Ops/Dispatch folks: what’s your biggest “TMS workaround” today?

Hi r/logistics — I’m not here to pitch software or “disrupt logistics.”

I’m a senior DevOps / automation engineer and I’m trying to understand real operational pain from the people actually running loads: dispatch, planners, warehouse/yard ops, fleet managers.

One theme I keep hearing: the problem isn’t “no tools,” it’s too many tools that don’t integrate, so the day becomes reconciling “what’s true” across TMS/ERP/spreadsheets + chasing updates + manual copy/paste.

I’d love input from the folks in the seat:

1. What’s the most common “workaround” your team uses because the system doesn’t handle something cleanly? Examples: fixing addresses repeatedly, double-entering the same data, status updates living in calls/texts/WhatsApp, exceptions handled in notes instead of structured fields, etc.
2. Where does your “source of truth” break most often? Address/master data, ETA/visibility, appointment times, exceptions/reason codes, POD, billing/charges…?
3. If you could remove ONE piece of daily friction without replacing your TMS, what would you pick? (Something you do 50+ times/week and hate.)

I’m especially interested in operational roles (dispatchers, planners, ops managers, dock/yard coordinators). If you’re willing, I’d also appreciate a short DM — I can keep it anonymous and I’m happy to share back a summary of patterns (no names, no company info).

Thanks in advance — I’m trying to learn the reality before I build anything.

If you want, tell me your niche (e.g., drayage, reefer, LTL/FTL, warehousing/3PL, linehaul) and roughly your scale (small fleet / mid / enterprise). That context helps a lot.

DISCLAIMER: Post was formulated with AI from the text I gave it. AI structured my stream of mind, nothing more. Don't be too angry about that. I see nothing wrong with that personally. Hope you too.