When does it make sense to integrate transport management systems (TMS) with AI? What’s the right business case? David Priestman met with Alex Redmann, Sales Director of Soloplan, at Multimodal Birmingham, to find the answer.
“Interpret the right data, for example from the proof-of-delivery,” advises Redmann. “AI can verify documents, check if the P.O.D. is correct and its quality using optical character recognition (Document Intelligence function). This saves time and the checked data automatically goes into the right place in CarLo. (Soloplan’s TMS) When we speak to prospective customers they often say how long it takes to get P.O.D. discovery, so we need to discuss their current operations to show a new workflow and ROI.”
AI is just one of many tools, Redmann tells me. The new ‘Planning Radar’ in CarLo highlights proactive efficiency improvements, whether that be reduced empty distances, optimised vehicle utilisation or less planning effort. The functionality supports dispatchers in planning transport orders faster and more intelligently. The planning radar analyses all open transport orders in real time and displays the best possible combinations directly in the system. Results can be filtered by number and radius. The system automatically recognises previous and upcoming trips as well as return loads.
Intelligent Vehicle Search
Soloplan (which stands for Software Logistics Planning) takes an individualised configuration approach by customizing solutions. “We only have 1 TMS,” Redmann states, “but without changing source code we can change all the jobs in the system.” The company has 1700 worldwide customers, predominantly hauliers with fleets of 50-500 trucks, doing FTL and LTL, palletised, tank or bulk freight transport. There are 33000 CarLo users, supported by 260 Soloplan staff across seven offices in Germany, Spain, France, Poland and South Africa.
Its competition is not just other TMS providers, but spreadsheet usage by smaller hauliers. ”We look at how digitized a customer is and how many manual processes they have,” says Redmann, “to find the right resource for each job – such as route planning. Individual benefit outweighs data functionality.” Customers buy CarLo (Cargo Logistics) via a one-time license fee, rather than SaaS. This means a higher upfront cost, but lower total cost of ownership.
The new customer search in ‘Planning Radar’ automatically suggests clients for whom appropriate return loads have regularly been carried out in the past. If no match is found, freight exchanges such as TIMOCOM or Trans.eu can be connected to directly. Here as well, the return load search takes place automatically and with only one click. Some hauliers prefer to use their own network, some need external transport resources. The TMS integrates with telematics partners like Samsara and has additional features for WMS, fleet management, cross docking and driver communications.
After planning a trip, the Planning Radar, with its intelligent search functionality and chatbot, assists in finding the most suitable vehicle. Factors such as the proximity to the loading location, the costs per vehicle (weight, fuel consumption, wear and tear) or the properties of the semi-trailer (dumper, tank, tarpaulin, excess width) play a role. The transport company can specify the cost components per vehicle itself. Vehicles used in the past for similar combinations can be another criterion. This way, AI helps identify hidden optimisation potential which otherwise may have remained unrecognised.
The planning radar graphically displays suggestions on the map. The AI feed creates a window next to the map and checks all open transport orders in CarLo. Subsequently, all transport orders for which suggestions have been found are displayed there. Even less experienced dispatchers can plan better and more easily, while avoiding planning errors and staff do not have to deal with the data alone.