A TMS is an integral component of a mission-critical supply chain execution (SCE) suite of applications A TMS typically sits between an ERP or Order Management System Warehouse Management System The ERP (or OMS) application passes inbound and/or outbound orders to the TMS application which then determines the optimized transportation routing. The TMS evaluates the pool of orders; consolidates them into shipments; and determines the optimal mode / lane / carrier / route / stop assignments to minimize transportation expense within the required customer service level constraints.