“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. Explore Hawk Lane Carrier TMS software for the commercial product details, or learn how trucking TMS software connects the full carrier workflow.
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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