Logistics software development builds platforms for transportation management, warehouse operations, fleet tracking, and supply chain visibility. Custom solutions address the complex coordination requirements of moving goods across carriers, warehouses, and delivery networks.
Core Software Systems
Transportation Management (TMS)
- Load planning — shipment consolidation and load optimization
- Carrier selection — rate comparison, transit time, and performance scoring
- Route optimization — multi-stop planning with traffic, weight, and time constraints
- Dispatch — assignment and communication with drivers and carriers
- Freight billing — rate calculation, invoice audit, and payment processing
- Dock scheduling — appointment scheduling for loading and receiving
Warehouse Management (WMS)
- Receiving — inbound processing with PO matching and quality inspection
- Put-away — intelligent storage location assignment
- Picking — wave planning, zone picking, batch picking optimization
- Packing — cartonization, packing slip generation, quality checks
- Shipping — carrier label generation, manifest creation
- Inventory — real-time stock levels, cycle counting, lot tracking
Fleet Management
- Vehicle tracking — real-time GPS location for entire fleet
- Driver management — HOS compliance, ELD integration, license tracking
- Maintenance — preventive maintenance schedules, repair tracking, cost analysis
- Fuel management — fuel card integration, MPG tracking, cost per mile
- Safety — driver scorecards, accident tracking, training compliance
- Asset utilization — fleet utilization rates, idle time, capacity planning
Tracking & Visibility
- Shipment tracking — real-time shipment location and status updates
- Customer portal — self-service tracking with delivery ETAs
- Exception management — delays, damages, and delivery failures with alerts
- Proof of delivery — electronic signature, photo capture, geofence verification
- Analytics — on-time delivery, transit times, cost per shipment
- API feeds — tracking data available to customers and partners via API
Supply Chain Planning
- Demand forecasting — historical data analysis for inventory planning
- Order management — multi-channel order aggregation and allocation
- Vendor management — supplier performance, lead times, scorecards
- Network design — warehouse location optimization, flow analysis
- Capacity planning — resource requirements based on volume projections
Technical Architecture
- Backend: Node.js or Go for real-time tracking and event processing
- Frontend: React for operations dashboards, mobile for driver apps
- Database: PostgreSQL for transactional data, TimescaleDB for telemetry
- Maps: Google Maps Platform or Mapbox for routing and visualization
- IoT: GPS tracker and sensor data ingestion pipeline
- Queue: Kafka or SQS for high-volume event processing
Development Timeline & Cost
- MVP: 16-28 weeks, $60,000-$160,000
- Full platform: 40-70 weeks, $200,000-$600,000
Conclusion
Logistics software development connects the physical movement of goods with digital tracking and optimization. Custom platforms give shippers, carriers, and 3PLs the visibility and automation needed to reduce costs and improve delivery performance.
Need custom logistics software? Contact RCB Software for a free consultation, or learn more about our software development services.