Where truckload operations leak margin
A truckload carrier makes or loses money one load at a time. The tender comes in, a planner matches it to a truck with hours and the right equipment, the driver runs it, the paperwork comes back, the customer gets billed and the driver gets paid. Every one of those handoffs runs through a system, and every system that isn't configured or connected properly costs you a little on every load.
These are the patterns we look for first:
- Load planning and deadhead. Planners work from a whiteboard or a spreadsheet beside the TMS because the dispatch board doesn't show what they need. Empty miles aren't measured by lane or customer, and revenue per mile is calculated on loaded miles only, which flatters the lanes that cost you the most.
- Rating, fuel surcharge and accessorials. Rate confirmations don't match the tariff in the system. The FSC table is updated by hand each week, or not at all. Detention, layover, stop-off, tarping and lumper charges are earned on the road but never make it to the freight bill.
- Order-to-cash lag. Delivered loads sit unbilled waiting on a BOL or POD. Imaging isn't tied to the order. EDI 210 invoices get rejected for missing references, and AR aging creeps up while the office chases paperwork.
- Driver settlements. Mileage, percentage, stop pay and detention pay rules were configured years ago and patched since. Advances, escrow and fuel card deductions are reconciled in a spreadsheet. Every settlement error is a phone call from a driver, and enough of them become a resignation.
- ELD/HOS and safety. Hours of service live in the ELD portal while dispatch lives in the TMS, so planners can't see available hours when they assign a load. DVIR defects don't reach the shop. IFTA miles and fuel purchases get reconciled by hand every quarter.
- Customer EDI. EDI 204 tenders are rekeyed instead of imported, 990 responses go out late, and 214 status updates are incomplete, which hurts you on shipper scorecards.
None of this is exotic. It's the normal result of a business that grew faster than its systems were configured. The fix is rarely a new platform. Usually it's configuration, integration, data cleanup and a handful of process decisions made deliberately instead of by habit.
How Strong Tower practices apply to truckload
Order-to-cash and dispatch workflow
Through Business Process Optimization, we map the full path from tender to payment: order entry, planning, dispatch, check calls, delivery, paperwork, billing and collections. We find the steps where loads stall and the places where the same data is keyed twice, then set billing cutoffs and exception queues so delivered loads with clean paperwork bill the same day.
Lane profitability and deadhead
Your TMS database already holds the answers. With SQL Data Mining & Analytics, we report revenue and cost per total mile, loaded plus empty, by lane, customer, tractor and driver. We measure deadhead into and out of each market, compare accessorials earned against accessorials billed, and show which freight is carrying the rest of the network.
ELD, fuel card and EDI connections
ELD, EDI & Back-Office Integration ties the pieces together: HOS clocks visible at dispatch, ELD mileage feeding IFTA, fuel card transactions flowing into settlements and fuel tax, EDI 204/990/214/210 with your shippers, and clean posting to accounting. Fewer swivel-chair steps means fewer errors.
Settlements and business documents
We review every pay rule and deduction, correct the configuration, and rebuild settlement statements so drivers can read them. Reporting & Business Documents also covers invoices that meet customer requirements and the weekly operating report your leadership actually uses.
When the system really is the problem
Sometimes the TMS can't do what the operation needs. Then TMS Selection & Advisory gives you a vendor-neutral selection built on your lanes, your pay rules and your customers, not a sales demo. If your current system can do it, we'll show you how, and Training & Enablement gets dispatch, billing and payroll staff using it.
Independent by design
Strong Tower Consulting never requires you to buy our software. Our sister company, Exspeedite, builds a TMS, and that's exactly why we know what's under the hood of yours. We work with the systems you run today. If staying put is the right answer, we'll say so. If another product fits better, we'll say that too.
What an engagement looks like
Every Strong Tower engagement follows the same arc: Analyze, Streamline, Deliver, Sustain (see How We Work). What changes by segment is where we look first and which numbers we put in front of you. For a truckload carrier, a typical engagement runs like this:
- Discovery on the floor. We sit with planners, dispatchers, billing clerks, payroll and safety, then review the system itself: rate tables, FSC schedule, accessorial codes, pay rules, interfaces and data quality.
- Findings in dollars. A written assessment ranks issues by money and risk: unbilled accessorials, settlement exceptions, hours lost to rekeying, deadhead by lane, days from delivery to invoice.
- Plan. Scoped fixes with owners, a schedule and a test plan. Quick wins that pay for the work come first.
- Execute. Configuration, integration, reports and training, managed as a project with regular status reporting.
- Sustain. A short list of KPIs, such as revenue per total mile, deadhead percentage, DSO and settlement adjustments, reviewed on a set cadence, with ongoing support if you want it.
Most carriers start with a fixed-scope Technology Assessment, then decide which findings to act on.
Signs it's time to bring in help
It's usually time to call when the office has started working around the system instead of through it. Common triggers:
- Delivered loads routinely wait more than a day or two to be billed.
- Planners keep a spreadsheet beside the dispatch board because the board doesn't show hours, equipment or customer requirements.
- Settlement week brings a stack of manual adjustments and driver complaints.
- Nobody can say with confidence which lanes or customers lose money once deadhead is counted.
- IFTA filing takes days of reconciliation every quarter.
- A shipper is pressing for EDI or better 214 updates and the request keeps getting pushed back.
If two or three of these sound familiar, the problem is usually fixable without replacing your TMS, and an assessment will show you where to start.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need a new TMS to fix dispatch and billing problems?
Usually not. Most truckload carriers use a fraction of what their current TMS can do. We start by fixing configuration, data and process in the system you own, and we recommend a replacement only when the numbers support it.
Can you help us measure lane profitability and deadhead?
Yes. We query your TMS database directly to report revenue and cost per total mile by lane, customer and driver, including empty miles, so pricing and planning decisions rest on real numbers.
How do you handle driver settlement problems?
We review every pay rule, deduction and advance in your system, compare it to how drivers are actually paid, and correct the configuration so settlements run with fewer manual adjustments and fewer disputes.
Will Strong Tower Consulting push us toward Exspeedite software?
No. Strong Tower Consulting is independent. Our consulting never requires buying our sister company's software, and we work with whatever system you run today.