“TMS” is used for almost every freight tool on the market. The important question is simpler: do you move freight with your own trucks, or do you arrange freight with other carriers?
Carrier TMS — built for asset fleets
A carrier TMS is designed around trucks, drivers, and utilization. Core jobs usually include:
- Dispatch board and load assignments
- Driver app for status, documents, and communication
- Settlements, pay, and expense tracking
- Customer/shipper visibility or customer logins
- Fleet-focused reporting (profit per truck, operational records, tracking)
If your money comes from running equipment, carrier-first workflows matter more than brokerage features bolted on later.
Broker TMS — built for brokerage operations
A broker TMS is designed around shippers, carriers, and margin. Core jobs usually include:
- Quoting and covering loads quickly
- Carrier vetting and onboarding
- Load board posting and capacity outreach
- Margin and rep performance visibility
- Broker billing and payables to carriers
If you do not own the trucks, you need software that manages trading partners and margin — not driver settlements.
Quick comparison
- You own trucks / hire drivers: start with Carrier TMS
- You arrange freight with outside carriers: start with Broker TMS
- You do both: ask for a plan that covers both sides without forcing two unrelated systems
- You have 1–2 trucks and want something simple: start with Truck Office / TMS App before full Carrier TMS
What happens when you buy the wrong one
Carriers on broker-first tools often end up tracking driver pay and truck cost outside the system. Brokers on carrier-first tools often rebuild carrier networks and margin tracking in spreadsheets. Either way, you pay for software and still do the hard work manually.
How Hawk Lane Tech splits products
- Truck Office (TMS App): simple app for owner-operators
- Carrier TMS: full carrier stack with driver app and customer logins
- Broker TMS: brokerage-only workflows for quote, cover, and bill
Tell us how you make money today — not what feature list looks impressive — and we'll point you to the right product.
Get a product recommendation
Share your role and fleet/team size. We'll map you to Truck Office, Carrier TMS, or Broker TMS.
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