Supply chain industry media and research platform Better Supply Chains has released a guide for evaluating transportation management software, aimed at shippers, technology companies and private equity investors.

The company's TMS NExus Research framework is designed to assess how well transportation management systems help businesses respond to disruptions, from changing tariffs to shortages of available freight capacity. 

Better Supply Chains, founded by supply chain expert Bart DeMuynck, says its approach places less weight on a software provider's size or history, focusing instead on whether its products can track shipments, share information across suppliers and respond quickly when plans change. That includes automatically finding another carrier or switching transportation modes when disruptions occur, while keeping costs within limits set by the shipper.

The online tool evaluates platforms across six weighted categories: networked intelligence, orchestrated agility, wide-angle visibility, decision execution, human-AI synergy, and ecosystem sustainability. It also favors software that connects easily with existing systems, and recommends that buyers seek measurable benefits within 60 to 90 days, with the goal of reducing administrative work and helping logistics staff make better decisions about shipments.