What the truck levy actually does to your margin
The truck levy is no longer a future risk: it is in effect, it accumulates and it applies to every kilometre on the Dutch main road network. For transport companies operating on thin margins, this means every run has to be recalculated. The problem is not the per-kilometre charge in isolation, but the combination with other cost increases: energy, insurance, maintenance. Companies that still do this manually, or in a rate sheet updated once a quarter, are structurally behind the facts. The levy turns cost price calculation into a daily operational task, not an administrative afterthought.
Driver shortage: this is not a temporary problem
The influx of new drivers has not kept pace with the outflow for years. This is not a cyclical dip but a structural shortage, partly demographic, partly due to the barrier of obtaining a licence and the cost involved. In practice, this means runs that do not get covered, suboptimal deployment of the drivers who are available, and planners spending their entire day firefighting rather than planning ahead. The driver has become the scarce resource. That calls for a planning process that fills every available run as efficiently as possible, not one that reacts to whatever comes in that morning.
Why tight capacity makes your entire operation more vulnerable
When there is no overcapacity left, the buffer for disruptions disappears with it. A sick driver, a delayed load, a customer who shifts a time window at the last minute: in the past you absorbed these with a little room in the schedule. Not anymore. Companies that have their capacity utilisation well in order survive disruptions better. Those that do not are constantly on the edge. The difference lies in how quickly information reaches your planner, how quickly that planner can make a decision, and how close to automatically routine changes are processed without anyone needing to send ten messages.
Where software makes a difference and where it does not
Software does not solve the driver shortage. That needs to be said upfront. What it does solve is the time people spend on work that requires no judgement. Manually entering orders from a PDF or email. Calculating rates based on a table that exists in three systems. Sending confirmations. Tracking status. That is work a AI Worker can reliably take over, so your planner can focus on what actually matters that day. A purpose-built system goes further: it integrates real-time cost price calculation, accounts for levy kilometres and gives the planner a current picture rather than a rear-view mirror. Standard packages do the same, until you fall outside their template. And in road transport, you almost always do.
When is a custom TMS the right choice?
A custom TMS is not the right solution for every transport company. It is the right choice when your current system can no longer keep up with your operational reality: you are building workarounds, your planner is working across two or three systems in parallel, or you cannot give customers real-time information even though that has long been the market standard. If that is the case, you are already paying for the complexity of custom work without any of the benefits. A purpose-built TMS with AI embedded at its core gives you a system that moves with you rather than one you are constantly catching up with. Bonsai builds these systems as a Software Operating Partner: in production, owned by the client, with no lock-in.