Truck Dispatch Software Development: Why It Is Required and How It Should Be

Trucking is an indispensable process in logistics that brings substantial value to businesses. Statistical sources report that trucking software companies generated an annual revenue of $12.4 billion in 2023, and it’s forecasted to increase to $26.8 billion by the end of 2030. However, specialized trucking dispatch software empowers carriers to manage trucks and monitor routes, enabling them to perform tasks that were previously impossible simultaneously.

This article will reveal the essence of trucking company software, discussing the flows that customized solutions can control, the everyday benefits of use, the necessary steps before developing such a product, and more.

The trucking management software is a digital platform intended to automate routing and scheduling workflows as well as efficiently manage the company’s trucking for quicker deliveries and more customer satisfaction.

Why are trucking dispatch operations vital for logistics companies? Trucking dispatch operations are vital for logistics companies because they ensure efficient coordination between drivers, vehicles, and cargo, optimizing delivery schedules and minimizing downtime. Effective dispatching enables timely pickups and deliveries, enhances customer satisfaction, and ultimately drives profitability in the logistics industry.

Fleet dispatch software comes in handy in cargo delivery and transportation management, helping the drivers obtain accurate tasks, track their performance in real-time, and increase consumers' satisfaction. As a consequence, your company's reputation will be kept while you're duly performing all the delivery time commitments.

It should be mentioned that trucking deliveries closely relate to the Transportation management. However, there are some peculiarities that differentiate trucking from it and make us look separately at such a kind of delivery.

Trucking dispatch software essentials are the following:

Order formation is performed beforehand. Moreover, ready orders are automatically distributed among the drivers in advance (at least by the beginning of the working day). There aren’t any new orders throughout the day in trucking software.

Route duration defined. Trucking may not include last mile delivery software. It can be as the routes from one warehouse to another, as the travels of several days in case if the order consists of long-distance transportation.

Caring about driver’s rest. While calculating the route and ETA, the truck dispatch software leaves a period for the driver’s sleep and rest while completing the order to eliminate the possible car crashes during the order completion. In addition, the hours spent by one driver behind the wheel without a break are also strictly controlled as well as their vehicle speed to prevent accidents.

Features only for the dispatcher. Some trucking app development features are shared with transportation management systems or TMS (e.g., GPS navigation, POD, or real-time tracking). However, they are available only for the dispatchers to care about the cargo safety and security.

What facilities can be available to all the customers via trucking management software? Depending on the type of solution the entrepreneurs choose, the following trucking software capabilities are accessible for common use:

• Route enhancements
• Customized processes
• Better communication for the parties involved
• Dispatching performed manually or automatically
• Access to analytical data, etc.

There are only some of the numerous facilities the customers can use through trucking dispatch software. Let’s look at how such a workflow is passed.

The truck dispatching software makes carriers' work more straightforward, allowing them to perform their orders more thoroughly and make deliveries quicker. This is possible due to the dispatchers’ coordination of the process. Particularly, the system may record the incoming calls of the customers, leaving them on your job record or dispatch board. Moreover, the solution lets the dispatchers send automatic emails or set reminders for the customers in advance.

After the brief overview of the trucking software’s aims and facilities, let’s talk more about the functionality of such a logistics digital product, looking at the processes the trucking logistics software can help perform.

The freight dispatch software typically responds for the following logistics flows:

• Analytical reports for your fleet
• Management of fuel
• Load monitoring and assignment
• Route optimization
• Fleet tracking
• Driver availability and logs

These processes should be covered by the trucking company software functionality that can assist the drivers faster and more efficiently complete the orders, and the logistical companies — track the vehicles’ condition, get the analytical information and finish other work related to trucking deliveries.

Remember that the features implementation into the trucking logistics software depends on your particular business circumstances. To define them all and make the most efficient modules list possible, you should apply to the experienced logistics software development company that will help you seamlessly handle such a task.

Thanks to logistics company establishment, you can gain multiple business aims, satisfying clients and growing your profits bigger. But how to benefit more from the company activity? Trucking dispatch systems development is the best for that purpose. Let’s discuss the essential advantages of such a solution creation.

The efficient route planning reduces the need for additional vehicles or drivers, further cutting down on operational costs. With the ability to analyze data and identify areas for improvement, companies can make informed decisions to streamline their operations continuously, leading to long-term savings and improved profitability.

You must guarantee that your company delivers superior services to its competition. The trucking dispatch system will help you. It maintains track of all the tasks your company completes so you can figure out how to boost staff performance. Your earnings will quickly rise as a result of the workers' higher productivity.

Keeping a closer eye on how all deliveries are being sent is one of the most challenging aspects of running a trucking business. However, you don't have to worry about dispatching matters if you develop truck dispatch software and then use it. You'll have an opportunity to automate the solution of management issues (e.g., the vehicle availability or the appropriate driver's choice), allowing you to expand your company quickly.

With real-time tracking capabilities, logistics companies can offer customers visibility into the status of their shipments, reducing inquiries and increasing transparency. Moreover, companies can minimize delivery times and meet tight deadlines, resulting in greater customer satisfaction and loyalty by routes and schedules optimization with trucking dispatch software. Additionally, the ability to quickly adapt to changes or delays allows companies to proactively communicate with customers, mitigating potential issues and building trust in their services.

Analyzing historical data and performance metrics, companies can identify trends, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement. Dispatchers can leverage this information to fine-tune route planning, allocate resources more effectively, and identify areas for cost reduction. What is more, data-driven decision-making enables companies to stay agile and responsive in dynamic market conditions, allowing them to adapt quickly to changes and maintain a competitive edge in the industry.

Finding out how your team spends its time is one of the main advantages of employing dispatch software for small trucking companies or the big ones (depending on your organization’s size). You will benefit from knowing what adjustments you may make to increase your business' profitability so you can succeed in business quickly.

These benefits are the most common ones, which can work only with the properly chosen software. Let’s talk about what points should be considered while creating dispatching software for trucking.

Let’s discuss the core features you should implement into your dispatch software solution to reduce administrative burden on your logistics organization, enhance the management of your fleet and do many other essentials.

With the help of the fleet maintenance functionality, your trucking dispatch software can help you run smoothly and minimize downtimes. This feature streamlines maintenance workflows and helps prevent costly breakdowns. By tracking vehicle maintenance history and analyzing performance data, you can proactively identify maintenance needs, optimize service schedules, and ensure compliance with safety regulations.

Moreover, the dispatch software for trucking includes robust fuel management features to help optimize fuel usage and reduce costs. It provides tools for tracking fuel expenses, monitoring fuel consumption trends, and analyzing efficiency metrics.

Your company's dispatchers can efficiently manage their fleet and ensure timely deliveries using features from assigning jobs to tracking driver locations in real-time. Moreover, due to this functionality integrated in your truck dispatch system, they can optimize workflow efficiency, minimize idle time, and respond promptly to changing customer demands or route conditions.

The route planner feature empowers trucking companies to streamline their operations by efficiently planning and optimizing delivery routes. By considering factors such as traffic conditions, vehicle specifications, and delivery schedules, the truck dispatch software solution generates optimized routes that minimize travel time and fuel costs while maximizing delivery efficiency.

Furthermore, the trucking software can optimize your routes considering factors such as traffic patterns, delivery schedules, and vehicle capabilities. The right dispatch software also generates optimized routes that minimize travel time and fuel expenses.

You can easily create and track shipments, assign them to specific drivers or vehicles, and monitor their progress in real-time through this functionality. With features such as automated notifications and alerts, trucking companies and freight brokers can stay informed about important milestones, delays, or exceptions, allowing for proactive problem-solving and enhanced customer service.

Moreover, through load management functionality, you can easily assign, track, and update load information, including weight, dimensions, and special handling requirements. It maximizes trailer capacity and minimizes empty miles, reducing costs and improving overall efficiency. Additionally, the trucking software provides visibility into load status and delivery timelines, allowing for proactive coordination and communication with your customers.

You can also think of building a separate system for load planning and integrate it with your trucking dispatch software. Discover our guide on load planning software implementation to know more.

From invoices to bills of lading, you can easily upload, store, and access important documents connected to your fleet data in a centralized digital repository. This not only saves time and reduces the risk of errors associated with manual data entry but also ensures that documents are securely stored and readily available for compliance audits or customer inquiries.

You can also access customizable reports and analytics dashboards that provide a clear overview of key metrics and trends. Whether required to track revenue, monitor expenses, or evaluate driver performance, the truck dispatch software equips you with the data-driven insights needed to make informed decisions and drive business growth.

Using GPS technology and integrated telematics devices, you can monitor the location, speed, and status of your vehicles in real-time on a digital map interface. This not only enhances visibility and accountability but also allows for proactive decision-making and quick response to unexpected events or delays through building your fleet dispatch software.

We’ll represent you some of the well-known dispatch software on the market for trucking companies.

Route4me is a modern trucking dispatch software designed to streamline route planning and optimization for logistics companies. It offers core features such as real-time tracking, route optimization, and scheduling tools to enhance efficiency and reduce transportation costs. With Route4Me ready-made solutions, businesses can manage their fleets, improve delivery times, and enhance overall operational productivity.

Samsara's trucking software is a comprehensive solution designed to streamline and optimize the operations of trucking fleets. This logistics software helps provide real-time visibility into fleet activities, enabling efficient dispatching, route optimization, and driver communication.

Trucking companies can use the following Samsara features as:

• Real-time monitoring and notifications
• Mileage tracking
• GPS navigation
• Mobile access

Fleet Complete is a provider of IoT-equipped fleet dispatching software that help businesses improve dispatching, fleet tracking, regulatory compliance, and in-field staff management for optimal asset and resource productivity.

Fleet Complete trucking dispatch tool offers the following core features:

• Order management
• Route optimization
• Billing and invoicing
• Delivery track

Routific is a trucking dispatch software designed to streamline and optimize delivery operations for businesses. It offers core features like delivery and mileage monitoring, GPS navigation and tracking, route optimization and many more that enable companies to efficiently manage their fleet, reduce transportation costs, and improve customer satisfaction.

Using the ready-made software from the logistics vendors (we've represented you the top trucking dispatch ready-made solutions above), you should realize that it has its own set of pros and cons compared to custom driver dispatch software. Let’s analyze both the options.

Now it’s the high-time to discuss the applicability of the bespoke trucking solution versus ready-made option for your logistics business.

The ready-made (another called out-of-the-box, or off-the-shelf) fleet dispatch solution is perfect when you require managing processes of the small company having strict development aims. Moreover, the set of the implemented functionality fits different fleet tracking processes. The digital product of this kind will be quite cheap but you should be ready for the drawbacks that may appear.

First of all, the experts are sure that the off-the-shelf logistical products are easier to be hacked, as their creators don’t guarantee the high degree of security. The customer support is given restrictedly, which is uncomfortable when logistics companies manage many truck dispatch processes. So, there may be some questions beyond the active functionality of the solution, and these questions may remain without an answer.

And last, but not the least — even the best dispatch software for small trucking companies isn’t able to be compatible with the unique processes. In case it’s not proper for you, think about the building of the customized trucking dispatching software.

The customized trucking software is the best choice for organizations that need an original approach to solving their problems. Regardless of its expensiveness (in comparison with an off-the-shelf small trucking company software), the customized dispatching app will totally pay off.

We’ll give you the most vital reasons why it’s so:

• You need the current functionality list to be extended and adjusted to the arising needs and demands (for example, add new trucking schemes, or change the existing ones). It is possible due to the custom dispatching software’s scalability.
• You can integrate your truck driving software with the existing logistics platforms of your company (e.g., Transport Management System, Fleet Management System, Warehousing platform).
• Your company is better protected from data breaches and information leakage with the customized freight dispatch software creation.
• The developed custom solution’s source code is fully controllable.
• You can participate in the trucking dispatch system’s development lifecycle, communicating with the developers or making necessary adjustments.

The development of a powerful digital software trucking business may be quite complex. There are a lot of points that should be considered before the start of the building process. We have analyzed such information for you and made our own set of the common steps that should be passed through before you begin a project development.

Logistics software development requires extensive expertise in order to optimize fleet operations and adapt to evolving industry regulations and market demands. That’s why it is important to cooperate with a skilled tech partner when working on your driver dispatch software building.

When looking for a logistics technology partner, it's worth considering outsourcing the development of fleet dispatch software to leverage specialized expertise and cost-effectiveness. Central and Eastern Europe stand out as prime destinations for outsourcing due to their skilled tech workforce, competitive pricing, and proximity to Western Europe, facilitating communication and collaboration. By outsourcing to this region, you can access top talent while controlling over the development process.

There are the following points you should consider while choosing an outsourcing technology partner for development of an easy-to-use dispatch trucking software:

• Analyze the price for the vendor's services. Ensure your initial demands and aims for not to overpay the future trucking software. Moreover, get acquainted the hidden charges and additional fees.
• Discover their logistics product development experience. A lot of IT outsourcing vendors’ company sites have a portfolio section where you can look through their previous cases description, business domain they were developed for, etc.
• Check their previous customers’ feedback. The professional platforms like Clutch are capable of giving you more information from the previous clients that have already worked with the chosen IT company. You can contact them to know more about their experience.
• Ensure their communication is strong and stable. Effective and transparent communication is essential for successful collaboration throughout the development process.
• Assess their ability to provide ongoing support and maintenance post-launch, as well as their flexibility in accommodating changes and updates to the software.

Look through our Clutch profile to find out how we’ve helped our clients solve their business challenges (including logistics software creation) and what they say about collaboration with us.

Your preparation for the logistics project development should be started from defining requirements to the future solution. You should analyze the following two groups of requirements:

Functional (consisting of the particular information like features, behaviors, rules, etc.):

• A list of functionality your future trucking route software will support
• Circumstances under which there will be more profit and more clients attracted
• Features that will interest the stakeholders the most, the reasons why, and so on

Non-functional (implying additional expectations from the trucking industry software, environment where it would function, or its possible qualities that will be visible through particular circumstances):

• The usage straightforwardness
• The speed and efficiency of the platform’s work
• Reaction to particular commands
• Data architecture including considerations of the info collection, storage, etc.

During this stage you should work closely with the logistics IT vendor’s development team to implement the list of features your truck dispatch software should have. The team will encode the list of the trucking features agreed earlier with you during sprints.

The logistics IT vendor's developers will also integrate your newly developed trucking dispatch solution with your existing digital transportation software. There are the examples of the logistics software you can integrate with your newly developed trucking solution:

• Fleet management software development
• Transportation telematics systems
• How to create a TMS software
• Accounting software, etc.

During this stage, the developers work in cooperation with the QA engineers to ensure whether your logistics solution is flawless in operation and free of bugs.

The trucking project development team will also help you deploy the newly created transportation dispatch system in your business environment. They will also implement an educational module for your staff members' onboarding and training to cover all aspects of the system, from basic functionalities to troubleshooting common issues.

If you need the support and maintenance services for your freight dispatch software, the logistics IT vendor’s specialists will keep cooperating with you. They’ll track your fleet dispatching system’s performance in order to bugfix your logistics software or upgrade it with additional functionality to further grow your business in the logistics domain.

Cleveroad is a competent outsourcing logistics IT provider from Estonia specialized on creation and delivery of the custom logistics software system. This software improves the business flows’ efficiency and helps the logistics companies win the competition. For more than 12 years on the IT market our team has been helping logistics and transportation organizations gain their aims. The result is expressed in our portfolio containing 170+ projects, including logistics systems and we don’t stop on such a mark.

We have 280+ certified and agile-minded in-house engineers. Currently, 64% of our development team are senior and mid-level specialists capable of building full-fledged logistics digital platforms fitting your company flows.

Working with us, you’ll get:

• Development of truck dispatching software to reduce operational expenditures, speed up the flows (e.g., warehousing, freight delivery, inventory) on different segments of the supply chain
• In-depth consultation from the accredited logistics software development experts (such as business analysts, project managers or a solution architect) as to all the issues concerning the implementation of the truck dispatching system
• Initial trucking dispatch software estimates from our expert team
• Signing Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) to protect the uniqueness of logistics software concept per your wish
• IT services on-demand: creating logistics software from scratch, software modernization services, UI/UX design for transportation solutions, Blockchain in supply chain development services, etc.

One of our successfully implemented projects in the logistics domain is a Transportation Management System with Route Planning. This is the highly customized solution for automated route planning also having a control and manual adjustment option. Moreover, the solution is equipped with the mobile app for drivers to navigate through the routes.

We are ready to implement your truck driver dispatch software concepts of any degree of complexity — all you need is to message us to describe the future product details.