JDA Software Group Inc. has released an upgrade of its transportation management software (TMS) that allows users to manage drivers' shifts and assignments, giving companies an extra tool for controlling costs.

The latest version of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based JDA's TMS lets companies control driver optimization and dispatch, relay planning, and asset visibility, the company said Monday at its JDA Focus user group meeting in Nashville.

This new option will let companies reduce transportation costs by managing drivers and their assignments more efficiently, said Fabrizio Brasca, JDA's vice president of solution strategy for intelligent fulfillment.

Specifically, the enhancements to JDA Transportation Manager and JDA Transportation Planner help reduce mileage, improve asset utilization, and reduce overtime needs.

"We can now treat drivers as a modelable, constrained, and consumable resource, either as individuals or as a pool," Brasca said.

Dispatch operators have been acutely aware of hours-of-service restrictions for years, but the new approach tracks additional variables, such as licensing; equipment restrictions (for example, a hazardous materials qualification); geography restraints; equipment training; and the location of individual and replacement drivers.

In the face of growing driver shortages across the industry, the new capabilities give users a way to control costs in addition to traditional TMS variables such as fuel costs, route planning, or adding stops at regional distribution centers, he said. The new modules include driver relay optimization and management, driver assignment, geographic data support, and improvements to JDA's "Transportation Smartbench" tool.