Postimees · Logistics (Logistika) · 2026
Bringing a logistics company's hidden costs under control with RoadMapper
English translation of the original Estonian article. Original headline: Logistikaettevõtte varjatud kulud kontrolli alla RoadMapperiga
When a logistics company adds up its costs, the biggest expenses usually appear to be fuel, wages and fleet maintenance. These are measurable sums that can be checked every month. Unfortunately, what may not show up directly on any line is the time spent searching for and using unsystematised or scattered information and on other manual administrative work. What if one web application offered a simple solution that saves a great deal of time?
A single phone call between a logistician and a driver doesn't seem significant in terms of time. Updating a spreadsheet or searching for a lost waybill also seems to fit into the day. Across hundreds of shipments, however, these seemingly trivial minutes add up to many working hours. Nobody ever sends an invoice for them, and they leave no trace in any expense report.
Filling in spreadsheets by hand and paper waybills should be a thing of the past
In many logistics companies, shipments are still organised using Excel spreadsheets, phone calls, emails and paper documents. With smaller volumes, this way of working usually does the job. As the company grows, however, fragmented information can start causing problems:
- information is located in different places;
- the logistician lacks a complete overview of shipments, drivers and vehicles in a single web solution;
- passing changes on to drivers takes time;
- information and documents move with delays;
- the same information has to be entered into different systems several times.
The obstacle in companies is usually not a reluctance to make changes related to automation. In the view of Risto Sardis, representative of the logistics software company Roadmapper OÜ, digitalisation gets stuck instead on the lack of an employee to carry out the necessary changes. "Alongside daily work, it's difficult to map processes, choose suitable solutions and organise the introduction of new applications," explains Sardis.
The whole process in one application solves much of the problem
The web application created by RoadMapper brings shipment planning, a waybill portal, warehouse management and invoicing together into a single system. Shipments can be planned in both map and calendar view, giving an overview of jobs, drivers and trucks. Warehouse management is included as well, drivers see the information they need on their phones, and paper waybills are replaced with digital ones.
Flexibility above all: configurable to your needs
The main strength of the RoadMapper application is its flexibility. It is not a standard solution that would require completely rebuilding the existing way of working. "The platform can be configured to match actual work processes, and it can be developed further as the company grows and its needs change," notes Sardis of Roadmapper OÜ.
The same solution suits both a start-up with a few trucks and an organisation with more users, warehouses and integrated processes. As you grow, there is no need to switch systems, only to develop the configuration.
The pricing, set out on the website, is also simple and transparent. The logistics package includes a licence for one office worker, an unlimited number of driver mobile apps and integration with accounting software.
RoadMapper has also created rental software, applying the principles of the logistics platform to the workflow of equipment rental companies: automatic drawing up of rental agreements, invoicing and handover reports, where invoices are generated automatically and sent to the customer by email and, via an API interface, to the accounting program.
"Buying software alone doesn't solve anything, though," explains the company's head, Sardis. "First you have to understand the company's work processes, find the bottlenecks and introduce the solution in a way that people can easily use every day." Once the application is in use, the logistician has more time for what they were actually hired to do – managing shipments, not filling in spreadsheets.