Build or buy? rethinking the logistics software decision

In logistics and transportation management, one question continues to resurface: 
Should you build your own TMS or buy one off the shelf? 

The "build vs. buy" dilemma spans industries, but it’s especially relevant in supply chain tech. And to bring it down to earth, let’s borrow a familiar analogy: home improvement. 

If you’ve ever attempted a home remodel, not just repainting a room, but something that involves plumbing, wiring and real construction; you know how quickly a simple project can spiral into a costly, time-consuming ordeal. The same applies to building your own transportation management system (TMS). 

Let’s break it down. 

The DIY trap: why building a TMS isn’t as simple as it seems

When planning a remodel, it’s tempting to compare the cost of materials to a contractor’s quote and think, “I’ve got YouTube. I can do it myself.” But how often does that project finish on time, under budget and up to spec?

Many businesses fall into a similar trap when comparing TMS costs. You might get a vendor quote for $80,000 per year. Then your in-house developers estimate they could build a TMS for $150,000 over 12 months. On paper, it seems like your homegrown solution will “pay for itself” in two years. 

But that logic misses a critical factor: total cost of ownership.

Hidden costs: what the spreadsheet doesn’t show

1. Ongoing maintenance and security Risks

Most custom TMS builds start with good intentions. But software is not a one-and-done project, it’s a living product. If your solution was built a decade ago on on-premise servers, how do you migrate it securely to the cloud today? 

Security gaps are common in legacy builds. Without modern cloud infrastructure and regular updates, your system is vulnerable and expensive to patch. And unless you’re hosting in a secure data center, you're exposing your business to real risk.

2. Talent and retention challenges

Top developers want to solve hard problems and ship new products, not spend years maintaining a single logistics app. If you rely on internal developers to build your TMS, how will you retain them post-launch? Who will own the roadmap and updates when team members move on?  

Your internal IT team may be excellent but maintaining a mission-critical logistics system isn’t their core competency. And it shouldn’t have to be.

3. Training, onboarding and user support

Building your own TMS also means building the training infrastructure:

• Video tutorials
• Help centers
• Live support
• Ongoing onboarding for new employees

And that’s before accounting for user adoption across departments and turnover. The burden doesn’t end once the software is built, it grows over time.

The reality: most custom TMS projects don’t end well

Initial build projects often begin with optimism. But delays happen. Features get cut. MVPs get watered down. You fast-forward two or three years and find yourself over budget, behind schedule and without the functionality you initially planned for.

Meanwhile, all the inefficiencies that pushed you to build a TMS in the first place are still draining your operations. The opportunity cost is massive.

And that $80K-per-year TMS? It starts to look like a bargain, except by now, you’re too far into the build to turn back.

Ask yourself 2 hard questions

When weighing the TMS build vs. buy decision, you only need to answer two questions: 

• Is software development your company’s core competency?
• Does your ROI analysis include total cost of ownership—security, updates, training, support, opportunity cost?

If you can’t answer “yes” to both, building a TMS is probably not your best path forward. 

Why buying a TMS gets you to value faster

Instead of dividing your focus between your business and a long-term software build, you can buy a proven, scalable TMS that delivers value immediately.

The fastest path to ROI is buying a configurable TMS - one that evolves as your business grows.

Why Infios TMS?

Infios TMS is an industry-leading platform that supports freight under management across all modes. It comes pre-integrated with:

• ERPs
• Load boards
• Visibility tools
• The largest digital freight marketplace in the industry

Whether you're migrating from spreadsheets or transitioning off an internal build, Infios makes it easy. And with more than two decades of experience, we've refined our platform to deliver faster time-to-value.