# How to evaluate a North American TMS

A North American transportation management system should support the loads your carrier actually runs across the United States and Canada. A regional label alone does not tell you whether it handles your ELD data, border paperwork, appointment times, billing currencies, or settlement rules. Test those handoffs with one representative load before choosing a system.

This checklist is for carrier owners, dispatchers, and operations managers evaluating a TMS, including an AI-native TMS. If your operation stays within one country, use the same tests with your own lanes and remove the border steps.

## Start with one load, not a feature list

Create a redacted demo packet: the original rate confirmation, pickup and delivery windows, equipment requirement, driver assignment, one revised instruction, and a proof of delivery. Include the currency and the time zone attached to each commitment. Use fictional personal details if you cannot share the originals.

Ask the vendor to work through the packet in order. Keep a record of which steps work in the demonstrated product, which depend on a separate service, and which are planned. The following table is a proposed evaluation worksheet, rather than a regulatory checklist.

| Handoff | What to test | Evidence to keep |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Load intake | Enter addresses, equipment, rate, currency, and appointment windows | Source document alongside the recorded fields |
| Driver assignment | Review availability and the relevant hours-of-service information | Source, timestamp, and a dispatcher decision |
| Border coordination | Assign document preparation and track the submission status | Responsible person, reference number, and response |
| Appointment change | Move one stop without losing its time zone or original commitment | Original window, revised window, and approval history |
| Delivery and billing | Attach the POD and review an additional charge | Supporting document, approved amount, and invoice currency |
| Settlement and export | Reconcile the driver payment and export the load history | Settlement calculation and a usable export file |

## Separate ELD requirements from TMS features

An ELD records driving time; a TMS organizes the load workflow. Connecting them does not make them interchangeable. In the US, [FMCSA's guidance on using ELDs](https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds/using-elds) describes duty-status records and the events an ELD captures. Ask what your proposed integration actually exposes to the dispatcher and how recently it was updated.

For Canada, [Transport Canada's carrier and driver handout](https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/electronic-logging-devices/eld-handout-motor-carriers-drivers) explains that applicable federally regulated carriers must use devices certified by an accredited certification body. A US device or a vendor logo on an integrations page does not establish the fit of your exact device and configuration. Check the official device list and the requirements that apply to your operation.

During the demo, disconnect the sample feed. Can the dispatcher tell that the data is stale? Can they record a verified update without overwriting the original event? A screen that looks current is not enough evidence that the data is current.

## Make border handoffs explicit

For applicable highway shipments entering Canada, [CBSA's ACI guidance](https://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/aci-manif-ipec/hcc-ctr-eng.html) calls for advance information at least one hour before arrival so it can be validated. Submission and acceptance are different statuses. Your operating worksheet should name who prepares the information, who checks the response, and who handles corrections.

Ask the TMS vendor to show whether the product submits through an actual supported connection, records a status from another service, or simply stores documents. Confirm any service-provider fees separately. A document attachment should never be presented as proof of a customs submission.

## Test time zones, currencies, and revisions

Use a pickup and delivery in different time zones. Have the vendor revise the appointment and show what appears on the dispatcher screen, driver message, and exported record. Ask how daylight-saving changes are handled. These are proposed product tests; the correct settings depend on your lanes and systems.

Next, use different customer-billing and driver-settlement currencies. Ask where any conversion rate comes from, who approves it, and whether the original currency and rate remain in the record. Check the exported values against the amounts finance expects. Avoid assuming that a currency selector means the entire accounting workflow supports that currency.

## Add AI to the same evaluation

For an AI-native TMS, give the system a revised rate confirmation that conflicts with the original. Ask which source it used, which field changed, and what needs approval. Repeat the test with a missing delivery document. The useful question is whether AI reduces the work your team must verify, while preserving the evidence needed to correct a mistake.

RunaboutX is an [AI-native TMS for North American trucking fleets](/ai-tms/) available to fleets. Explore our [TMS for North American fleets](/solutions/carriers/) page and [California fleet pilot feedback](/resources/case-studies/fleet-pilot/) for the carrier context. Bring this packet to a demo and confirm the available steps, supported connections, and remaining manual handoffs. The [RFP checklist](/resources/guides/tms-rfp-checklist/) gives your team a consistent way to record answers across vendors.

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Canonical: https://www.runaboutx.com/resources/guides/north-american-tms/
Last reviewed: 2026-10-14