You don't need a 40-page security audit to evaluate a TMS. But you do need to ask the right questions before you hand over your rate confirmations, driver records, and invoice data to any software platform. This checklist gives you a clear framework for what to look at and what questions to ask when you're sizing up a TMS from a security standpoint. For a deeper look at the full topic, see our guide on TMS security for small carriers.
1. Data Ownership and Access Controls
Before anything else, confirm who owns your data. Some platforms make exporting or deleting your records difficult once you're inside their system. Ask these questions directly:
- Can you export all your data, including loads, invoices, and driver records, at any time?
- What happens to your data if you cancel? Is there a grace period to export, or does access cut off immediately?
- Does the vendor ever use your data for analytics, benchmarking, or third-party sharing?
- Can you control which team members see which parts of the system? Role-based access (manager, dispatcher, driver) should be a standard feature, not an upsell.
For small carriers, role separation matters. Your driver should not have access to your invoice records. Your dispatcher should not be able to delete load history.
2. Authentication and Login Security
Weak login security is the most common entry point for unauthorized access to business software. Check for:
- Unique logins per user. Shared passwords are a liability. Every person who accesses the TMS should have their own credentials.
- Password policies. Does the platform enforce minimum password strength? Does it limit failed login attempts?
- Two-factor authentication (2FA). Ask whether 2FA is available and whether it is optional or required. Optional is better than nothing; required is better than optional.
- Session management. Does the platform log you out after inactivity? Can you see active sessions and revoke access if a device is lost?
3. Document and Data Storage
Your TMS is going to hold a lot of sensitive documents: BOLs, rate confirmations, PODs, fuel receipts, and driver files. Ask where that data lives and how it is protected:
- Is data stored on a reputable cloud infrastructure provider? Ask which one. Major providers (AWS, Google Cloud, Cloudflare) publish their own security and compliance documentation you can verify independently.
- Is data encrypted at rest and in transit? This should be a yes with no hedging.
- Are documents backed up regularly? What is the recovery process if data is lost?
- Who on the vendor's side can access your documents? Can a support rep read your rate confirmations, and is that access logged?
4. Compliance Posture
You don't need your TMS to be SOC 2 certified to be worth using, but you should understand the vendor's compliance posture. Small carrier TMS products vary significantly here:
- Has the vendor completed any third-party security audits or certifications? SOC 2 Type II is the most common benchmark for SaaS products handling business data.
- Does the vendor have a published privacy policy that clearly states what data is collected and how it is used?
- Is there a data processing agreement (DPA) available if you need one for broker or shipper contracts?
Some enterprise-tier TMS platforms will have formal compliance documentation readily available. Smaller or newer platforms may not, but a vendor who can't answer basic questions about their security posture is a red flag regardless of platform size.
5. Operational Security Questions Worth Asking
Beyond the technical checklist, a few operational questions tell you a lot about how seriously a vendor treats security:
- How do you handle a data breach? Is there a documented incident response process? Will they notify you and how quickly?
- What is your uptime track record? Ask for a status page or uptime history. Frequent outages can leave dispatchers unable to access load records at the worst possible moment.
- How do you handle support access? When a support rep helps you troubleshoot, do they access your account directly? Is that logged?
- What is your employee offboarding process? When a vendor employee leaves, how quickly is their access revoked?
How HaulerPro Approaches These Questions
HaulerPro is built for independent carriers and small fleets, and the platform reflects that scope throughout. Every user, whether manager, dispatcher, or driver, has their own login with a role that controls what they can see and do. Drivers see their loads and their settlement statements. Managers see everything. There are no shared logins and no shared passwords.
Documents attach to specific loads. When a driver scans a BOL or POD from the app, it attaches to the load they scanned it for. PODs auto-attach to the invoice for that load. There is no background routing or global inbox that an unauthorized party could browse.
Per-jurisdiction mileage data is captured from dispatched loads and available as an exportable CSV you can reference when completing your quarterly IFTA return. Coverage spans the 48 contiguous states, so the mileage data is already scoped to U.S. jurisdictions when you pull it.
Support is founder-led support from someone who built the software around how carriers actually work. You're not dealing with an offshore call center that has broad access to your account.
HaulerPro does not make security claims we haven't verified. If you have specific security questions before signing up, ask them. We'll answer directly.
For a fuller treatment of what small carriers should know about TMS security, read our guide on TMS security for small carriers.
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