We build transport, warehouse, fleet and tracking software for operations that move goods every day.
Logistics software lives or dies on details a generic dev shop misses: a driver scanning a parcel with no signal, a GPS feed that floods the database, a carrier API that times out mid-dispatch. We build TMS, WMS, fleet and route management as one connected system, with the scope agreed up front and the source code yours on delivery. This is a focused build under our custom software development service.
What every build includes
Logistics software development is building the systems that move goods: transport management for routing and dispatch, warehouse management for inventory, fleet and driver apps, live tracking and carrier integrations. The hard parts are offline reliability for drivers, a tracking pipeline that scales with the fleet, and integrations that fail gracefully. Timeline Digital builds these end to end. A first version takes about 12 to 14 weeks, runs from $15,000 to $35,000 against a fixed scope, and ships with the full source code in your hands.
Most business software assumes a user sitting at a steady connection. Logistics breaks that assumption. Your data is geographic, so positions, geofences and ETAs need spatial queries, not just rows. Your users are drivers in moving vehicles, so the app has to work with no signal and reconcile later. And your shipments cross system boundaries, so a delivery confirmed in your app has to reach the carrier, the ERP and the customer without anyone retyping it.
We design for those three pressures first. The tracking feed runs through a queue so a fleet reporting every few seconds never overwhelms PostgreSQL. The driver app stores everything locally and syncs on reconnect. Every integration carries retries and a dead-letter queue, so one carrier timeout queues a label instead of freezing dispatch. When a platform serves multiple depots or business units, we apply the same tenant-isolation thinking covered in our guide on multi-tenant SaaS architecture, so each region keeps its own data clean on shared infrastructure.
Four phases, a working demo at the end of every sprint, and a one-depot rollout before the rest.
We sit with your dispatchers, warehouse leads and drivers to map the real flow: how an order becomes a shipment, who scans what, where the manual handoffs are. We pin down the carrier and ERP systems you must connect to and the events that must reach them. You sign off the scope before any feature is built.
We design the data model that ties orders, stops, vehicles, drivers and inventory together, then a clickable prototype of the dispatch board and the driver screen. This is where offline rules and exception handling get decided while they are still cheap to change.
Two-week sprints with a working demo each time. Route planning, the warehouse scan flow, live tracking, carrier integrations and the reporting board get built in priority order, with your dispatchers testing on real routes after every sprint.
We test the driver app on patchy networks, load-test the tracking pipeline, wire monitoring and backups, then roll out to one depot before the rest. You receive the full source code, the deployment and a handover so your team can run it.
A transport management core that turns orders into planned routes, assigns vehicles and drivers, and tracks each leg from pickup to proof of delivery. Built on NestJS or ASP.NET Core so the planning logic stays testable as rules grow.
Bin-level inventory, putaway, picking and dispatch with barcode and QR scanning. Stock counts update on every scan so the dispatch board never promises goods that have already left the shelf.
Flutter app for one codebase on Android and iOS, built offline-first. Drivers see their manifest, capture signatures and photos, and scan parcels even with no signal. The queue syncs when the connection returns.
GPS pings flow through a queue into PostgreSQL with PostGIS, so position history, geofence arrivals and ETA updates are computed without choking the database under a fleet of vehicles reporting every few seconds.
Multi-stop sequencing that respects time windows, vehicle capacity and driver shifts. We integrate a routing engine rather than reinventing it, then tune the constraints to how your depots actually load.
Carrier APIs for label generation and tracking, ERP and accounting links for invoicing, and EDI where your enterprise customers require it. Each integration is built with retries and a dead-letter queue so one carrier outage does not stall the board.
On-time delivery rates, cost per mile, dwell time and failed-delivery reasons on a live board. The metrics your operations team argues about become numbers everyone can see.
Docker on AWS or Azure, with CI/CD, automated backups, error tracking and uptime monitoring from day one. Tracking workloads scale horizontally as the fleet grows.
Where a packaged product fits, and where it forces you to change how you operate.
| Consideration | Custom build | Off-the-shelf TMS |
|---|---|---|
| Fits your dispatch and depot rules | Built to your exact flow | You adapt to its workflow |
| Carrier and ERP integrations | Any system, including legacy and EDI | Limited to its connector list |
| Offline driver app behaviour | Tuned to your routes and dead zones | Generic, often online-only |
| Per-vehicle or per-user fees | None after build | Recurring, scales with fleet |
| Source code ownership | Yours on delivery | Vendor keeps it |
| Time to first value | 12 to 14 weeks | Faster to start, slower to fit |
Choose off-the-shelf for a standard parcel operation with common carriers. Choose custom when your routing, depots or integrations do not fit a packaged tool. See the full custom software development cost breakdown.
Logistics software development is building the systems that move goods: transport management for routing and dispatch, warehouse management for inventory and picking, fleet and driver apps, live tracking, and the integrations that connect carriers and ERPs. It is different from generic business software because the data is geographic and time-sensitive, drivers work offline, and a single failed sync can mean a missed delivery. Timeline Digital builds these systems end to end, from a single-depot tool to a multi-region platform.
A TMS, or transport management system, handles movement between locations: planning routes, assigning vehicles and drivers, tracking shipments and confirming delivery. A WMS, or warehouse management system, handles what happens inside the four walls: receiving, putaway, picking, packing and dispatch at bin level. Most logistics operations need both, tightly linked, so a shipment the TMS plans matches the stock the WMS actually holds. We build them against one shared data model rather than two disconnected tools.
We build the driver app offline-first. The manifest, parcel scans, signatures and delivery photos are stored on the device and queued, so a driver in a basement loading bay or a dead-zone rural route keeps working as if nothing is wrong. When the connection returns, the queue syncs in order with conflict handling, so head office sees an accurate picture without the driver ever stopping to wait for a network.
Yes. We connect to carrier APIs for label generation and tracking, link your ERP and accounting system so completed deliveries trigger invoicing, and support EDI where enterprise customers require it. Each integration is built with retries and a dead-letter queue, so one carrier or ERP outage queues the work instead of stalling your dispatch board. We map every event that must cross a system boundary during the scoping phase.
A focused first build covering dispatch, a driver app and live tracking typically runs from $15,000 to $35,000 against a fixed scope. A full platform with warehouse management, route optimisation, carrier integrations and SLA reporting runs from $50,000 and up. We quote against an agreed scope rather than an open hourly bill, and you own the source code on delivery. See our custom software development cost guide for how the ranges are built.
A first version covering dispatch, the driver app and live tracking takes around 12 to 14 weeks with a senior team. The timeline holds when the scope is kept to one depot and one or two carrier integrations to start. Adding full warehouse management, route optimisation and multi-region rollout extends it. We agree the scope in writing first, then roll out to one depot before the rest so problems surface small.
Bring us your operation: the depots, the carriers, the manual handoffs that slow your team down. We will map it, agree a fixed scope, and have a working dispatch board and driver app in front of you within the first few sprints. You own the code, start to finish.