Best TMS Software for Consumer Goods Companies (2026)

TL;DR

• TMS software for consumer goods plans, runs and settles freight from plants to DCs, retailers and stores.
• FMCG transport depends on high load fill, hitting retailer booking slots and delivering on time.
• Large ERP-led platforms suit global manufacturers, while newer AI-led platforms suit teams that want a faster rollout.
• Check ERP integration, carrier management and freight audit early in your shortlist.
• Compare total cost and rollout time before you book any demos.

Food and drink manufacturing contributes £42bn to the UK economy, according to the Food and Drink Federation’s 2026 regional report. It is the country’s largest manufacturing sector. Those products have to get from the plant to DC, then on to retailer depots and stores.

That journey is where margins leak. A half-empty trailer, a missed DC booking slot or an unchecked haulier invoice all add cost.

This guide compares eight options for TMS software for consumer goods, built around UK FMCG needs. It covers primary and secondary distribution, load fill, carriers, freight audit and returnable packaging. Use it to cut your list down to two or three platforms worth a demo.

What Is a Transport Management System for FMCG?

A transport management system is software that plans, executes and settles freight. In consumer goods, it sits between your ERP, your warehouses and the carriers that move your stock.

FMCG transport is harder than most. Volumes are high, margins are thin and retailers set strict delivery rules. On top of that, many brands run their own fleet alongside hauliers and pallet networks.

An ERP freight module is built to record shipments and freight costs against orders. A dedicated TMS goes further. It builds loads, plans routes, books carriers, tracks deliveries and audits invoices against agreed rates.

For FMCG teams, that difference shows up every day. The TMS decides how many cases fit on each truck and which haulier takes the load. It also checks whether the final bill matches the rate card.

Key Features of CPG Logistics Software

Most platforms claim to cover the basics. These are the key TMS features that matter in a transport management system for FMCG.

• Load planning and truck fill: Empty running made up 31% of GB-registered HGV kilometres in the UK in 2025, according to the Department for Transport. Good load planning fills each trailer by weight and volume, and backhaul planning cuts those empty legs.
• Primary and secondary distribution planning: Primary moves full loads from plants to your DCs or retailer depots. Secondary covers shorter runs to stores and wholesalers. Both belong in one plan, so stock and vehicles line up.
• Retailer DC booking and delivery slots: Grocery DCs run tight booking windows. For example, Waitrose wants deliveries no later than 30 minutes after the agreed slot, The Grocer reported. Your TMS should plan around these slots and flag late loads early.
• Multi-drop route optimization: Store and wholesale runs often include many drops per trip. Multi-stop route planning sequences those drops by time window, vehicle size and site access.
• Carrier and pallet network management: Many FMCG shippers mix their own fleet, contract hauliers and pallet networks. The TMS should compare rates, tender loads and score each carrier on performance.
• Live tracking and ePOD: Retailers and store teams want accurate ETAs. Electronic proof of delivery, with photos, barcodes or signatures, helps settle disputes about shorts and damages.
• Freight audit and settlement: The system should check every haulier invoice against the agreed rate card. Catching overcharges before payment protects margin on high-volume, low-margin goods.
• Returnable packaging (pallets, crates, kegs): Drinks and fresh food brands send out kegs, crates and pallets that must come back. Tracking returnable packaging at each drop reduces losses and speeds up credits.

How We Selected These Platforms

To build this list of TMS software for consumer goods, we used five criteria. We only counted features that each vendor lists on its own website.

• FMCG and retail distribution fit. Does it handle plant-to-DC and DC-to-store moves, including retailer delivery windows?
• Depth of transport planning. Can it build loads, optimise routes and replan when orders change?
• Carrier and freight cost control. Does it cover tendering, rate cards, freight audit and settlement?
• ERP and WMS integration. Will it connect to the systems that already hold your orders and stock?
• UK and European presence. Does the vendor sell into UK and European markets? Confirm local support during demos.

Best TMS Software for Consumer Goods: 8 Platforms Compared

Here is how each platform lines up for FMCG transport, based on the features its vendor publishes.

1. SAP Transportation Management

Best for

Global food and drink manufacturers that already run SAP ERP.

SAP Transportation Management covers freight procurement, order management, planning, tendering and freight settlement. It links order and delivery data with the SAP ERP application, so transport plans follow sales orders.

Why choose it

Planners get manual, map-based and automated planning, plus dynamic replanning when orders shift. SAP also lists rules-based pallet building and a visual view of vehicle space and loading. For an SAP-centred business, transport stays inside one system landscape.

What to consider

SAP’s feature pages focus on freight procurement and planning. Ask which product handles store-level multi-drop routing, driver apps and returnable packaging.

2. Shipsy

Best for

FMCG teams that want inbound, primary and secondary distribution on one AI-led platform.

Shipsy is an AI-native logistics platform. Its consumer goods logistics offering spans supplier inbound, primary distribution and secondary distribution. Shipsy is listed as a Niche Player in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for TMS.

Why choose it

Inbound covers supplier milk runs, automated indent management and a vendor portal with digitised rate cards. Teams that tender hauliers often can add Shipsy’s freight procurement module.

For primary distribution, an AI optimiser plans FTL and PTL loads across 200+ constraints. It balances plant output, DC windows and fleet capacity. It also recommends an owned versus outsourced fleet mix and shares store ETAs through milestone tracking.

On the finance side, freight invoice reconciliation checks charges against rate cards. Carrier payments also include demurrage control.

Secondary distribution adds multi-drop route optimisation and a driver app with sequenced stops. ePOD captures photo, barcode and signature, while carrier scorecards track haulier performance.

The platform captures returnable crates, pallets and kegs at delivery and reconciles them at the DC. It then raises credit notes once the counts are confirmed.

Shipsy’s AI agents support control tower, finance and dispute work, such as resolving deductions and claims. HEINEKEN (Brazil) is a named customer for primary and secondary distribution.

What to consider

The named consumer goods customer on Shipsy’s page is HEINEKEN in Brazil. Ask for UK or European references, and review its UK transport management setup during the demo.

3. Oracle Transportation Management

Best for

Enterprises on Oracle Cloud that ship across many modes and regions.

Oracle Transportation Management (OTM) runs planning, execution and freight payment on one platform. Its central rating engine covers truckload, part load (LTL), parcel, air, rail and ocean contracts.

Why choose it

OTM lists three-dimensional load configuration and multi-stop consolidation, which suit high-volume FMCG lanes. You can manage a private fleet and common carriers together. Freight audit and payment then run in the same system.

What to consider

The data sheet we reviewed dates from 2023, so ask Oracle for current release notes. Also check how store delivery slots and returnable packaging fit, as the sheet doesn’t list them.

4. Blue Yonder

Best for

Manufacturers are already using Blue Yonder for planning or warehousing.

Blue Yonder Transportation Management handles tendering, tracking, exception management and freight payment in one system. It connects with Blue Yonder warehouse management and planning through the Blue Yonder Platform.

Why choose it

The system checks carrier invoices against agreed rates before payment. Rejected loads move to the next carrier in the routing guide automatically. In addition, a Logistics Ops AI agent finds backhaul opportunities for private and dedicated fleets.

What to consider

The product page stresses links to the wider Blue Yonder suite. If you don’t use its planning or WMS tools, check what the TMS delivers on its own.

5. Manhattan Active Transportation Management

Best for

Shippers that want cloud-native transport alongside Manhattan’s warehouse management.

Manhattan describes Active TM as cloud-native and versionless. It combines inbound, outbound, interfacility and backhaul moves in one plan.

Why choose it

Load optimisation aims for maximum load capacity. Carrier selection weighs cost, speed, reliability and capacity. Meanwhile, appointment scheduling helps manage dock bookings, and freight bill auditing checks invoices against agreed rates.

What to consider

The TMS page doesn’t name multi-drop store routing or returnable packaging. Test both with your own store and depot data.

6. Descartes

Best for

Distributors that need strong delivery routing and dock scheduling.

Descartes offers Transportation Manager for shippers and a separate Routing, Mobile and Telematics suite. Together, they cover carrier rating, load planning, routing and delivery execution.

Why choose it

The shipper TMS covers carrier contracts, routing guides, load planning, freight audit and dynamic dock scheduling. The routing suite adds dynamic route planning, real-time dispatch, a driver app with proof of delivery and telematics.

What to consider

Transport management and routing sit in different products. Check how they share data and how Descartes licenses each one.

7. e2open

Best for

Global shippers that want network-based rate benchmarking.

e2open Transportation Management connects planning, execution, visibility, freight financials and procurement across modes and regions. e2open is now part of WiseTech Global.

Why choose it

It automates routing, consolidation and load building to balance cost and service. Network data supports benchmarking of rates and carrier performance. Settlement can also run invoice-less.

What to consider

Ask about the product roadmap under WiseTech ownership. Check UK depot delivery slots and returnable packaging too, as neither appears on the product page.

8. Infios (formerly Körber Supply Chain Software)

Best for

Shippers that want transport closely linked with warehouse and order management.

Infios is the 2025 rebrand of Körber Supply Chain Software. Its transport product is the former MercuryGate TMS, now called Infios Transportation Management.

Why choose it

It plans across modes, with rate optimisation for inbound and outbound moves. The system automates carrier onboarding, load tendering, and freight audit and payment. Predictive AI flags transport risks, and agentic AI helps resolve shipment exceptions.

What to consider

Infios highlights parcel, LTL, truckload, ocean, air and rail moves. Ask how it supports UK pallet networks and multi-drop store deliveries.

Comparison Table: TMS Software for Consumer Goods at a Glance

The table summarises what each consumer goods logistics software vendor lists on its own website. “Not listed” means we couldn’t find it on the vendor’s TMS pages, so confirm it in a demo.

How to Choose a TMS for FMCG Transport Management

A shortlist only helps if it reflects how your freight actually moves. Work through these five questions before you book demos.

Primary Distribution, Secondary Distribution or Both

Start by mapping which legs you control. Some brands only run trunking from plants to retailer DCs. Others also deliver direct to stores, wholesalers or foodservice sites.

If you run both, look for one platform that plans both legs. Splitting them across tools makes it harder to balance fleet capacity against stock.

Own Fleet, Hauliers and Pallet Networks

Many FMCG shippers blend their own vehicles, contract hauliers and pallet networks for smaller orders. Good FMCG transport management means rating and tendering across all three. Ask each vendor to compare your fleet against a haulier on the same lane, live.

Peaks, Promotions and Seasonal Volume

Christmas, summer drinks peaks and retailer promotions can shift volumes fast. Test how each platform replans when an order lands late or a promotion sells faster than forecast. Our guide to promotional peaks covers the operational side in more depth.

Integration With ERP, WMS and Retailer Portals

Your orders sit in the ERP, and your stock sits in the WMS. The TMS needs clean, two-way links to both. Also ask how it handles retailer booking portals and advance shipping notices, since grocery DCs rely on them.

Rollout Time and Total Cost

The real cost of consumer goods logistics software includes more than the licence. Most vendors on this list price by quote. Compare subscription fees, implementation services, integration work and internal team time.

Next, ask each vendor for a phased go-live plan with clear dates. If newer platforms are on your list, use these checks to evaluate an AI-native TMS.

Conclusion

The right TMS software for consumer goods depends on where your freight loses money. For some teams, it’s load fill on primary lanes. For others, it’s missed DC slots, haulier invoices or crates that never come back.

SAP, Oracle, Blue Yonder and Manhattan suit firms already deep in their ecosystems. Descartes, e2open and Infios fit specific routing, network or warehouse needs. Shipsy suits teams that want inbound, primary and secondary distribution, returnables and freight audit on one AI-led platform.

Shortlist two or three, then test them with your own lanes and drops. To see how Shipsy handles your network, book a demo.