End of Support for SAP LE-TRA in 2030

With the transition to SAP S/4HANA, the SAP Logistics Execution – Transport (LE-TRA) module will ultimately lose its future viability. While LE-TRA can still be operated at present, its use is legally required to end on December 31, 2030. After that date, no further productive use will be permitted. 

For companies, this means that the LE-TRA scenarios used to date must be replaced or redesigned in a timely manner with suitable successor solutions. 

A Strategic Opportunity Rather Than a Purely Technical Migration 
SAP does not view the replacement of LE-TRA as a purely technical migration. Rather, the transition to SAP S/4HANA offers a strategic opportunity to realign, simplify, and set up transport and shipping processes in a way that is scalable for the long term. 

Companies can use the LE-TRA phase-out to: 

• review established process logic 
• reduce media breaks 
• sensibly combine standard and additional functions 

Replacing LE-TRA under time pressure: Risks of a late transition 
Those who wait too long risk projects under significant time pressure and lose valuable flexibility in system and architecture decisions. Early planning, on the other hand, opens up scope for process design, test scenarios, and a clean integration of the successor solutions. 

Many companies used SAP LE-TRA primarily to consolidate multiple outbound shipments into a single transport, including document generation, CEP communication, and freight cost settlement. 

What Changes and What Remains the Same in SAP TM
The basic principle remains the same: In SAP Transportation Management (TM), consolidation takes place via freight orders, in which multiple freight units and thus shipments are combined.

Benefits of Transparent TM Processes
Compared to LE-TRA, SAP TM offers more structured planning, greater transparency, better scalability, and expanded automation capabilities. 

1. SAP TM Basic Shipping: The license-free standard successor to LE-TRA
The integrated TM Basic functionality is license-free and covers key LE-TRA scenarios such as transport planning, consolidation, and simple freight cost calculation.

2. SAP TM Advanced Shipping: Solution for complex, multimodal transport logistics 
SAP TM Advanced Shipping enables complex transport planning, optimization, tenders, and detailed billing scenarios, but requires additional licenses. 

3. SAP Logistics Management (LGM): Cloud-based LE-TRA alternative for simple shipping processes 
SAP Logistics Management (LGM) is a cloud-based solution for very simple, standardized shipping processes and is based on the SAP Business Technology Platform. 

4. S/4HANA without SAP TM: Minimal solution for very simple shipping processes
For very simple shipping processes, basic shipping functions can be implemented directly in S/4HANA ERP. This minimal solution is only suitable for very small-scale shipping without consolidation. 
 

SAP TM can be operated either embedded in S/4HANA or as a side-by-side system. The choice depends largely on volume, process complexity, and your long-term IT strategy. 

Many projects have shown that the standard SAP system does not fully cover all requirements from existing LE-TRA scenarios. Functional gaps arise in particular with custom shipping logic, combinations of TM Basic and Advanced, and established carrier integrations. 

Mercoline specifically supplements the SAP standard with its own add-ons to: 

• reliably continue proven processes 
• close functional gaps during the transition 

Migration expertise as a decisive success factor 
In addition to the technological solution, migration expertise is crucial for project success. Mercoline has been supporting companies for years in replacing LE-TRA and implementing modern shipping architectures. 

The focus here is not on a technical 1:1 migration, but on a functionally sound target architecture that sensibly integrates processes, system options, and extensions

Companies that act early on ensure planning reliability, avoid operational risks, and lay the groundwork for future-proof transport processes on SAP S/4HANA.