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Logistics and supply chain
Free transportation management software: ship smarter without a TMS bill
Freight is one of the biggest costs a company barely watches. Free tools can plan routes, track vehicles and keep shipping documents in order. Rates, carrier contracts and live exceptions need more.
The short answer. A full transportation management system is rarely free. You can assemble a useful stack at no licence cost: open source routing and tracking, a spreadsheet for quotes and a document set for each shipment. Missing pieces are usually carrier integrations, rate shopping and visibility across many carriers. Start by measuring freight cost per unit, then decide what to automate.
Written by Procurement VMS Editorial Team · Reviewed by Michael, Procurement Advisor Expert · Updated
Measure freight before you automate it
Transport spend hides inside invoices from many carriers. Before choosing a tool, answer three questions. What do we spend per month? What do we spend per unit shipped? How often is delivery late? Most companies cannot answer the second, and that is where the savings are.
Run your last quarter's shipments through the freight cost per unit calculator and the landed cost calculator. The result is your baseline, and every tool you test has to beat it.
What a free stack can cover
- Planning: open source routing engines can compute routes and distances, and open source solvers can optimize multi stop plans.
- Tracking: open source GPS tracking platforms record vehicle positions and trips.
- Paperwork: reusable templates for bills of lading, packing lists and delivery notes.
- Cost control: calculators for CBM, pallet loads and volumetric weight.
What it will not do: rate shop across carriers, tender loads, audit freight bills or give one view of shipments across modes. That is where commercial TMS platforms earn their fee.
Free routes worth testing
| Option | Type | Who runs it | Best for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenRouteService or OSRM | Open source routing | You or hosted API | Teams needing distances, times and routes for quoting and planning | Needs developer time to wire into your process; hosted APIs have usage limits |
| Timefold Solver | Open source solver | Developers | Teams with developers who need vehicle route optimization | A toolkit for developers, not a business application |
| Traccar | Open source tracking | You | Small fleets with GPS devices who want position history | Hardware and server setup are yours |
| ERP delivery modules | Suite module | You or a partner | Firms running an open source ERP who want shipments linked to orders | Limited carrier integrations |
| Spreadsheet plus carrier portals | Process | You | Low volume shippers with two or three carriers | Manual rate comparison and no consolidated visibility |
OpenRouteService or OSRM
Routing engines built on open map data. Strong for distance and travel time, not a TMS on their own.
Timefold Solver
An open source planning solver used for vehicle routing and scheduling. Powerful, but needs code.
Traccar
An open source GPS tracking server supporting many device types. Good for visibility of your own vehicles.
ERP delivery modules
Open source suites include delivery notes, trips and basic shipping features. Check the version you would run.
Spreadsheet plus carrier portals
Keep a rate sheet, a shipment log and a weekly review. Most carriers offer free portals for booking and tracking.
Free download
Get the free transportation management software scorecard and checklist
An Excel scorecard that scores up to four options against the criteria on this page, plus a one-page PDF checklist of upgrade triggers. Free, and ready the moment you submit the form.
- Excel scorecard with weights you can change and totals that update
- PDF checklist: the questions to ask before you commit and the signs it is time to pay
- No account, and no sales call unless you ask for one
Three mistakes that raise freight cost
Ignoring dimensional weight
Carriers often charge by the larger of actual and dimensional weight. A light, bulky box can cost more than a dense, heavy one. Check packaging against the volumetric weight calculator before quoting.
Skipping the full landed cost
The freight quote is not the cost. Duties, handling, insurance and delay add to it. The landed cost, import duty and tariff impact calculators help you price the whole journey.
Treating late delivery as normal
Track on time, in full performance by carrier. The OTIF calculator gives you a simple measure, and the vendor performance page shows how to review it with suppliers.
A two week pilot
- Baseline last quarter. Compute freight cost per unit and on time percentage by carrier.
- Pick one lane. Choose your highest volume lane and test route and cost options.
- Build the document set. Create templates for bill of lading, packing list and delivery note.
- Track ten shipments. Follow each from booking to proof of delivery and note exceptions.
- Compare with baseline. Check cost per unit and on time performance against the starting point.
Two-minute check
Do you need a paid TMS?
Tick every statement that is true.
When to buy a TMS
Buy when you ship daily across several carriers, when freight audit is slow, or when customers demand live tracking. A paid system pays back through rate shopping, load consolidation and invoice audit. Tie it to your warehouse system, covered in the free warehouse management software guide, and to orders in the free order management software guide.
Our supply chain due diligence and procurement versus supply chain management pages show where transport sits in the wider picture.
Free download
Get the free transportation management software scorecard and checklist
An Excel scorecard that scores up to four options against the criteria on this page, plus a one-page PDF checklist of upgrade triggers. Free, and ready the moment you submit the form.
- Excel scorecard with weights you can change and totals that update
- PDF checklist: the questions to ask before you commit and the signs it is time to pay
- No account, and no sales call unless you ask for one
Know your freight cost per unit?
Start with the freight cost per unit calculator before comparing any tool.
Questions people ask about free transportation management software
Is there free transportation management software?
There is no full free TMS from the major vendors, but open source routing, solver and tracking tools can be combined at no licence cost, with developer effort.
What does a TMS do?
A TMS plans and books freight, compares carrier rates, tracks shipments, produces documents and audits freight invoices.
How do I reduce freight costs?
Measure cost per unit, check dimensional weight, consolidate shipments, renegotiate lanes and track on time performance by carrier.
What is landed cost?
Landed cost is the total cost of getting a product to your door: purchase price, freight, insurance, duties, taxes and handling.
When do I need a TMS?
When you ship daily across several carriers, audit freight by hand, or need live visibility for customers.
Sources and how this page is kept current
Every figure above was opened at its source on 25 October 2026 and quoted as written. Where a source reports a survey, we name the year it was fielded. Tools named on this page are examples, not endorsements. Features, licences and free limits change, so read the vendor page before you commit, and tell us on the contact page if something is out of date. Our editorial team reviews each guide at least twice a year.