# Transport management systems in Singapore: a buyer's guide for hauliers and 3PLs > How Singapore hauliers and 3PLs can choose a transport management system: map your jobs, check dispatch, proof of delivery, billing, integrations and PDPA. Source: https://www.fyadvisers.com/blog/transport-management-system-singapore/ Author: Fiona Wang, FYAdvisers Published: 2026-10-13 Last updated: 2026-10-13 Choosing a transport management system in Singapore starts with your jobs, not the software. Write down how a job travels from booking to invoice, decide which steps the system must handle on day one, check how it captures proof of delivery and prepares billing, and confirm it connects to your accounting and warehouse tools. Then trial two or three products with real jobs and real drivers. The TMS your dispatchers and drivers actually use is worth more than the one with the longest feature list. This guide is written for hauliers, couriers, 3PLs and companies running their own delivery fleets in Singapore. We build focused tools and connect them to the system you choose, so this guide is meant to be useful whichever product you pick. Our [logistics industry page](/industries/logistics/) covers what we build for the sector. ## 1. Map how a job moves today Take three or four recent jobs and follow each one from first contact to paid invoice. For every step, note who does it, which tool they use and where details are copied by hand. A typical flow might be: a customer emails or WhatsApps a booking, an operations executive types it into a spreadsheet, a dispatcher assigns it to a driver in a group chat, the driver returns a paper delivery order, and accounts prepares the invoice at the end of the month. This map becomes your checklist for every demo. It also shows problems a TMS will not fix by itself. If bookings arrive in ten formats, the system still needs someone, or something, to get them in cleanly. ## 2. Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves Most TMS products cover the basics. What differs is how much effort each feature takes and which plan it sits in. **Must-haves** are things you would refuse to work without, such as entering and assigning jobs, a driver app that works on the phones your drivers carry, signature and photo proof of delivery, and an export your accounts team can use. **Nice-to-haves** are things you could live without for a year, such as automatic route optimisation, carbon reporting or a full analytics suite. Score each product on the must-haves only. Nice-to-haves are tie-breakers, and they are often what pushes you into a higher tier. ## 3. Check booking intake Ask how jobs get into the system. Options usually include manual entry, CSV upload, a customer booking portal, email parsing and an API. - If most jobs come from a few large customers, check whether the product can accept their files or connect to their systems. - If many small customers book by message, a simple booking form or portal with required fields often saves more time than any dispatch feature. - Check that the booking captures what your dispatchers need: collection windows, cargo type and weight, access notes, and whether a tailgate or extra manpower is required. ## 4. Look closely at dispatch and the driver app Dispatch is where a TMS is used all day, so test it with the people who will use it. ### For dispatchers Can a dispatcher see today's jobs, drivers and vehicles on one screen? How easy is it to reassign a job when a driver calls in sick or a lorry breaks down? Does the system suggest assignments or routes, and can the dispatcher override them? ### For drivers Ask your drivers to try the app during the trial. Check that it works on their phones, handles patchy reception in basements and loading bays, and needs as few taps as possible per stop. A driver app nobody likes will be ignored, and the data behind every other feature will be wrong. ## 5. Proof of delivery and customer tracking Electronic proof of delivery is the feature most small firms feel first. Check: - what is captured: signature, photos, recipient name, time and location; - how quickly the office and the customer can see it; - whether failed deliveries record a reason and a photo; - whether customers receive tracking links or status notifications, and whether you can control the wording. Large customers may want more than a tracking link, such as a [client portal](/services/client-portal-development/) where they book, track and download delivery proofs and invoices in one place. Ask whether the product includes one, or whether it has an API you can build on. ## 6. Billing and rate cards Haulage and delivery billing is rarely a simple price per job. Waiting time, extra drops, after-hours work, tailgate charges and fuel surcharges are often agreed customer by customer. Ask each vendor to set up two of your real rate cards during the demo. Then check how a completed job becomes an invoice line, and whether surcharges are added automatically or by hand. If your rate cards cannot be expressed in the product, billing will stay in a spreadsheet no matter what you buy. ## 7. List the integrations you need A TMS rarely works alone. Write down every system it must exchange data with: - **Accounting software.** Xero, QuickBooks or another tool. Check whether invoices carry job references and line detail, or only totals. - **Warehouse management.** If you run a warehouse, the WMS and TMS should share order or job references so picked goods match delivered goods. Our guide to [inventory management systems](/blog/inventory-management-system-singapore/) covers the stock side. - **Customer systems.** Some customers send orders from their own ERP or e-commerce platform. - **Messaging and email.** Status updates and exception alerts to customers and your team. For each, ask whether the connection is built in, needs a paid add-on, or must be built through an API. Where a product has an API but no ready-made connector, a [system integration](/services/system-integration/) project can usually close the gap. ## 8. Check data protection under the PDPA Delivery records hold recipient names, addresses, phone numbers, photos and signatures. Under Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act you remain responsible for that data even when a vendor stores it. Ask where data is stored, who at the vendor can access it, how long delivery photos and signatures are kept, and how you export or delete records. The PDPC's [data protection obligations](https://www.pdpc.gov.sg/overview-of-pdpa/the-legislation/personal-data-protection-act/data-protection-obligations) are a useful checklist. ## 9. Compare a few well-known options Some products that come up for Singapore logistics firms: - **Detrack** is delivery management software for businesses running their own fleets, with a driver app, proof of delivery, live tracking with customer notifications, a REST API and webhooks, and native integrations with Xero, QuickBooks and Shopify. - **CartonCloud** combines a WMS and TMS in one platform aimed at 3PLs, with a driver app, paperless proof of delivery, rate cards, a client portal and accounting integrations including Xero and QuickBooks. - **Zyllem** offers a TMS with route optimisation, GPS tracking and electronic proof of delivery, and lists Singapore among its Asian markets. - **Y3 Technologies**, headquartered in Singapore, offers WMS, TMS, order management and dock management systems for larger supply chain operations. Features, plans and pricing change, so check each vendor's current site and confirm what your plan includes. If the product is on the GoBusiness pre-approved list, confirm the exact package is covered. ## 10. Trial with real jobs Ask for a trial or a guided pilot, and run it on a slice of real work: one customer, one job type or two drivers for two weeks. During the trial: - enter real bookings, including the awkward ones; - have drivers complete real deliveries with the app; - produce real invoices from completed jobs and compare them with what you would have billed; - note every time someone falls back to the spreadsheet or the group chat. The fallbacks tell you more than any demo. ## 11. Plan for adoption A new TMS struggles when drivers and dispatchers keep the old way running alongside it. Pick a cut-over date, retire the old dispatch sheet on that date, and name one person in operations who owns the system. Train drivers in person, in the yard, on their own phones. ## Questions to ask each vendor - Which plan do we need for our must-haves, and what does it cost per driver or per user? - How do jobs get in, and can our largest customers send them directly? - Can you set up two of our rate cards during the demo? - Which of our tools connect natively, and which need an add-on or the API? - Where is our data stored, and how do we export everything if we leave? ## Where to look next If you have chosen a product and need it connected to your accounting, warehouse or customer systems, see [system integration](/services/system-integration/). If customers keep calling for updates, a [client portal](/services/client-portal-development/) or [workflow automation](/services/workflow-automation/) for status messages may be the first fix. Our [logistics industry page](/industries/logistics/) explains when we suggest building, buying or connecting. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does a transport management system do? A transport management system (TMS) takes in delivery or haulage jobs, helps you assign them to drivers and vehicles, tracks progress, records proof of delivery and passes completed jobs to billing. Larger systems add route optimisation, carrier management and freight costing. ### What is the difference between a TMS and a WMS? A TMS manages the movement of goods between places: bookings, dispatch, delivery and proof. A warehouse management system (WMS) manages goods inside a warehouse: receiving, put-away, stock locations, picking and packing. 3PLs that do both often need the two to share order and job references, either through one combined product or an integration. ### Is there government support for buying a TMS in Singapore? Enterprise Singapore's grant schemes changed in 2026: the Productivity Solutions Grant closed to new applications on 29 September 2026, and support now runs through the EDGE Grant. Check Enterprise Singapore and GoBusiness for current eligibility before you commit. ### Do we need a TMS if we only have a few lorries? Not always. A small fleet can run well on a simpler delivery management app with a driver app, proof of delivery and tracking links. A full TMS earns its place when you handle many customers with different rates, multiple job types, subcontracted carriers or warehouse operations alongside transport.