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The New Transport Management System

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Frequently Asked Questions

Benefits
What ultimately are we hoping to achieve with the TMS?
Improved customer service and relations are a key focus for the system, as is efficiencies and optimal plans. But ultimately we are looking to provide better tools and ways of working for you all, to make your working lives easier and more enjoyable.
 
What was the reason for implementing the system now?
So we have a system that will support growth. To provide a best in class planning solution for Boughey. To provide a better tool for our teams to use, making us more efficient.
 
Data & Reporting
What reporting facilities will we have?
Microlise provide a huge amount of ‘off the shelf’ reporting for us to tap into. Neil Peacock is currently working on this part of the project with Microlise to understand the Reports and functionality available initially, and then we will look at what bespoke reporting we can create to support Boughey specific requirements. It is a very flexible Reporting solution that we have acquired.
 
What master data needs cleansing?
We have a lot of historical data within our systems which are no longer needed, and are ripe for cleansing. Our delivery locations for instance need a really good cleanse, where we have 16k+ locations in SAP, despite only having around 2.5k of active locations. Another area to look at are the Ring fences around our locations, which automatically trigger if a driver enters them. If the ring fence is drawn around the location inaccurately, it will provide a false reading of arrival and departure. We are using a data matrix which has identified what needs to be cleaned prior to launch and we will plan for this cleansing accordingly.
 
Will the TMS system give us an opportunity to improve our load fill?
Yes, we will have better info to use for planning that leads to improved decision making and improved load fill. It won’t give us the ability to double stack pallets, the agreement for this would need to come from our customers. The TMS will only work to the rules that we set in place.
 
 
Will this give us greater visibility of our trailers and were it's located?
The trailers are already tracked and there may be solutions in place already to help here. A future phase is a cross-dock facility which tracks each pallet through to delivery, which will certainly help too. The system will also support with not having to interpret handwriting as drivers will be able to use the tablets issued in phase 1b. The tablets will allow drivers to take pictures and support with this.
 
Driver Routes
Do we have to drive to the route given by the system?
Not necessary, we still wish our drivers to use their expertise, the visibility of the route is there if you want to see it. Feedback can be given on the debrief.
What information is used to calculate times on drivers routes?
The system uses driving information taken from a company called Trimble. Using historic data from the past 3-4 months on HGV driver journeys all across the country. Our Microlise Enterprise system will use this journey times data to accurately calculate planned journey times. This is combined with a Turn around Time for locations which can be location specific to account for specific circumstances and layouts. Driver breaks will also be added in based on UK Regs, as will a time for Briefing and Debriefing at the start and end of the working day / week.
 
 
Does the Journey time used by the system take account of live traffic conditions?
It won’t use live traffic information as routes are planned on day 1 for day 3 deliveries. It will eventually feed through into the planned time though, as Microlise Enterprise will provide average journey times based on real life journeys between two points, averaged over several months.
 
Will the TMS build in breaks for the drivers?
Yes, the system will build in your breaks, however, it will not tell you when these need to be taken, that is down to the driver and the progress they are making.
 
How will failed loads be communicated?

This will be done by the driver as per now, but potentially utilising the tablet as well. The process for this will need to be determined.

Will the TMS geofence your arrival and departure?
Yes as it does now. But there will need to be some data management work around this to ensure that the ring fences are accurate and recording arrivals and departures from locations accurately
 
Will there be a facility for drivers to give feedback regarding their routes?
Yes, we want to generate a feedback loop for this to improve the planning cycle, so a driver to planner feedback process will be installed for day 1
 
 
Planning
Will we still be using shipment builder?

No, this system will no longer be used and will be completed through the Enterprise system

How are the Plans Optimised?
Initially Planners will use Microlise Enterprise to manually build driver routes. They will be using key data to support decision making, such as costs of routes, empty running and load fill. Eventually we will be introducing an ‘Optimiser’ which will support planners further by automatically suggesting what it thinks will be the best way to route things. It will still rely on the skill of the planner to fine tune and ultimately decide on the best way to plan things.
 
Will the TMS system have the ability to flag sensitive loads?

Yes It will, and we can adapt the system to add things like this should we wish.

How will schedulers know about the opportunities within backhaul?
The system will allow us to plan all orders in the same system at the same time, as one integrated plan. We will have visibility of all order types, allowing us to make more informed decisions. This should allow us to provide more realistic plans that are less likely to need tweaking. There will still be changes on the day (as there is now), but the functionality will be there to provide improved visibility and therefore we can better optimise our assets.
 
Will the TMS system give us an opportunity to sweat the assets more?
Absolutely! It will provide much better data to use to help steer the planning process, leading to better decision making. We will do more CI and improvement initiatives using the abundance of data to help us improve and see how we are performing.
 
Will we get feedback on the plans we create?
Yes, we are working on a set of KPI’s so we can identify best practice and share the knowledge amongst the team. This will include the setting of Smart targets, and One to One discussions with your line manager to review how you are getting on
 
Will the system help us make things better and understand the bottlenecks within the operation?
Yes, it will certainly provide us with data insights which will help us understand root causes and put plans in place for improvement.
 
Does the system use AI tools to build the routes?
The system is largely manual and the skill of the planner is still very much needed to look at the routes. In a future phase we will be looking at an optimiser which will suggest the best routes. The system will not remove the need for a knowledgeable planner – this makes it more important that the data within the system is accurate. The TMS gives a basis on which the planners can work on and make us more efficient.
 
Process
Will we be given SOP's for each task/activity?
There will be help documents, training documents and process maps detailing the procedures to be followed, all managed through a comprehensive training matrix. We have a training matrix for each role and we will be working through this to ensure everyone is aware of the processes to follow.
 
How will the new system impact me?
We will soon be providing each role with a detailed before and after view, so you can see what your role will look like once the new system is in place. This will largely be benefits generated by the new TMS and ways of working.
 
System
What is the new TMS system called?

The new system is called Enterprise

What does TMS stand for?

TMS stands for Transport Management System

Who provides the new TMS system?
The new TMS is a Microlise system. We already use Microlise for the Schedule Execution Board (SEB) and the tracking of vehicles.
 
I'm confused by all the different system names, can you clarify what is what?
Systems do tend to have multiple names. The current Microlise System is called the Schedule Execution Board or SEB for short. You may know it as Microlise, or SEB, or the Schedule Execution Board, or even the TMC (Transport Management & Compliance). The new solution is also provided by Microlise, and it is referred to as the TMS or Transport Management System for long. It may also be referred to as ‘Enterprise’ or ESP. Sitting behind ESP or Enterprise is another system called GTS (General Transport System), which is where all the data sits for ESP. When we come to implement the new solution, we will be mindful of what we call the systems, trying to provide a clear and precise naming convention to keep things as simple as possible!
 
 
Project/Timelines
What can we do to help?
You can feedback to us on opportunities around better ways of working and using the system as you get closer to the solution, helping us shape the best possible way of using it. You can support each other through what can sometimes be a rather challenging change period. You can make sure that when allocated for your training you are arriving on time and full of enthusiasm!
 
Should we be planning to go live in peak?
We are working through the options of when will be best for a go live, taking into account all considerations, and mitigations before landing on the best possible date for a go live. Whenever that is, we will make sure the right support around the team for go live is in place, all the way through until the point we are settled, and the new system has become business as usual.
 
When are we going to go live
We are currently working on the best time to go live. We are taking everything into consideration, including where peak sits for us, before deciding on the optimum go live date. We will share this with you as soon as we have it
 
Other
If the system goes down, will we lose everything for that time it's down?
We will be making sure that there is a robust ‘Business Continuity Plan’ in place ready for go live, which will pre determine what we should do for each issue scenario, such as a specific system going down. If SAP goes down for instance, we can directly import orders into the Microlise Enterprise system to allow us to continue with the plan. These continuity plans will be signed of by senior management to make sure everyone is comfortable with the back up plans we have in place, just in case!
 
Is the movement of containers included in the TMS project?
Yes, containers are part of the TMS project.
 
Will there be challenges back to the customer for lead time breaches, and rule breaches, so that we can get the best out of the new system?
Yes, as part of the gap closing exercise, options open to us include challenging our customers where it is appropriate, making sure that they are helping us to help them.
 
Will there be integration with the Tru-Tach system?
We would like to do this in the future, but not in the initial phases of 1a and b.
 
I deal with the administration side in Transport, working with drivers. How will this change impact me?
You should hopefully get more information to work with from the drivers. Drivers will hopefully be utilising the tablets in phase 1b, this will give them the ability to record delivery information such as arrival and departure times and POD photos etc. We appreciate that some customers would still like to use paper POD’s, and so we need to be mindful of this.
 
We have options to filter things in Microlise currently but it's not enough for what we need, can you have more info showing within the new system?
We will still be keeping the Microlise Schedule Execution Board (SEB), so all that you do currently should be available to use in the new solution. Some tasks may also be executed in the new Microlise Enterprise System as an alternative, so we are looking at setting up screens to show the right info for each role. This is a work in progress currently. SEB won’t be removed, but equally we may decide to move some of the functionality into the new TMS (Enterprise)
 
We have a tablet already in the cabins of the trucks, can we not use this rather than having another device?
We will look at this as we weren’t aware, this is a great point and thank you for raising.
 
Are collections going to be part of the TMS system?
This has not been determined yet. As they are not managed by Transport (Customers come and collect their own loads), we are deciding on how best to manage this work
What will be the impact to the warehouse?
No impact is anticipated for the warehouse team, but our hope is that the launch of the TMS system will help us smooth the work out for the warehouse better, and provide more accurate plans to execute. We will still be utilising SAP for warehouse activity as we currently do. Shaun Flanagan is part of the project team looking at opportunities within the warehouse given the introduction of this new TMS System.