Creating Loads

Create a load when you have enough shipment details to quote, dispatch, track, document, bill, and settle the shipment.

Required details

• Customer
• Pickup and delivery locations
• Equipment type and load size
• Customer pay
• Carrier pay when a carrier is assigned

Recommended details

• Customer reference number
• Commodity
• Weight, pieces, or handling notes
• A minimum and maximum temperature in Fahrenheit for reefer loads. Enter both values, and set the maximum at or above the minimum.
• Internal notes for your team
• Driver, dispatcher, and tracking contact details
• Documents required for dispatch, billing, and payment
• Stop timing when available
• Accessorials, additional charges, and billing notes
• Carrier instructions and customer-specific requirements

Draft and dispatch readiness

With appointment scheduling enabled, choose None when the requirement is unknown, FCFS for first-come, first-served receiving, or APPT when an appointment is required. Enter the requested date, date range, or time window. FCFS accepts one service date; enter both Start and End when specifying receiving hours. For APPT, select Confirmed only after the facility confirms the date and start time; add an end time for a window.

Use the stop's schedule action in load details to confirm or edit timing. Change confirmed timing to reschedule, or clear Confirmed to remove the booking and retain unconfirmed timing, then save. Schedules are read-only after actual arrival or departure is recorded.

Stop timing can stay blank in drafts. With appointment scheduling, dispatch needs a date or timed schedule at every active stop; an appointment still needing confirmation shows a warning. If your form uses Arrival Time Start, enter it for every active stop before dispatch. Load-board posting requires start times.

If Dispatch is disabled, hover the action to see the blocker. Common blockers include missing stop timing, missing carrier or driver details, incomplete carrier pay, customer credit limits, or required fields that still need review.

Steps

1. Open Loads and choose to add a load.
2. Confirm the active team when team controls are shown.
3. Select the customer.
4. Add stops in route order.
5. Review stop scheduling, dates, times, and time zones.
6. Add equipment, commodity, and load details.
7. Enter customer pay and any extra charges. For daily customer or carrier charges, choose Per Day in Unit and enter the daily rate and number of days.
8. Save the load.
9. Review market intelligence or available bids when choosing a carrier.
10. Assign the carrier, driver, dispatcher, and carrier pay.
11. Confirm tracking and required documents before dispatch.

When creating or editing a load, review Miles or enter your own total. Entered miles stay saved even when stops or equipment change. Choose Use calculated to use the calculated short-route miles again.

Create multiple loads

Use the split Create Load action when several shipments share the same template details.

1. Complete the shared customer, stops, equipment, pay, and notes.
2. Choose the load count or custom count.
3. Review the Batch Identity Sheet.
4. Adjust per-load customer reference, BOL, PO, stop references, and schedules. With appointment scheduling, review each stop and select Confirmed separately for each booked appointment.
5. Create the loads.

Blank per-load identity fields inherit the template value or stay blank when the template is blank. Duplicate customer references and matching appointment start/end times are allowed when that matches the customer request.

Validation checklist

• Customer is correct.
• Team is correct when your organization uses teams.
• Stops are in the right order.
• Dates and appointment windows are accurate when known.
• Pay details match the agreement.
• Carrier assignment is correct before dispatch.
• Required paperwork is known before pickup, delivery, billing, and settlement.
• Dispatch instructions are clear enough for the carrier.

Common mistakes

• Missing customer reference numbers
• Wrong time zone on a stop
• Carrier pay entered without confirming the carrier
• Rate confirmation, BOL, POD, invoice, or accessorial support not collected before review
• Forgetting to review customer or carrier currency when multi-currency is enabled
• Updating stop times after dispatch without notifying affected users
• Creating the load under the wrong team and then not finding it in the current dashboard view