Custom software for logistics and transport businesses in India

What does the paperwork of a transport business look like?

A booking comes by phone or WhatsApp. The dispatcher notes it in a register or sheet, picks a vehicle, calls the driver, and later asks again where the truck is. The lorry receipt is written or typed separately. The proof of delivery is a photo in a chat. The freight bill is made at month end from all of the above.

Each of those steps works on its own. The trouble is the gaps between them, and the time spent chasing facts that someone already knew.

Where does it leak money and time?

• Billing delays. A delivered trip without a signed proof is hard to bill, and the bill goes out weeks late.
• Unrecorded expenses. Toll, loading and driver advances are noted on paper and reconciled later, if at all.
• Empty returns. Nobody sees which vehicle is free near which city.
• Customer calls. Clients phone for status because there is no link to send them.
• Disputes. Detention and shortage claims depend on a chat that is hard to search.

Notice that none of this needs a map. It needs one record per trip that everyone adds to.

What would a first Build contain?

• Customers, vehicles and drivers as simple master lists.
• A booking screen that creates a trip, with route, material, weight and agreed rate.
• Vehicle and driver assignment, with a clash check so a truck is not double-booked.
• A driver link, no app to install: the driver taps loaded, in transit, delivered and uploads the proof photo.
• Trip expenses: advance, toll, fuel and other costs against each trip, so you see profit per trip.
• Freight bill generation from delivered trips, with a customer ledger and outstanding list.
• A status link you can send to the customer in place of a phone call.

The invoice format is built to your needs, and GST treatment is for your accountant to confirm. See GST invoicing and billing software for where Tally or similar tools remain the better home for accounts.

What should you not build first?

Skip live GPS tracking in version one unless you already have trackers that expose a data feed. Hardware integration is a separate scope with its own failure modes. Skip route-optimisation and AI load matching: they need months of clean trip data, and the tracker is what produces that data.

Also skip a driver mobile app. A phone link covers most needs, works on any handset, and avoids app-store work. If drivers later need offline mode or background location, that is a good reason for a second phase.

What does it cost in INR?

Tracker hardware and SIM costs are paid to those providers, not to us. WhatsApp message charges are paid to the messaging provider. The cost estimator shows how roles and integrations move the range.

How do you start without disrupting dispatch?

1. Share one month of booking sheets and a sample bill. We write the scope from your real records.
2. Approve a prototype in week one, tested by your dispatcher and one driver.
3. Run the tool in parallel with the register for two weeks, on a few routes.
4. Switch over fully once the bills match.

Read how we build for the full process. For other tracker-style work, internal tool development is the broader guide, and workflow automation covers the alerts.

Frequently asked questions