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Buyer's guide
TMS for small trucking companies: what to look for
A fleet of 5 to 30 trucks has the same paperwork as a big carrier and two or three people to do it. A TMS should take work off those people on the first day, not add a project. Here is what to check, and what to ask in a demo.
Updated November 3, 2026 · Tandem Fleet
What a TMS does for a small fleet
A transportation management system is where the office runs the loads. For a carrier with its own trucks, that means:
- Loads: each load's broker, rate, stops, times and reference numbers in one place.
- Dispatch: which driver and truck has which load, this week, on one board.
- Drivers: the load on the driver's phone, and the BOL and POD back from it.
- Pay: driver settlements from rules, not from a formula someone has to remember.
- Documents and compliance: licenses, medical cards, registrations and inspections, with a warning before they expire.
- Billing: the invoice with the rate con and the signed POD, for the broker or your factoring company.
What to look for
1. How fast a load gets in
Most of the office's day is entering loads. Time it: from the rate con in your email to a load ready to dispatch. A system that reads the rate con and lets you check it beats one with a faster form. How a rate con reader works
2. Whether it shows you the money in the fine print
Late fees, tracking deductions and detention rules decide what a load really pays. Ask whether the system shows them before dispatch, or leaves them on page 3. The clauses to look for
3. A driver app drivers will actually use
One screen with the current load, the next stop and the pickup number. Documents sent from the load. Works when the signal drops. If the app is hard, drivers go back to texting photos.
4. Pay rules for the way you pay
Per mile, percentage, owner-operator, deductions, escrow, and the load two drivers shared. Bring last week's real settlement to the demo and ask them to reproduce it. Settlements explained
5. Who sees what
Dispatchers, office staff and drivers need different views. Drivers paid by the mile often should not see the rate. Check that roles are set by you, not fixed by the vendor.
6. The integrations you really use
ELD, fuel cards, factoring, accounting. Make your own short list, then ask each vendor to show each one working today, with a real account, not on a roadmap slide.
7. Getting your data out
Ask how you export everything, in what format, and whether it costs anything. A system you cannot leave is a risk, however good it is today.
How TMS pricing models compare
Vendors price in different ways. Work out what each model costs for your own fleet, in a slow month and a busy one.
| Model | How the bill is calculated | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Per truck | Trucks × monthly fee | You pay for parked trucks in a slow month |
| Per user | Office seats (and sometimes drivers) × monthly fee | Adding a dispatcher or a part-time helper costs more |
| Tiers | A package price, features unlocked by tier | The feature you need may be in the next tier up |
| Per load | Loads run × a fee per load | A busy month costs more; check what counts as one load |
Also ask about setup fees, contract length, and what happens to the price after the first year.
Questions to ask in a demo
- Can you enter this rate con (one of yours) while I watch?
- Can you reproduce last week's pay for this driver?
- What does a driver see, step by step, on a load with two pickups?
- Which of my integrations work today, with a real account?
- How do I export all my data, and is there a fee?
- Can I run it next to my current system before I commit?
- What does it cost for my fleet in a slow month and in a busy month?
Where Tandem Fleet fits
Tandem Fleet is built for carriers with 5 to 30 trucks and their own drivers. It is not built for brokers. It reads rate confirmations and shows the clauses that cost money, sends the load to the driver's phone, collects the BOL and POD on the load, and prepares the week's driver pay for you to approve. One price: your first month free, then $1.95 per load, no contract and no per-user fees. Pricing
Try it next to what you use now. Bring your own rate cons and your own pay rules.
Start your free month