TB Customer case · MSS Transport
Automating is daunting at first, then a relief
Container haulier MSS Transport from Roosendaal switched to Filogic OpenTMS with a fleet of 31 trucks and connected it to the on-board computers within a few days.
An old hand in the trade
Theo Bos describes himself as an old hand in the trade. Almost forty years ago, in 1987, he started his own transport company under the name P.T. Bos, the beginning of what is now the internationally known Farm Trans. It began with a single truck and grew to more than three hundred vehicles with several locations across Europe. In the early days he still worked with paper invoices on an old-fashioned typewriter, but from a young age he was interested in automation and digitised his work in his own database, until the company grew too large and he had a professional TMS developed to measure.
A free TMS
In 2018 Theo decided it was time for something new and started out on his own again, once more with a single truck. The software he knew was too expensive and too extensive for just one vehicle, but he soon came across Filogic OpenTMS, which he could even use free of charge. A whole new world opened up for him: everything he had needed in 1987, and needed again now, was already in the TMS. Free of charge, and it worked perfectly too.
For every type of transport
When Theo took over MSS Transport in September 2022 and discovered that no TMS was in use, he introduced Filogic almost immediately. With a fleet of 31 trucks the system is no longer free, but he finds the value for money still highly attractive, because the TMS has a solution for every type of transport. He also acquired modern on-board computers: since January 2023 all trucks have such a system for communication with the planners and for time registration. From Filogic OpenTMS, jobs are sent directly to the on-board computers, after which a completed job is automatically ready for invoicing, and that integration was arranged within a few days.
No interpreter needed
Since Theo arrived, a great deal has changed within MSS Transport. Previously the drivers worked with handwritten sheets, the planners processed orders in Excel and invoices were created in an old-fashioned standalone module, whereas all of this now runs through the TMS. As a rule planners and programmers do not understand each other and you really need an interpreter, but that does not apply to Filogic: they build the TMS in a very practical way that everyone understands. Importing order templates from clients? No problem. Exporting to an on-board computer? Consider it done.
Happy drivers and planners
Within two months the software was implemented, and after one month everyone was convinced and enthusiastic. Drivers receive jobs directly in their on-board computer and no longer have to bring handwritten daily sheets to the office, and navigation happens automatically without them entering an address, which even saves on the number of kilometres driven. The jobs are enriched with handy information, such as the number of pallets to be loaded, which means far less telephone contact between driver and planner, really only in the event of disruptions. The planners say they can focus better and save a good deal of time.
Happy clients
The clients of MSS Transport are equally pleased with the new way of working, because they use the customer portal. In it they can submit orders themselves, which are picked up quickly after the planner approves them, and they can track their orders through the portal, a wish that according to Theo is being voiced more and more often.
No turning back
Theo is glad the steps were taken so quickly: innovation first brings tension and unrest, but the relief and the savings in time and cost follow naturally afterwards. As far as he is concerned, you should never automate solely because your client asks for it, you have to believe in it yourself and take your people by the hand, which he did with the message that after the switch there is no turning back. To entrepreneurs who still hesitate he says: just try it, with the free account and the trial version including premium features, run a few simple tests and you will soon experience what it does for your business continuity.
Ready to start
Move your transport to the new-generation TMS
Start free with up to 5 trips per day, no install, no credit card. Or let us show your process live in a demo.
Live within days · Open API · Local support