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Charter management for control over external carriers
Outsource trips to charters and other external carriers in a controlled way. With Adaption TMS, you manage transport partners, rates, assignments, and trip information from one central environment.
The planner selects the right carrier for each transport, records the agreed price, and shares the required trip information digitally. This ensures outsourced transport remains fully integrated into your own planning and operations.
Select charters based on rates, capacity, and agreements
Efficiently assign trips or multiple suborders
Share transport information digitally and monitor execution
Discover how Adaption TMS gives you greater control over charters, transport costs, and outsourced trips.
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TRUSTED BY LOGISTICS LEADERS SUCH AS
Adaption TMS for charter management
Recognizable problem
Outsourced transport becomes fragmented across email and Excel
Transport companies and logistics service providers do not always have sufficient in-house capacity to execute every trip themselves. During peak periods, for unusual destinations, or for specialized transport, charters and other external carriers are therefore used.
When charter planning is managed through email, phone calls, and separate spreadsheets, a reliable overview is quickly lost. Price agreements remain buried in inboxes and assignments are forwarded manually. This makes it difficult to systematically monitor costs, availability, agreements, and performance.
Adaption’s logistics solution
Manage charters within your existing transport planning
With Adaption, you manage external carriers within the same TMS environment as your own transport activities. The planner can see which orders and trips need to be executed and can assign either an in-house vehicle or an external carrier.
When selecting a carrier, factors such as rates, capacity, availability, and previous performance can be taken into account. The selected charter, agreed price, transport assignment, and associated documents remain linked to the trip. This keeps outsourced transport centrally visible, from planning through to administrative completion.
The five benefits of charter management with Adaption
1. Manage all charters centrally
Store external carriers and their contact details, agreements, and transport capabilities in one central location. This means planners no longer have to search through different files or inboxes to find the right transport partner.
2. Select the right carrier
Compare potential charters based on factors such as route, capacity, rate, availability, and performance. This helps planners select a carrier that matches the specific transport assignment.
3. Record price agreements directly
Link contract rates or an agreed spot price directly to the assignment. This makes it clear which purchase price was agreed and what the final costs are based on.
4. Share transport information digitally
Share trip details, loading and unloading addresses, times, and instructions directly from the system. This eliminates the need to manually copy information from the TMS into separate documents or emails.
5. Evaluate carrier performance
Use recorded trip information to evaluate carriers based on reliability and execution. This creates a stronger basis for future assignments and price negotiations.
“During the demos, it became clear that Adaption had a strong understanding of the processes at RFH. Their way of working, integrations, and collaboration also contributed to our decision.”
Jaap Boomhouwer, Product Owner Logistics Assets, Royal FloraHolland
How does charter management work within Adaption?
1. Record the transport assignment
The transport order contains the information required for execution, such as:
- Loading and unloading addresses
- Weights and volumes
- Required loading and delivery times
- Product and shipment information
- Required vehicle or transport capacity
- Additional instructions and documents
The order can then be planned individually or combined with other shipments into a trip.
2. Select a suitable charter
The planner determines whether the trip will be executed using in-house capacity or by an external carrier. When outsourcing, the planner can search for a charter that matches the route, available capacity, and existing agreements. Rates and carrier information can be managed centrally, so the decision does not depend solely on information from previous emails or personal knowledge.
3. Assign the carrier and price
The selected charter is linked to the trip or suborder. The agreed purchase price is also recorded. From the file or project overview, multiple suborders can be assigned to a supplier at once based on an agreed spot price. This reduces repetitive work for transports consisting of multiple partial shipments.
4. Send the transport assignment digitally
After assignment, the required trip information can be shared with the charter. From the Trip Planboard, a transport booking can be sent to an external party as an XML message. This enables transport data to be transferred more consistently and prevents the charter from having to manually re-enter the information into another system.
5. Continue monitoring execution
Even when a trip is executed by a charter, it remains visible within the transport planning. Statuses and progress remain linked to the same trip and transport order. External drivers can use the Driver App if required. They receive digital trip information and can report arrival, departure, and completion. This gives the planner a central overview, regardless of whether a trip is executed by a permanent driver or a charter.
6. Complete the trip administratively
After execution, the agreed price, trip information, statuses, and transport documents remain linked to the file. This supports carrier cost control and further administrative processing.
Combine regular charters and spot capacity
Not every transport assignment is outsourced in the same way. For recurring routes, organizations often work with regular carriers and contractual agreements. During peak demand, for an unusual destination, or when capacity is limited, a spot price may be required instead. Adaption TMS supports both approaches within the same environment.
Working with regular carriers
For regular charters, existing agreements and rates can be used as the basis. The planner can see which carriers are available for the relevant type of transport and assign the job directly.
Purchasing additional capacity at a spot price
When no suitable contracted capacity is available, a price can be recorded for the specific assignment. The selected spot price remains linked to the charter and the relevant trip or suborder. This provides a clear record of why a carrier was selected and which price was agreed for execution.
Seamlessly integrates with your current IT landscape
Adaption integrates seamlessly with your existing IT landscape and connects with the systems you already use. From ERP systems and webshops to carriers and accounting packages, all data flows come together in one logical whole. Thanks to open APIs, virtually any integration is possible. If your system is not listed, we will make it fit.
Charter selection based on more than price
The cheapest carrier is not automatically the best choice. A charter must also match the route, planning, cargo, and customer service agreements. Various factors can therefore be considered when selecting a charter:
- Available capacity, vehicle type, and equipment
- Geographic coverage
- Contract rate or spot price
- Experience with the route or product group, and specific certificates or transport requirements
- Reliability and previous performance
By recording this information centrally, decisions are better substantiated and less dependent on the individual knowledge of one planner. Adaption’s Transport Management System supports charter management by helping organizations select and evaluate carriers based on performance and reliability.
Charter management within the Planboard
The Planboard and Trip Planboard bring transport orders, trips, capacity, and carriers together in one planning overview. The planner can build a trip, assess the required capacity, and then assign an external carrier. This makes it clear:
- Which trips do not yet have a carrier
- Which charter is executing an assignment
- Which orders are included in the trip
- What the current trip status is
- Which price agreement has been recorded
- Which documents belong to the transport
Changes to the trip remain available within the same planning environment. An order can therefore be added, removed, or moved without losing the connection to the assigned carrier.
Frequently asked questions about charter management
Charter management is the process of selecting, assigning, managing, and evaluating external carriers that execute transport assignments on behalf of an organization.
Charter management functionality is suitable for organizations that regularly outsource all or part of their transport, including:
- Transport companies with flexible capacity
- Logistics service providers and 3PL organizations
- Freight forwarders
- Shippers and manufacturing companies
- Groupage and distribution carriers
- Bulk and tank transport organizations
- Organizations using multiple transport modes
The functionality is particularly relevant when multiple planners work with different charters, prices, and transport assignments.
A charter is an external carrier or transport partner hired to execute one or more trips. This can involve an ongoing partnership or temporary capacity purchased at a spot price.
Yes. Within the TMS, trips can be assigned either to vehicles from your own fleet or to external carriers.
Yes. Rates and price agreements can be linked to carriers and transport assignments. A spot price can be recorded for occasional assignments.
Yes. Multiple suborders can be selected from a file or project overview and assigned to a supplier in a single action.
Transport information can be shared digitally from Adaption. From the Trip Planboard, for example, a transport booking can be sent to an external party as an XML message.
Yes. The Driver App can also be used by charters and external drivers. This gives them access to the same digital trip information and allows them to report status updates.
Yes. Recorded information about execution and reliability can be used to evaluate carriers and support future selection decisions.
No. Rate management focuses primarily on managing and comparing rates. Charter management also covers the selection, assignment, communication, execution, and evaluation of external carriers.
Within the Logistics Cloud Suite, other suppliers can also be assigned in addition to road carriers, such as barge operators, vessel operators, and air operators.
Maintain control over your outsourced transport
Schedule a free demo and discover how Charter Management within Adaption TMS lets you manage carriers, assignments, prices, and trip information from one central environment. This keeps outsourced transport integrated into your own planning and gives you full control over execution.
During the demo, you will gain insight into:
How the TMS works in practice
Support for your logistics processes
Integration and expansion possibilities
Plan a free demo with Toon Schilder
Discover in 15 to 30 minutes how Adaption TMS supports your charter management.
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