Driver Pay

Running three trucks feels manageable with a clipboard and a phone. You know every driver personally, remember which loads are running late, and keep detention in your head. But somewhere around truck number ten, that informal system starts cracking. Dispatch complexity explodes At three trucks, dispatch means knowing one driver runs the Southeast lanes, one handles local work, and one takes whatever’s left. Simple, clear, personal. With ten trucks, you’re juggling driver preferences, equipment types, hours of service, and where every truck will be empty tomorrow. One driver just delivered in Phoenix but needs to be home in Memphis by Friday. Another is sitting in detention in Atlanta while a hot load waits in Birmingham, two hours away. A third broke down in Kansas, and you need a relay for his California delivery. ...

Every TMS vendor promises to “revolutionize your operations.” But what matters when you’re running a small fleet, whether that’s 5 trucks or 75, is rarely what sounds impressive in a sales demo. This guide covers what small carriers actually need from trucking software, what to skip, how pricing traps work, and a checklist to take into every demo. What makes a small carrier different Enterprise TMS platforms lead with route optimization and predictive analytics. That’s useful for a 500-truck fleet with dedicated lanes. A small carrier has different problems: ...