Logistics and supply chain
Timeline Digital is a logistics software development company providing custom logistics and transportation software development: transport and warehouse management systems, dispatch boards, fleet tracking and offline-first driver apps for carriers, distributors and third-party logistics providers, starting with a free pilot.
Dispatch on a whiteboard, drivers on WhatsApp, proof of delivery on paper and warehouse stock that never matches the board: we build the system that replaces that. We design for the details that break logistics software: a driver scanning a parcel with no signal, a GPS feed that floods the database, a carrier API that times out mid-dispatch. TMS, WMS, fleet and route management come as one connected system, with the scope agreed up front and the source code yours on full payment. This is a focused build under our custom software development service.
Logistics software development is building the systems that move goods: transport management for routing and dispatch, warehouse management for stock, fleet tracking, driver apps and carrier integrations. Timeline Digital builds them end to end, designed for drivers with no signal, tracking feeds that grow with the fleet, and integrations that fail gracefully.
Every build starts with a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules, and the source code transfers to you on full payment.
What every build includes
Where it breaks today
Most logistics operations reach for new software because of the same handful of gaps. Each one is paired with what the system does about it.
Dispatch planned on a whiteboard and WhatsApp
The system: A dispatch board that turns orders into routes, assigns vehicles and drivers, and shows every job's status live.
Nobody knows where the truck is
The system: Live GPS tracking with geofence arrivals and ETAs, visible to the office and, where you want it, to the customer.
Proof of delivery on paper, lost in the cab
The system: A driver app that captures signatures, photos and scans offline, then syncs the moment signal returns.
Warehouse stock and dispatch out of sync
The system: Bin-level stock that updates on every scan, so dispatch never promises goods that have already left the shelf.
Deliveries retyped into the ERP for invoicing
The system: Completed deliveries flow to your ERP or accounting system automatically, with retries when a system is down.
Depot reports assembled by hand
The system: On-time rates, cost per trip and failed-delivery reasons on one board, per depot and across the network.
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.
Custom software built around the way your business works. We start by mapping how an order really becomes a shipment with your dispatchers, warehouse leads and drivers; the pilot puts a few key modules, such as the dispatch board and driver app, on real routes; and Build & Scale rolls out to one depot before the rest.
We learn how your business works.
Your requirements, workflow, challenges and goals, understood before anything is recommended.
We design the right solution around your workflow.
Modules, workflows, roles, approvals, reports and integrations, agreed before development.
Choose the right technical foundation.
Technology options matched to your users, security, budget and growth, not one fixed stack.
Test our work before full project development.
Free. You choose 2 to 3 key modules and we build them first, so you can judge our work.
The full project starts only after you approve the pilot.
From approved pilot to complete digital system.
Full development, testing, deployment, training and support, built to grow with you.
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 | Carrier, ERP, legacy and EDI systems that offer API, file or EDI access | 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 licences | None | Recurring, scales with the fleet |
| Source code ownership | Yours on full payment | Vendor keeps it |
| How it starts | A free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules, ready in about 2 days | 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.
Before you commit to the full project, we build 2 to 3 of your key modules as working software, free of charge, ready in about 2 days. Your team tests the pilot, and the full build starts only after you approve it.
See how the free pilot worksWe learn your requirements and how your organisation works today.
Together we choose 2 to 3 key modules that prove the solution.
We build those modules as real, working software, free of charge.
Your team uses the pilot. The full project starts only after you approve it.
We have no published logistics case study, and we will not imply a logistics portfolio. What we can show is the architecture a logistics platform is built from: inventory and stock movement, workflows with approvals and audit trails, ERP and accounting integration, and mobile apps. Our own free Timeline POS keeps live stock on every sale, and our published public-sector platform in Qatar shows the workflow, roles and reporting side. The free pilot then puts your dispatch board and driver app on real routes so your team can judge it.
Delivered remotely from our Islamabad headquarters, with scheduled video meetings in your working hours; on-site visits only when agreed in the contract.
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pakistan time (PKT, UTC+5).
Behind every project is a company with 1,200+ developers and 85+ management professionals, including group-company employees. Every build follows the same five steps, and the full project starts only after you approve the free pilot.
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 carrier and ERP integrations around them. It differs from generic business software because the data is geographic and time-sensitive and drivers work offline. Timeline Digital builds these systems.
Custom logistics software development services cover mapping how an order becomes a shipment, building the TMS, WMS, dispatch board, driver app and integrations, migrating your data, training staff and SLA support after launch. Timeline Digital starts with a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules, such as the dispatch board and driver app.
Timeline Digital does not publish prices for custom software, because every project is custom. The price is agreed after requirements analysis and the free pilot. In logistics the main cost drivers are the number of carrier, ERP and EDI integrations, route-optimisation rules, offline driver-app behaviour and the number of depots in the first rollout.
Yes. Transportation software development covers carrier and fleet operations (load planning, dispatch, driver settlement, fuel and maintenance records, proof of delivery) and passenger transport (bookings, driver apps, routing and fares). Both rest on live tracking, offline driver apps and ERP integration. For UK private hire operators, see our taxi booking and dispatch software page.
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 receiving, putaway, picking, packing and dispatch inside the warehouse. Most operations need both, so 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 rural dead zone keeps working. When the connection returns, the queue syncs in order with conflict handling, so head office sees an accurate picture.
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 outage queues the work instead of stalling your dispatch board.
There is no fixed timeframe: the schedule for your logistics software is set from your requirements in the Plan step. The free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules is ready in about 2 days, and with 1,200+ developers we have the capacity to deliver a focused system in as little as 2 weeks.
Yes. Depots, regions and business units are modelled in one system, with each one's users, data and reports kept separate where needed and customers, carriers and rates shared where useful. Currencies, tax rules, languages and time zones are set per region, and rollout usually goes one depot at a time so problems surface small.
Buy an off-the-shelf TMS for a standard parcel operation with common carriers and no unusual rules. Build custom when your routing, depot rules, driver workflow or integrations do not fit a packaged tool, or per-vehicle licences grow faster than the fleet. Some operations do both. Our ERP for logistics companies guide covers the back office.
Not yet in logistics. We have no published logistics case study. What we can show is the building blocks: inventory and stock movement in our free Timeline POS, and workflows, roles and reporting in an anonymized public-sector platform in Qatar. A free pilot puts your dispatch board and driver app on real routes.
Yes. An NDA can be signed before you share sensitive details such as customer lists, rates or carrier contracts. The source code, designs and documentation transfer to you on full payment, and your data is yours throughout; see IP and source code ownership.
Published by Timeline Digital, a custom software development company founded in Islamabad in 2013. The facts on this page (track record, schedule, pricing policy and ownership terms) come from the same company facts used across the site.
Author
Usama Asif
CEO and CTO, Timeline Digital. Founded the company in 2013 and has led its custom and enterprise software work since then.
Bring us your operation: the depots, the carriers, the manual handoffs that slow your team down. We will map it, agree 2 to 3 key modules with you, such as the dispatch board and driver app, and build them as a free pilot before you commit to the full build. The source code is yours on full payment.
In-depth, practical reading for teams planning this kind of project.