Transport Management + SAP

Transport Management System for SAP

SAP TM is powerful but takes 12-18 months to implement and requires dedicated consultants. Locate2u delivers carrier management, load optimization, and shipment tracking that integrates with S/4HANA and SAP ECC -- deployed in weeks, not years.

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Integration Overview

A lighter TMS that speaks SAP

SAP dominates enterprise ERP, and SAP Transportation Management (TM) is its dedicated logistics module. But SAP TM comes with enterprise-grade complexity: custom ABAP development, Basis team involvement, consultant-heavy implementations, and licensing costs that can exceed the cost of the transport operation itself.

Locate2u offers a modern alternative. It connects directly to your SAP landscape through OData and RFC interfaces, pulling delivery documents, shipment requests, and master data into a purpose-built TMS. Your logistics team gets load building, carrier management, and real-time tracking without a year-long implementation project.

Why Switch from SAP TM

Common pain points with SAP Transportation Management

Implementation timelines of 12-18 months with heavy reliance on SAP-certified consultants billing at premium rates
Custom ABAP development required for carrier integrations, document flows, and reporting that sits outside standard SAP TM configuration
Rigid user interface that logistics teams struggle to adopt, leading to workarounds in spreadsheets and email-based processes
Upgrade complexity when moving between SAP ECC and S/4HANA requires re-implementing TM configurations from scratch

How It Works

Three steps to transport management with SAP

Connect SAP

Link your S/4HANA or ECC system via OData APIs. Delivery documents, shipment requests, material data, and plant locations sync to Locate2u. No ABAP development or SAP Basis work required.

Plan Freight

Build loads from SAP delivery documents. Consolidate shipments by destination region, carrier preference, and vehicle capacity. Compare carrier rates and select the optimal transport mode for each load.

Execute and Reconcile

Dispatch loads to carriers or your own fleet. Track shipments through to delivery. Freight costs, POD records, and goods receipt confirmations post back to SAP for financial closing and invoice verification.

TMS Features for SAP

Enterprise transport management without enterprise complexity

Load Optimization

Consolidate SAP delivery documents into optimized loads based on weight, volume, destination, and service requirements. Maximize truck utilization and reduce less-than-truckload shipments across your network.

Carrier Management

Maintain carrier profiles, contracted rates, and service level agreements. Automate carrier selection based on lane, weight, service type, and cost. Track carrier performance scorecards over time.

Real-Time Tracking

GPS tracking for owned fleet and carrier milestone tracking for third-party shipments. Status updates write back to SAP shipment documents so your supply chain team has visibility without leaving their SAP workspace.

Compliance Management

Track regulatory compliance for dangerous goods, weight limits, driver hours, and vehicle inspections. Generate audit-ready compliance reports that map to SAP document structures for traceability.

Cost Analytics

Freight spend analytics by carrier, lane, mode, and cost center. Actual vs. contracted rate variance reports. All cost data posts to SAP CO for cost center allocation and profitability analysis.

Driver and Vehicle Scheduling

Allocate drivers and vehicles to loads factoring in availability, qualifications, proximity, and vehicle capacity. Manage shift patterns and ensure compliant scheduling across your owned fleet.

Results

What SAP customers achieve with Locate2u TMS

90%

lower implementation cost compared to a full SAP TM deployment

25%

average freight cost reduction through carrier optimization and load consolidation

97%

on-time delivery rate with proactive exception management and route optimization

4 wks

average deployment time versus 12-18 months for SAP TM implementation

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

SAP TM is a powerful module, but it requires 12 to 18 months to implement, dedicated SAP consultants, and significant licensing costs. Many SAP users -- especially mid-market companies running S/4HANA or SAP ECC -- need transport management capabilities faster and at lower cost. Locate2u provides a modern TMS that integrates with SAP data via standard APIs and can be deployed in weeks rather than months.

Locate2u connects to SAP S/4HANA through SAP's OData APIs and RFC-based interfaces. Delivery documents, shipment requests, and material movements are pulled from SAP into Locate2u for transport planning. Completed shipment data, freight costs, and proof of delivery records are posted back to SAP for goods receipt, invoice verification, and financial posting.

For most mid-market logistics operations, yes. Locate2u covers carrier management, load building, route optimization, shipment tracking, freight cost analysis, and compliance management. Enterprises with highly complex multi-modal freight networks and global supply chains may still benefit from SAP TM's deeper integration with other SAP supply chain modules.

Locate2u consumes SAP delivery documents (VL01N/VL02N), shipment documents (VT01N), material master data, customer and vendor master records, and plant/warehouse location data. This information drives load building, carrier selection, route optimization, and delivery scheduling within Locate2u's transport management platform.

Locate2u typically deploys alongside SAP in 3 to 6 weeks, compared to 12 to 18 months for a full SAP TM implementation. The integration uses standard SAP APIs without requiring ABAP development or SAP Basis involvement. Pre-built connectors handle common SAP document types and master data structures out of the box.