Text messaging has long been the default for communicating with drivers. It's simple, reliable, and doesn’t require any special hardware or training. But as the pace and complexity of logistics increases, businesses are re-evaluating how they communicate with the road. In 2025, is SMS still a sensible choice for transport operations?

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The Case for SMS: Simplicity With Limits

The biggest draw of SMS is its simplicity. Nearly every driver has a mobile phone that can receive and send texts, no apps or data plans required. It’s familiar, quick, and doesn’t involve any learning curve. For transport planners working under time pressure, there’s a certain convenience in just firing off a text and assuming it gets the job done.

SMS also works anywhere there's a phone signal. In areas where mobile data is patchy, particularly in more remote parts of the UK or Ireland, that can be a helpful fallback. And since it doesn’t require company-issued devices or software installs, there’s little to no setup involved.

However, SMS starts to show its age when used at scale. The cost per message quickl y adds up… especially when attachments like photos, PDFs, or job documents are involved. These costs multiply across daily operations. More importantly, SMS offers no visibility into what’s been sent, seen, or actioned. Messages sit in individual phones with no link to job records or planning tools, which creates a major blind spot for compliance and coordination.

There's also the issue of team communication. When messages are sent from individual planners’ phones, there’s no central thread or shared view. If someone is off sick or unavailable, no one else can see what’s been said. For growing fleets or multi-depot teams, this quickly becomes unworkable.

Pros

• Easy and simple: Anyone with a mobile can send and receive.
• No setup or extra devices: Use existing phones without installs or logistics.
• Familiar to drivers: No training required.
• No internet needed: Works even in remote areas.

(All of these advantages apply to WhatsApp too — except the internet dependency, which is negligible with modern coverage.)

Cons

• High cost per message: especially with attachments, and costs increase rapidly with volume.
• No visibility or audit trail: Messages are siloed in phones, not linked to jobs.
• Workflow bottlenecks: Planners manually switch between systems.
• No centralized team communication: Hard for others to pick up where one planner leaves off.

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WhatsApp with MessageHub: Familiar, but Built for Transport

WhatsApp offers all the ease of SMS and adds some major upgrades, without introducing something totally new for drivers. It’s installed on most smartphones, supports images and documents, allows for two-way conversations, and provides read receipts.

Modern Features:

• Read receipts confirm when messages are delivered and seen
• Group messaging allows planners to send updates to multiple drivers at once
• Images, locations, and documents (like PODs) can be sent directly without skyrocketing the cost
• Two-way conversations are easier to manage and respond to quickly

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When paired with MessageHub, Stratum’s WhatsApp integration, everything’s connected in your planning dashboard. Messages aren’t just free-floating chats, they’re linked directly to job numbers and vehicles, sent from dispatch, and visible to the full team. This solves the visibility and audit trail issues that plague SMS workflows.

MessageHub solves this by making messaging part of the planning process. From Stratum, planners can:

• Send job details to a driver via WhatsApp
• View past messages linked to a job
• Record notes or clarifications directly in the job file
• Keep a full record of communications for compliance and auditing

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SMS exists entirely outside your TMS. Once a message is sent, there’s no audit trail, no record linked to the job, and no visibility for the rest of the team. If another planner takes over, they have no way of knowing what was sent, what was confirmed, or what the driver replied.

This kind of visibility makes shift handovers easier, improves internal communication, and cuts the amount of follow-up required across teams.

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So Is SMS Still Worth It?

In 2025, SMS still has a place, especially in emergencies or as a fallback when internet coverage fails. But for day-to-day driver communication, it creates more problems than it solves: high costs, limited oversight, and disconnected workflows.

WhatsApp with MessageHub retains all the simplicity of texting but solves every one of those problems. It’s cheaper, offers full message visibility, links communication to jobs, and allows the entire transport team to operate from the same page. And best of all, it works with the phones drivers already have.

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Conclusion

The decision isn’t just about messaging apps. It’s about aligning your communication with your operations. SMS is easy, but disconnected and costly. WhatsApp with MessageHub is the natural upgrade. Low-friction, low-cost, and deeply connected to Stratum’s TMS.

Learn more about MessageHub and how to improve communication in your fleet.

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