin, all of which I’m pleased to say is now in digital form and managed by the new Mandata system – making paperwork a thing of the past.
With GoPlus, invoicing is a much quicker process and the customer gets the invoice and other documentation together, in one email. This also means that invoice queries from clients are swiftly resolved.