InTek Freight & Logistics Blog

2025 Best Managed Transportation Companies (And How to Choose)

Written by Rick LaGore | Nov 1, 2024

Managed transportation services is the #1 topic we talk with shippers about as they look to better manage their supply chain performance.  Surprisingly, there is very little information about how much managed transportation costs, who the largest providers of the service are in the market and what are all the options a shipper has with the types of services they can obtain through a managed transportation solution.  

The main topic discussed in so many articles is about the value, savings and improved supply chain performance that comes from a managed transportation solution (MTS), which is great, but buyers need to know more.

With that in mind, we want to address the question of who the largest MTS providers in the market, so we can remain as transparent to our buyers to ensure they have all the information necessary to determine what company will be the very best fit for their shipping needs.

The last thing we would want for any shipper is to have buyers remorse after they have gone through the selection process, then find out other information they wished they had at their fingertips after the purchase.

 

Prefer your best of lists via video? Hit play now on our "Best Managed Transportation Companies:"

 

Let's dig into the details of the top 10 managed TM services companies.

Top 10 Managed Transportation Services Companies

Uber Freight (formerly TransPlace)

Location: San Francisco, CA

Website: www.uberfreight.com

Founded: 2016

 

TMC - A Division of CH Robinson

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Website: www.mytmc.com

Founded: 1999

 

Ryder Logistics

Location: Miami, Florida

Website: ryder.com

Founded: 1933

 

Penske Logistics

Location: Reading, Pennsylvania

Website: www.penskelogistics.com

Founded: 1969

 

e2open

Location: Austin, TX

Website: www.e2open.com

Founded: 2000

 

XPO Logistics

Location: Greenwich, CT

Website: www.xpo.com

Founded: 1989

 

Schneider Logistics

Location:  Green Bay, WI

Website: schneider.com

Founded:  1935

 

GlobalTranz

Location: Scottsdale, AZ

Website: www.globaltranz.com

Founded: 2003

 

GEODIS

Location: France

Website: geodis.com/us

Founded: 1904

 

Ruan

Location:  Des Moines, Iowa

Website: www.ruan.com

Founded: 1932

 

Important Points to Consider When Choosing a Managed Transportation Service Provider

  • The companies listed above have multi-billion in freight under management, which may not be a good fit for your company.  

  • Managed transportation service solutions are not a one size fits all type of service, so it makes sense to explore as many options as feasible.  

  • With management and strategies in flux, a shipper should align with a group that has:

    • An extensive carrier base that can be incorporated into the solution equation for additional capacity and pricing power

    • Has the ability to easily scale.

    • Capable of rolling an inbound freight management program into the outbound MTS to leverage and optimize the entire supply chain from vendor to ultimate customer.

  • Consider the short and long-term technology and information needs to ensure the TMS used within the solution will be able to support future needs.

    • As a side to this, consider whether that technology can eventually be brought in-house at no additional integration costs.  The reason to think about this is if it does not, then the shipper will have to implement another TMS if the strategy changes.  This can be an expensive proposition that also brings unnecessary risk into the supply chain.

Below are additional resources to further help in your MTS provider selection process:

While it would be just as easy to choose any one of these managed TM service providers, you can be sure that we will jump in with both feet to understand your business to deliver the best customized solution to fit your shipping needs for both internal and external customers.

With InTek Freight & Logistics operating one of the top ranked cloud TMS systems - the MercuryGate TMS platform - shippers have the piece of mind that they have the best technology in the industry optimizing their supply chain performance and cost.  With over 300,000 users and 70 billion in freight spend, MercuryGate is well positioned to continue to be an efficient, high powered, low cost, scalable TMS platform.

Don’t take our word for MercuryGate being tops in the TMS market, as a reseller of the MercuryGate TMS system, we can offer you a copy of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for free by contacting us.  

The table of contents for this valuable resource from the leading industry 3rd party evaluator back in 2018 is as follows::

  • Market Definition/Description

    • Market Size and Vendors

    • Key Criteria for the 2018 TMS Magic Quadrant

  • Magic Quadrant

    • Vendor Strengths and Caution

      • 3Gtms

      • 3T Logistics

      • BluJay

      • C.H. Robinson (TMC)

      • Cloud Logistics

      • inet-logistics

      • JDA

      • Kuebix

      • Manhattan Associates

      • MercuryGate

      • Oracle

      • SAP

      • Transplace

  • Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

    • Notable Mentions

  • Evaluation Criteria

    • Ability to Execute

    • Completeness of Vision

    • Quadrant Descriptions

      • Leaders

      • Challengers

      • Visionaries

      • Niche Players

    • Market Overview

For more on freight management service solutions we recommend the following comprehensive articles:

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