Why a Multimodal TMS Is a Must-Have for the Future

Your daily shipping challenges are real — and when products sit at a congested port or trusted trucking routes fall through, you need fast solutions. Your customers depend on timely deliveries, and your supply chains can’t afford to stop. A multimodal TMS helps you control costs while keeping those networks moving.

Leading companies stay competitive by maintaining flexibility across their networks. During delays, they might split urgent shipments between air and rail or route cargo through truck-rail combinations to bypass congestion. Success comes from building agility into your shipping strategy, so you can pivot quickly when problems arise.

But embracing multimodal transportation is easier said than done. You can make it more effortless with a multimodal TMS (transportation management system) working as your central command center.

The Rise of Multimodal TMS

Legacy TMS platforms started simple. Most focused on a single mode like trucking or ocean freight. But supply chains are more complex than ever, span the globe, and demand systems that unite air, ocean, rail, and road shipments under one roof.

Core Components of a Multimodal TMS

Think of a multimodal TMS as your logistics team’s mission control center — coordinating your shipments seamlessly across land, air, and sea. It maps out the best routes and transportation options while tracking everything in real time. Additionally, beyond navigation, it handles all those essential behind-the-scenes tasks, from booking shipments to managing payments and bills, while integrating smoothly with your other business tools.
What really makes a multimodal TMS shine is how it puts everything you need to know right at your fingertips. Want to see how your shipments are performing? Check the easy-to-read dashboards. Need to track a specific container halfway around the world? It’s right there live.

The beauty is that all your shipping data lives in one place, so you can more easily spot trends and make better decisions. And don’t worry about outgrowing it — this system scales with you, handling everything from small packages to massive shipments and adjusting when unexpected changes pop up.

Key Advantages for Logistics Pros
A multimodal TMS allows you to control your transportation operations while delivering measurable results.

Through a single, unified platform, you’ll optimize across all modes of transportation, resulting in up to 8% cost savings through smarter routing, strategic carrier selection, and load consolidation. You maintain full visibility and control from tender to delivery. At the same time, automated customs documentation and compliance management keep your cross-border shipments moving drama-free.

The system also empowers smarter decisions that balance service and sustainability. You gain the flexibility to quickly switch between air freight for urgent deliveries and ocean shipping for cost efficiency. Combine truck and bike courier services for urban deliveries, and integrate greener options like rail and electric vehicles. Real-time tracking and proactive customer communications help you deliver exceptional service while meeting environmental goals — all through a single, scalable platform that grows with your business.

Multimodal Success in Real Life: The Sprouts Farmers Market Story

The arrival of pandemic in early 2020 turned Sprouts Farmers Market’s world upside down overnight. With 347 stores spread across 23 states, the organic grocery chain saw its meticulously planned supply chain thrown into chaos. Shoppers cleared shelves in panic and traditional buying patterns went out the window. Yet through its partnership with MercuryGate, Sprouts’ response to crisis proved to be a master class in adapting complex logistics to face extraordinary challenges.

The Perfect Storm of Supply Chain Disruption

Disruption struck from multiple angles simultaneously. Weekend shopping rushes vanished as stay-at-home orders rolled out state by state. Customer visits dropped in frequency, but basket sizes swelled. Product demand whipped wildly — first toward long shelf life produce like apples and potatoes, then toward packaged goods as virus concerns grew. Even unsubstantiated rumors drove demand spikes, with items like ginger and citrus flying off shelves based on social media “cure” claims. With five distribution centers serving stores across 23 states, Sprouts’ transportation team raced to adjust as regional demands shifted dramatically.

Optimization Technology Enables Rapid Response

Sprouts leveraged MercuryGate TMS with multimodal optimization to rapidly reconfigure its network. The system allowed Sprouts to run multiple scenarios testing different variables — from pivoting delivery windows to reassigning distribution centers. When one distribution center reached capacity, Sprouts quickly redirected volume to facilities with available bandwidth. The removal of typical delivery curfews and noise ordinances opened new scheduling possibilities.

Measurable Results Through Adaptable Systems

Optimization capabilities delivered concrete benefits during the crisis. Sprouts maintained product availability despite demand spikes of very large orders literally overnight. Sprouts successfully shifted shipping points between distribution centers to balance the workload. Delivery schedules adapted to new patterns, maximizing driver utilization even as capacity tightened. Most importantly, the system provided data-driven scenarios to address challenges before they impacted store operations proactively. While a pandemic represents an extreme case, these same capabilities still help Sprouts with disruptions ranging from bad weather to labor shortages.

5 Ways to Level Up Your Multimodal Logistics

You know the basics of moving freight across modes — but how do you take that knowledge and turn it into real results? Here are five practical tips you can start using today to ship smarter and boost your bottom line:

  1. Pick Your Perfect Mode Mix. Stop defaulting to the same old shipping methods. Take a fresh look at combining truck, rail, ocean, and air to hit your sweet spot of cost savings and delivery speed. For example, maybe rail/truck combos could work better than pure OTR for your regular lanes.
  2. Let Your Data Do the Heavy Lifting. Your TMS sits on a gold mine of insights about transit patterns, spending trends, and which carriers consistently deliver. Use these numbers to negotiate better rates and adjust your shipping strategy rather than going with your gut.
  3. Get Tight with Your Carriers. The days of treating carriers like vendors are over. Build real partnerships by being transparent about your needs and volumes. When you collaborate openly on pricing and capacity planning, everyone wins with smoother operations.
  4. Work Smarter with Automation. Stop wasting time on manual busywork like rate lookups and load tenders. Set up automated workflows for the routine stuff so your team can focus on solving real shipping challenges and serving customers better.
  5. Keep Everyone in the Loop. Nothing kills efficiency like information silos. Give your team, carriers, and customers easy access to real-time tracking data and proactive updates. Clear communication prevents costly misunderstandings and helps catch issues before they become problems.

Calculate your potential Saving While Using an enterprise TMS

Transform Your Supply Chain with Modern Multimodal Solutions

Think about your current logistics setup for a moment. If you’re like most companies, you’re dealing with a maze of transportation modes, each with its own systems and headaches. But here’s what leading companies have figured out: Bringing every piece of your transportation network — trucks, trains, ships, planes, all of it — under one smart management roof changes everything.

While other teams waste hours juggling disconnected tools and making educated guesses, these companies spot opportunities and solve problems instantly, armed with real data. It’s not just a new way to manage logistics — it’s quickly becoming the only way to stay competitive.

MercuryGate built a TMS platform for logistics teams who refuse to settle for “good enough.” As you grow, it grows with you — making everything from route planning to delivery tracking smoother and smarter. But the best part? You’ll see real results: faster deliveries, lower costs, and customers who keep coming back.

Want proof? Read our Sprouts Farmers Market case study, or grab our Multimodal Optimization Brochure to see how your operation could look with the right tools behind it.

Discover Benefits Of Multimodal Optimization With Your TMS

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