Workspace
Load record
One load, everything about it. Move it on, cover it, charge it, document it, track it and talk to the customer about it.
The load record is the page for one load. Open it by clicking a load reference anywhere in the
panel (the Load board, exceptions, tracking, a notification). The address is /loads/ plus the
load reference, for example /loads/AR-0042.
Everything a dispatcher does to a load happens here: record milestones, change the status, assign the carrier and driver, add stops, legs and charges, attach files, generate documents, log check calls, add detention or demurrage, and answer the customer.
- Where
- Load board › click a load (/loads/AR-0042)
- Who opens it
- Loads · view. A sales agent only opens their own loads (R9). Finance-only users only open delivered or released loads (R5).
- Who changes it
- Loads · edit (legs need Legs · edit; check calls need Tracking · edit)
- Finance release
- Loads · approve
- Audited
- Every save, with before and after values
If the load does not exist, or you are not allowed to see it, you get a "not found" page. The panel does not say which.
The header
| Part | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Container number | The title. Never cut short. "No container yet" if not set. |
| Generate dispatch sheet | Makes the dispatch sheet PDF (refused if the carrier is not cleared, R1). |
| Reference line | Load reference, status badge, Released to finance if the R5 override is on, customer, carrier, lane. |
| Rate · Cost · Margin | The customer rate, the carrier cost and the margin with its percentage. A bar shows the split. With no carrier yet, cost and margin show a dash: no cost means no margin, not 100% profit. A negative margin is red. |
| Status control | Pick a status and press Change status (or Mark delivered). Needs Loads · edit. |
| Finance release | Release to finance before delivery, or Withdraw finance release. Needs Loads · approve. |
Milestones
A load has eight milestones. Each one, when reached, sets a status and may fill in a date.
| Milestone | Sets the status to | Fills in (if empty) |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound | Booked - Awaiting Confirmation | ETA |
| Available | Needs Driver | Last free day |
| Picked up | At Pickup | Pickup date |
| Warehouse | In Transit | — |
| Out | In Transit | — |
| Delivered | Delivered (runs the R6 steps) | Delivery date |
| Empty returned | Delivered - Awaiting Paperwork | Empty return date |
| Closed | Ready for Billing | — |
The rail at the top shows each step as Reached (filled, with its date), Next (ringed) or Later (hollow), with a count such as 4/8.
Record a milestone
In the Flow tab, press Mark picked up (or whichever step is next). The milestone is dated today in your company's time zone. A milestone already reached cannot be marked again.
The status change runs first, because it is the step that can be refused. If the status change is refused (for example the advance is unpaid), the milestone is not recorded either.
Change the status
Pick the status
Use the Status menu under the money figures.Press Change status
Or Mark delivered if you picked Delivered.Read the result
The page updates. If refused, the reason is shown under the control.
The server checks every move:
| Rule | What is refused |
|---|---|
| Same status | The load is already In Transit. |
| Paid is final | A paid load is closed. Nothing moves it now. |
| Finance sets Invoiced and Paid | Invoiced is set when an invoice is raised, Paid when the payment is recorded. Never by hand. |
| No cancelling an invoiced load | Raise a credit note instead of cancelling it. |
| R4 | Moving forward to Dispatched, At Pickup, In Transit, At Delivery or Delivered while an SSL or customs advance is not received in full. |
| R1 | Moving forward to those same statuses with no carrier, or with a carrier that is not cleared. The message lists what is missing (no MC, insurance expired, no W9…). |
| Delivery first | Jumping past Delivered (to Awaiting Paperwork or Ready for Billing) without marking delivered. |
Moving backward, and moving to On Hold or Cancelled, is allowed (except the cases above). Coming back from On Hold or Cancelled counts as a move forward, so the gates apply again.
When the status changes, a line goes into the activity feed, the audit log records before and after, and the sales agent is notified if someone else made the move.
Mark a load delivered
Marking a load delivered (by status, milestone, or a portal proposal approved by staff) does several things in one transaction. If any part fails, none of it is saved.
Delivery is checked by the same gates as dispatch: an unpaid advance or an uncleared carrier blocks it.
Release to finance early
Finance-only users normally see a load only once it is delivered. An approver can show them a load earlier, for example to prepare an advance.
Press Release to finance before delivery
Needs Loads · approve.Give a reason
Required. Recorded in the activity feed and the audit log.Confirm
The header shows Released to finance.
To undo it, press Withdraw finance release and give a reason.
The tabs
The lower half of the page is a set of tabs, each with a count where it helps.
| Tab | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Flow | Carrier and driver, the delivery order card, early pay, the milestone list with Mark buttons, the two gates (carrier compliance and customer credit), and the load's current issues. |
| Timeline | The activity feed, newest first, with a box to add a note. |
| Stops | Each stop: where, appointment, dwell time and instructions. |
| Legs | Each leg of a multi-carrier move: carrier, route, rate, status, driver, tractor. |
| Clearance | The SSL or customs advance: who it went to, what must come back, what was received, and the reference. |
| Charges | Every charge, grouped by bill-to party. |
| Documents | Files attached and documents generated, with who they were sent to. |
| Appointments | Pickup and delivery appointments. |
| Related | How long each phase took, and the other containers on the same booking. |
Flow: carrier and driver
The Carrier and driver card shows the carrier, its authority (MC and DOT), the driver and phone, the agreed cost, payment terms, factoring company (or Direct), and Confirmations to: the carrier's FMCSA-registered email. A badge says Cleared to haul or Dispatch blocked.
Press Assign a carrier
Or Carrier and driver to change it.Choose the carrier and cost
Pick from your carriers and enter the agreed carrier cost.Add the driver
Name and phone, both optional.Save
If the load was Pending or Needs Carrier, it moves to Needs Driver. The carrier's payment terms are copied onto the load.
You can assign a carrier that has not passed compliance. The activity feed then says not cleared, dispatch is blocked, and the load cannot move until the carrier is approved (R1). Comparing carrier quotes and picking one happens on the Rate board (R7: a person always picks).
Flow: the gates
A strip shows both gates side by side:
| Gate | States |
|---|---|
| Carrier compliance | Cleared to haul or Dispatch blocked, plus Documents blocked if the carrier has no FMCSA email (R3). |
| Customer credit | Within limit, Near limit (85% or more used) or Credit blocked, with the percentage used and what is owed across all the customer's open loads. |
While either gate fails, a red line says Dispatch documents refused.
Flow: delivery order and early pay
- Delivery order: issue it and Record the signature (who at the carrier signed, and when). See Delivery orders.
- Early pay: a form to ask for quick pay against the carrier cost. The form checks the amount, but it does not save a request yet; it says so when you submit.
Timeline: notes and activity
Type in Add a note and save. Notes appear in the feed with your name. The feed also records every system event: status changes, milestones, carrier changes, charges, files, documents sent, check calls, advances. Each entry is tagged note, system, charge, doc or money.
Stops
Add a stop: stop type, reason, name, appointment date and time, and instructions. Each stop can be edited or removed. Stops are numbered in the order they were added.
Legs
A leg is one part of a move hauled by one carrier, for example port to warehouse, then warehouse to door. Add a leg: carrier (optional), from, to, rate, leg status, driver, tractor. Legs need the Legs · edit permission (ops and managers by default).
Charges
Charges are grouped by who pays: Customer, Carrier, Warehouse, Sales Agent, Other. Each group shows its lines and total.
Press Add a charge
In the Charges tab.Pick the charge type and bill-to party
One of the 13 charge types.Enter the amount and an optional note
Then save.
A charge that is already on an invoice cannot be changed or removed. The message tells you to raise a debit or credit note instead.
Clearance
Shown when the load has an SSL or customs advance. It shows the line or broker, Must come back (the advance plus your company's fee), Received, and the Reference. While it is not in full, a red line says Not released (or Not released — short paid). Finance records the proof (reference, amount, date) on the Advance ledger.
Files
Attach a file in the Documents tab: choose the kind (POD, Photo, Paperwork, Other) and the file.
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Types | PDF, PNG, JPEG, WebP. The file's contents are checked, not just its name. |
| Size | 10 MB or smaller |
A POD file marks the proof of delivery as on file; a Paperwork file counts as the delivery order or BOL. Files can be removed by anyone with Loads · edit.
Other sections on the page
| Section | What it is | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Charges (summary) | The charges by party, next to the paperwork. | Above |
| Paperwork | The four documents the load should have by now (rate confirmation, DO or BOL, POD, invoice), which are on file and which are missing, plus generated documents to download. | Document center |
| Detention & demurrage | A calculator that adds detention, demurrage or per diem as a charge. | Detention & demurrage |
| Customer messages | The thread with the customer about this shipment. | Shipment messages |
| Check calls | The latest positions and Log a check call. | Check calls |
Customer messages
The customer writes from their portal; you reply here. Your reply appears on their shipment page. Replying marks their messages as read. Replying needs Loads · edit. Each message is audited.
Templates
To reuse this load's lane, parties, rates, stops and charges for the next booking, save a template from the New load form. See Load templates.