SCM for Transporter: guides, playbooks and tools.

By the Autowhat AI team · Updated 7 Oct 2026

• Blog posts

• What We Won't Let an AI Agent Do in a Transport OfficeThe useful question about an AI agent in a transport office is what it may never do alone. Ours never invents a number, never decides access, never moves money without a confirmed reply and a PIN above a threshold, never starts in Auto and never works without a log. That is what lets owners trust it.
• Why a Fleet Video Wall Should Show Exceptions, Not MapsA live map of every truck looks like control but rarely tells anyone what to do. We think a fleet video wall should lead with exceptions: late trips, e-way bills expiring, detention risk, pending PODs, each with a threshold and an owner, mirrored as WhatsApp alerts. The map belongs to one side as a detail view.
• The True Cost of an Unbilled LRAn unbilled LR is not just a paperwork delay. Diesel, tolls and advances are already paid, the customer's credit clock has not started, and evidence for detention and short-delivery fades. We would make the POD reach the biller first, then track billing lag and unbilled value every week.
• WhatsApp Is Already Your Transport Operating ChannelDrivers, branches and customers already run transport on WhatsApp, and new apps often go unused. We think the fix is not a new channel but records behind the chat: PODs matched to LRs, status answered from GPS, approvals confirmed with a PIN, while the books stay in the office.

• Guides

• Bilty Software for Transporters: What to Look ForBilty software prints the lorry receipt (LR). Good bilty software also checks GSTINs, generates the e-way bill from the LR on NIC, drafts the trip, matches the POD, raises the freight bill and posts the accounting entry, so one consignment is never typed twice.
• Lorry Receipt vs Consignment Note, Bill of Lading, ChallanA lorry receipt, consignment note, bilty and goods receipt (GR) are the same road-transport document, issued by the transporter. A bill of lading is the sea and multimodal equivalent and usually a document of title. A delivery challan is issued by the supplier, and an e-way bill is the GST document for goods in movement.
• E-way Bill Software for Transporters: Part-B and ExtensionE-way bill penalties for transporters usually come from Part-B not updated after a vehicle change, bills expiring on the road, and details typed twice. Validity is one day per 200 km (20 km for over-dimensional cargo), and a bill can be extended within eight hours before or after expiry. Software should generate from the LR, watch Part-B and extend by ETA.
• Accounting Software for Transport Business in IndiaAccounting for a transport business needs more than invoices and ledgers: paid, to-pay and to-be-billed freight, driver hisab per trip, vehicle cost centres, GST on freight under forward or reverse charge, TDS under Section 194C, and lane margin after the empty return. The fastest offices let every document post its own journal entry.
• Transport Management Software Price in IndiaTransport management software in India is priced per vehicle, per user, per LR or per deployment, so quotes are only comparable at your own size. Compare the total yearly cost, including setup, data migration, e-way bill and e-invoice API charges, WhatsApp messaging, tracking hardware and what happens when your volume doubles.
• AI Agents for Transport Companies: What Actually WorksAI agents already help transport companies answer truck and LR status on WhatsApp, read PODs from photos, watch e-way bill Part-B and expiry, route approvals and raise alerts. The safe design is that the language model only classifies the request, every number comes from the company’s records, and every write is confirmed by a person.
• Fleet Control Room and Video Wall: What to ShowA useful fleet video wall shows exceptions with an owner, not just a map. Twelve panes cover most transporters: live map, trip delays, gate, e-way bills expiring, detention, ePOD, driver desk, tyres, stores, challans, lane P&L and a 13-week cash view. The same rules should alert the right person on WhatsApp.
• WhatsApp for Transport Business: Status, POD, ApprovalsWhatsApp groups stop working as a transport fleet grows. A WhatsApp desk on the Business Platform (Cloud API), connected to GPS, the LR register and POD, lets customers get status and tracking links, drivers send PODs and SOS, and branches request approvals, with every message logged and access limited by role.
• Lane Profitability for Transporters: Margin After ReturnLane profitability is the margin on a route after diesel, FASTag tolls, driver cost, detention, vehicle cost and the cost of the empty return. Reviewed weekly, it shows which lanes to reprice, where to find back-loads, where to charge detention and which customers’ payment days wipe out their margin.
• Bilty App, GPS Tracker or Full TMS: Which Do You Need?Bilty apps print LRs, GPS trackers show location, and accounting software keeps books, but none runs the whole consignment. A full transport management system puts the bilty, e-way bill, trip, POD, bill, accounts and lane margin on one record. Use a single tool while it is enough; move to a full TMS when the gaps between tools cost more than the tools.
• Transport Business KPIs Every Owner Should TrackTen KPIs run a transport business: trip margin, lane margin after the empty return, revenue per km, empty km %, vehicle utilisation, on-time delivery, POD TAT, billing lag, DSO and fuel efficiency. Review margins, receivables and utilisation every Monday, and exceptions daily.

• Free calculators

• E-way Bill Validity CalculatorE-way bill validity is one day per 200 km or part of it for normal cargo and one day per 20 km for over-dimensional cargo; extension is allowed within eight hours before or after expiry. This free calculator gives the validity in days for any distance.
• Truck Trip Profit CalculatorTruck trip margin = freight − diesel (including the empty return) − tolls − driver and other trip costs. This free calculator shows margin, margin per km, diesel cost and how much a back-load would add.
• TDS on Freight Calculator (Section 194C)TDS on freight under Section 194C is generally 1% for individuals and HUFs and 2% for others, subject to thresholds, and nil for a transporter owning ten or fewer goods carriages who gives a PAN declaration under 194C(6). This free calculator estimates TDS and the net payable.
• Truck Detention Charges CalculatorTruck detention = waiting time beyond the contract’s free time × the agreed rate, by day (part day counts) or by hour. This free calculator gives chargeable hours, billing units and the detention amount.

• Industries and segments

• Transport Software for Full Truckload (FTL) TransportersFull-truckload transporters need the LR, NIC e-way bill, trip and driver hisab, POD, freight bill and accounts on one record, plus hire slips for market vehicles and lane margin after the empty return. SCM for Transporter runs that chain with a WhatsApp desk and 22 alert rules.
• Transport Software for Part Load (PTL) TransportersPart-load (PTL) transporters move many LRs per truck through booking branches and hubs, so they need branch-wise LR numbering, consolidated e-way bills, Part-B updates on transshipment, to-pay collection and LR status for every consignor. SCM for Transporter handles these on one record.
• Transport Software for Car CarriersCar carriers move high-value vehicles on specialised trailers for OEMs and dealers, so they need condition photos at delivery, dealer delivery tracking, e-way bills on NIC, driver hisab and careful lane margin because trailers often return empty. SCM for Transporter is live with a car-carrier fleet.
• Transport Software for Tanker TransportersTanker transporters carry regulated liquids and gases, so their software must watch vehicle and driver document expiry, GPS gaps and route deviations, breakdowns and SOS, and challans linked to the driver, alongside trips, contract billing and accounts.
• Transport Software for Brokers and Fleet AggregatorsTransport brokers and aggregators run on market vehicles, so they need hire slips, vendor bills and payment indents, advance and balance tracking, TDS under Section 194C with 194C(6) declarations, customer billing and margin per trip. SCM for Transporter drafts vendor bills from hire slips automatically.

• Integrations

• NIC E-way Bill API Integration for TransportersA direct NIC e-way bill API connection lets transporters generate e-way bills from the LR, update Part-B, consolidate, extend and cancel without typing on the portal. SCM for Transporter uses API v1.03 per GSTIN through the company’s GSP, logs every call and explains NIC error codes.
• ULIP Vahan and Sarathi for Vehicle and Driver ChecksULIP gives transporters API access to Vahan vehicle records and Sarathi driving licences, so fleets and hired trucks can be verified in bulk. SCM for Transporter shows a diff preview before changing records, alerts 15 days before documents expire and can draft renewal tasks.
• FASTag Toll Data for Trips and CostsFASTag toll crossings give transporters both cost and location: pulled every 30 minutes through ULIP, matched to the trip by vehicle and time, and added to trip expenses. In SCM for Transporter they flow into lane margin automatically.
• E-Challan Data Linked to the DriverE-challan data pulled daily through ULIP can be linked to the driver who had the vehicle at that time, so challans stop being an unrecovered company cost. SCM for Transporter assigns the driver and applies the company’s recovery rule automatically.
• WhatsApp Cloud API for Transport CompaniesTransport companies need the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API), not the Business app, to serve staff, drivers and customers from one number with approved templates and an audit trail. SCM for Transporter connects directly with 25 templates per company, a console and a daily digest.
• E-invoice and GST Checks for TransportersTransporters billing GST-registered customers need an e-invoice queue, GSTIN checks and alerts when a party’s GSTIN becomes inactive, and GSTR-1 exported from the same books. SCM for Transporter drafts bills from delivered LRs and runs them through these checks.
• Tally Export for Transport SoftwareTransport software can keep its own double-entry books and still export to Tally for the CA: ledgers, vouchers and balances for locked periods, one-way, so nothing is typed twice. SCM for Transporter posts a balanced journal for every financial document and exports to Tally.
• GPS Device Integration for Transport FleetsTransport software should read the fleet’s existing GPS devices, not replace them. SCM for Transporter pulls devices every 2 minutes for pings, geofences and milestones, shows positions on the map and in WhatsApp, alerts on delay, offline, deviation and detention risk, and updates LR status from milestones.

• Playbooks

• POD Pending: Getting Billed FasterTransporters get billed faster by collecting POD as a WhatsApp photo at unloading, reading the LR number, stamp, signature and date automatically, unblocking billing on match and chasing pending PODs on a rhythm. SCM for Transporter alerts after 24 hours (AR-04) and drafts bills for delivered LRs.
• Unbilled LRs: Closing the Billing GapUnbilled LRs are delivered freight not yet invoiced. Close the gap by drafting bills automatically from delivered LRs with POD, grouped by billing cycle, reviewing a daily unbilled digest and tracking billing lag by branch. SCM for Transporter sends the digest after 7 days (AR-15).
• Overdue Freight Collection for TransportersTransporters cut overdue freight by reminding customers before the due date, sending statements once bills are over 30 days, applying receipts to the oldest bills and escalating by rule. SCM for Transporter runs AR-07 and AR-08 on WhatsApp and tracks DSO and ageing by customer.
• Vehicle Document Expiry: No Truck Stopped for PaperVehicle documents such as fitness, permits, insurance, PUC and driving licences should be tracked per vehicle and driver, verified in bulk through ULIP, alerted 15 days before expiry and renewed by an owner, with expired vehicles blocked from assignment. SCM for Transporter runs AR-12 and drafts renewals.
• Truck Breakdown and SOS ResponseOn a truck breakdown, the driver sends an SOS with location on WhatsApp, operations, management and maintenance are alerted at once, a job card opens, Part-B is updated if another vehicle takes over, and the customer gets a new ETA. SCM for Transporter runs this as AR-10 and F-12.
• Detention Charges: Proving and Claiming ThemTransporters recover detention by agreeing free time and rates, recording arrival and release with geofences and POD photos, alerting before free time runs out and raising claims with timestamps. SCM for Transporter flags detention risk every 30 minutes (AR-13).
• E-way Bill Cancellation Window for TransportersAn e-way bill for a cancelled load must be cancelled within the window the rules allow, generally 24 hours from generation if goods have not moved. SCM for Transporter alerts at 20 hours when the LR has not started (AR-22), and separately when a bill expires on the road (AR-21).
• Traffic Challans: Linking Them to DriversTraffic challans against fleet vehicles can be linked to the driver by matching challan time with driver assignment, then handled by the company’s recovery rule in the driver’s settlement. SCM for Transporter pulls challans daily through ULIP and runs F-13 and F-18.

• Comparisons

• Tally vs Transport Software: What Each DoesTally handles ledgers, GST and TDS well but not bilty and LRs, e-way bills from the LR, trips and driver hisab, POD-based billing, fleet maintenance or lane margin. Run operations in transport software that posts its own entries, and export locked periods to Tally for the CA.
• Own Fleet vs Market Vehicles for TransportersOwn trucks carry fixed costs and full control and suit lanes with steady volume and back-loads; market vehicles are variable cost and suit peaks and one-way demand. Most transporters run both, measuring margin per trip for each, verifying hired trucks and handling TDS correctly.

The product behind these guides. SCM for Transporter runs the bilty, e-way bill, trips, billing and accounts in one system. Book a 30-minute working session.

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