What the World Needs Now: Another TMS?

Some commentary inspired by project44's recent launch of its Intelligent Transportation Management System (TMS).

Aug 27, 2025

Well, it only took 3.5 years for my prediction to come true.

In an April 2022 post titled, “Supply Chain Visibility: A Product Or Feature?” I wrote the following:

Does it make sense to implement a supply chain visibility solution if you don’t have a TMS, WMS, and/or YMS?
I believe the answer is no.
And that is why you’re seeing supply chain visibility providers expanding beyond visibility too. Both project44 and FourKites, for example, have recently introduced their own yard management solutions. I believe they will continue to expand their solution footprints further, most likely into TMS, and start to compete more directly with some existing partners.

Last week, project44 announced “the launch of its Intelligent Transportation Management System (TMS), a next-generation, multi-modal solution that transforms fragmented logistics into unified, AI-powered decisions.” Here are some excerpts from the press release:

Using Robots to Load/Unload Trucks

A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted how “new advances in robotics are [enabling the automation of truck loading and unloading]. Improved sensors and algorithms, advancements in AI and faster image-processing technology are making these robots proficient players in tasks that are like a game of 3-D Tetris.” This survey sought to understand industry readiness, key challenges, and opportunities associated with using robots to load or unload trucks.

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