Excel TMS Template Free Download + Setup Guide (2026)

Most free "TMS templates" online are generic business spreadsheets. They don't know what a fuel surcharge or a BOL number is.

I built my Excel TMS template for 2-20 truck fleets. It covers loads, invoices, the fleet and the money in one workbook. If you haven't picked a platform yet, read Google Sheets vs Excel for TMS first.

What's in the template

It comes with sample data and setup instructions, and there's no credit card involved.

Setup in six steps

1. Save your copy. Save the file under your company name, and keep a backup before you change anything.

2. Company Setup sheet. Enter your business name, address, phone and email. Add your logo (200x100 pixels works best), default payment terms and your preferred invoice format.

3. Customers sheet. Paste in your customer list. Add billing addresses, the main contact, payment terms (Net 15, Net 30) and any special instructions. Give each customer a short code for quick lookups.

4. Fleet sheet. Enter each truck's make, model, year and VIN, plus trailer and DOT numbers. Add each driver's CDL details. Record insurance and registration expiry dates and service schedules.

5. Loads sheet. For every load, pick the customer from the dropdown (it fills in their details), enter pickup and delivery, commodity and rates (per mile, fuel surcharge, accessorials), then assign the truck, trailer and driver.

6. Invoice. Filter for loads marked "Delivered", pick the load, choose the customer's format, check the math, and export to PDF.

Make it hold up

• Use dropdowns everywhere. Customers, drivers and status should come from lists. Typed entries drift ("ABC Freight", "ABC Frt") and break your reports.
• Add the fields your customers ask for. PO numbers, reference numbers, detention and layover are the usual ones.
• Match a customer's format. Copy their invoice layout and terms, and test on sample data before sending a real one.
• Color the exceptions. Use conditional formatting to turn overdue invoices red and maintenance due dates yellow.
• Use pivot tables for revenue by customer, margin by lane and monthly trends.
• Keep it fast. Archive past years to a separate file, use VLOOKUP instead of long nested formulas, and go easy on formatting.
• Keep one copy in one shared place, backed up daily to cloud storage. Emailed copies become three versions of the truth.

Where Excel falls short

• Every invoice is manual. About 30 minutes each, and nothing is emailed for you.
• It slows down. Past 100 or so loads, the file drags.
• It's hard to share. Two people editing the same file leads to version conflicts.
• Phone access is limited. Checking a load from the road is awkward.

If several people need the file at once, use the Google Sheets version. It comes in the same email. If you'd rather build your own in Sheets, follow how to build a TMS in Google Sheets.

When to move past a template

Take a 10-truck fleet running 40 loads a month. At 10 minutes per load entry, that's about 6.7 hours of office time, or roughly $133 a month at $20 an hour, spent typing loads in by hand.

At Winetoast Carrier, entering a load went from 10 minutes to 30 seconds on a Google Sheets system I built. They've run loads, drivers, invoices and maintenance on it every day since spring 2026. It reads rate cons, handles dispatch, and drivers sign BOLs and upload photos from a phone web page for each load. Invoices and paperwork save to Drive.

It's time to look at a custom Google Sheets TMS when:

• You run 20+ loads or 50+ invoices a month on 5+ trucks.
• Paperwork eats 2+ hours a day.
• Errors or late invoices are hurting customer relationships.
• Drivers keep calling the office for load details.
• You're adding trucks but not office staff.
• More customers ask for their own invoice format.

Common questions

Is this really a complete TMS? It covers load management, invoicing, fleet tracking and financial reports. You still enter all the data by hand.

How do I handle different customer invoice formats? Start with the five included formats and add a sheet for any customer with special requirements.

What if I need help setting it up? The download includes setup instructions. For personal help, I offer phone support at $150/hour.

Can it connect to my other systems? You can move data in and out with CSV exports. Anything more takes a custom build.

Two ways to start

• Organize what you have. If you run 2-10 trucks and fewer than 30 loads a month, request the free template. I'll email it within one business day.
• Stop typing invoices. If you spend 10+ hours a week on invoicing, ask me for a quote. A custom build is a one-time project fee, quoted after a walkthrough, with no monthly subscription. You own every file and script.