Transport Management Software and the Compliance Gap
A transport management system (TMS) runs the commercial side of a transport business. Before signing up for one, it pays to know which heavy vehicle compliance jobs it will and won't handle.
Logmaster isn't a TMS. It's the fatigue and compliance platform that sits beside one.
TMS demos tend to focus on bookings, job allocation, proof of delivery and invoicing. Questions about work diaries, fitness to drive and record keeping often surface only after the contract is signed.
By then, the business discovers it still needs a separate answer for driver fatigue.
Questions to Ask a TMS Vendor
Ask whether the system is an NHVR approved EWD, because only an approved EWD or the written diary can serve as a driver's work diary. Ask how it handles fatigue plans beyond Standard Hours, and how it keeps records for the three years a record keeper needs them.
If the answers are thin, plan to run a dedicated compliance platform alongside the TMS. Logmaster fills that role with an NHVR approved EWD, compliance checklists and API connectivity for sharing data.
Logmaster's EWD is NHVR approved, so drivers can use it in place of the written diary.
Multiple Fatigue Plans
Standard Hours, Standard Bus, two-up, BFM, AFM, livestock and concrete agitator exemptions and WA plans run in one app.
Breach Alerts as Hours Are Logged
Drivers and record keepers are warned about potential breaches during the shift, not at the end of the week.
Fitness and Pre‑Start Records
Declarations and checks arrive at the office as drivers complete them, and export as PDFs.
Document Expiry Alerts
Licences, registrations, medicals, training and inductions are tracked, with alerts before they lapse.
Records Ready for Audits
Compliance reports and exports support audits and roadside checks without digging through job records.
Who Gains From Running Both
Heavy Vehicle Drivers
Drivers get a work diary built for fatigue rules, which counts to the minute and warns them before a break is due.
Fleet Managers and Record Keepers
Record keepers work in a portal designed around the work diary, while operations staff keep using the TMS for jobs.
Transport Business Owners
Owners can choose a TMS on its commercial merits, knowing compliance is covered by a dedicated tool.
Compliance Beside the Systems You Choose
Logmaster is used by more than 1,200 transport businesses, from owner drivers to Cleanaway, and works with 80+ channel partners.
Its EWD holds NHVR approval and the platform is ISO 27001 certified.
Running Logmaster Beside a TMS
Shortlist your TMS on its commercial features, noting what each one does for compliance.
Book a Logmaster demo to cover the compliance jobs the TMS leaves out.
Confirm how data should move between the two, using Logmaster's API connectivity where needed.
Set up drivers and fatigue plans in Logmaster and roll the app out.
Train allocators to check driver hours in Logmaster before assigning jobs in the TMS.
A TMS typically manages bookings, job allocation, scheduling, proof of delivery and invoicing. Features vary a lot between products, so check each vendor's list. Most are built around freight and customers rather than driver fatigue law.
Only if it's an NHVR approved EWD. Otherwise, drivers who need a work diary must use the written National Driver Work Diary or a separate approved EWD such as Logmaster. The NHVR publishes the list of approved EWDs, so you can check any product's status.
No. Logmaster doesn't do bookings, dispatch, routing or invoicing. It complements a TMS by handling fatigue records, checks, declarations, incidents, expiries and mass records.
Logmaster shows each driver's time remaining under their fatigue plan in the portal, worked out from their diary entries. Allocators can check it before giving a driver the next job, and API connectivity is available if you want compliance data in other systems.
For many operators, yes, because each does a job the other wasn't designed for. The TMS keeps freight moving and billed, and the compliance platform keeps the records the HVNL requires. Most of the extra effort comes at setup, after which drivers use one app for compliance.
Ready to Close the Compliance Gap?
Book a demo and see how Logmaster covers the fatigue and compliance work your TMS wasn't built for.
