Autopilot: Rules for automatically approving and rejecting carrier shipment cost requests

In certain circumstances, you and your organization may prefer to have certain carrier cost requests automatically accepted or rejected without a user’s input. Turvo provides the tools to set these automatic acceptance or rejection rules via Autopilot. See our article on Requesting and approving carrier shipment costs to learn more about manually managing carrier shipment cost requests.

Note: The ability to add Autopilot rules for accessorial acceptance is enabled at the tenant level. Reach out to your Turvo representative about having it enabled.

This article covers:

Autopilot rule creation logic

Autopilot uses When/If/And/Then statements to dictate the action that takes place. Try thinking of the scenario you need to create rules for by putting the criteria in sentence form.

When: The scenario that the rule is being created to address.
- Most When statements create exception rules, but others create requested carrier cost approval/rejection rules or payable discrepancy rules.

When [X] occurs…

If: The main criteria that must be true during the scenario that defines the rule.
- In some scenarios, you are able to use a drop-down to choose which If statement is needed for the rule. In others, a particular If (Required) field appears that must be configured.
- The If statement usually comes with additional fields, such as text fields, drop-downs, and Is/Is Not toggles where you define the statement.

When [X] occurs, if [Y] is true…

And: Additional criteria that narrow the circumstances defining the rule.
- Most scenarios allow for multiple And statements to be added on using the +Add Criteria button.
- In some scenarios, an And (Required) field are added automatically.

When [X] occurs, if [Y] and [Z] are true…

Then: The action taken by Turvo based on the criteria in the previous statements. This appears within the Action section of the modal, and is not explicitly marked as “Then” within the user interface.
In some scenarios, the Action section has a drop-down that allows you to change the action taken by Turvo.

When [X] occurs, if [Y] and [Z] are true, then take Action [A].

Protip: Check out our video, Automate workflows with Autopilot rules to see the logic behind setting up rules for your tenant in action. Autopilot also provides you with the ability to configure Automatic exception rules and Payable discrepancy rules.

Allowing carriers to request accessorials only or all cost types

Your Turvo tenant can be configured for one of three methods of carrier cost requests:

By default, a carrier can only request the addition of accessorial costs to your shipment, which requires a manual response or an Autopilot rule for automatic approval. These rules do not include an automatic rejection setting.
Another option allows carriers to add cost items to the shipment from all cost categories, not only accessorial costs. These cost requests also require a manual or automatic response, configured via Autopilot.
1. Note: This feature is currently in limited beta. Contact your Turvo representative to discuss changing to this setting in your tenant.
Your tenant can be updated by Turvo to not require the cost request process when carriers add costs to a shipment.
1. Note: If your tenant is configured to allow carriers to add costs without approval, the processes described in this article do not apply. Costs are simply saved to a shipment’s costs. By default, the ability to add costs without customer approval is not enabled for carriers. If you would like to allow carriers in your tenant to add costs without approval, reach out to your Turvo representative.

Creating automatic approval/rejection rules for requested carrier costs

Users on your tenant with Admin-level permissions and above can follow the steps below to create automatic approval/rejection rules for requested carrier costs via the Autopilot feature in Admin console:

Navigate to the Admin console by clicking on your profile icon in the top right corner of your dashboard.
Select Admin console from the drop-down menu.

Click the Rules card.

On the Rules page, click the Shipment header in the column to the left.
Click the Autopilot header to expand the section.

Click + Create rule.

In the Create shipment rule modal, add a name to the rule via the Rule name field.
The rest of the steps depend on what cost types your tenant allows carriers to request. Use the links below to skip to the relevant section:
1. If your tenant allows accessorial requests only
2. If your tenant allows requests for all cost types

If your tenant allows accessorial requests only

If your tenant allows carriers to request accessorial cost items only, you can create auto-approval rules for those requests. From the Create shipment rule modal:

Use the When drop-down to select Carrier adds an Accessorial cost.

The initial If statement for Carrier adds an Accessorial Cost is always Accessorial type.
Use the Is or Is not toggle and the provided drop-down to select which accessorial type(s) should be included in the rule.
Click the +Add criteria button to create And statements, which narrows down the rule further.
1. Use the first drop-down in the And statement to select the criteria.
2. The second field in the statement changes depending on the selection you make in the first.

1. The possible And statements and how to utilize them are outlined below.

Accessorial amount	Use the provided text field for Accessorial amount to set an allowable amount threshold under which an individual accessorial is auto-accepted. This amount is on a per-accessorial line item basis, not on a per-shipment basis. The threshold unit should be the primary currency of the tenant, and the amount can only be whole numbers. If you enter “50,” it populates with “$50.00.”
Total accessorial charge	Use the provided text field to set a Total accessorial charge threshold, which determines the total allowable accessorial amount on a shipment that can be auto-accepted. This rule can be used to prevent carriers from adding the same accessorial multiple times in smaller amounts to get a larger total auto-accepted. This amount is on a per shipment basis, in the primary currency of the tenant. When the accessorials are requested, if the total amount of accessorials on the shipment would surpass this threshold, use this rule to prevent auto-acceptance of the requests. For example, if a carrier requests six $10 accessorial charges to a shipment, but you’ve placed a Total accessorial charge rule of $50, none of the accessorials are automatically accepted. They remain with a Pending status until they are reviewed and manually accepted or rejected.
Carrier	Use the Is and Is not toggle and the drop-down to select which carrier(s) should or should not receive auto-acceptance.
Group	Use the Is and Is not toggle and the drop-down to select which group(s) should or should not receive auto-acceptance.
Mode	Use the Is and Is not toggle and the drop-down to select whether accessorials on shipments using the specified mode(s) should or should not receive auto-acceptance. When selecting Mode: If there is a Location on the accessorial, Turvo checks the mode of the route segment with that Location. If the mode of that route segment matches the rule, the accessorial is automatically accepted. If no Location is associated with the accessorial, Turvo matches the rule against any mode of the route segment(s) that the carrier is on.
Location	Use the drop-down to select one or more locations to automatically accept accessorials from, including: Specific geographic regions (any combination of City, State, Country), Location entities (specific customer locations). Note: If there is no Location associated with the accessorial, Turvo considers the location as none and the rule does not match.
Shipment status	Use the Is and Is not toggle and the drop-down to select whether shipment with specific status(es) should or should not receive auto-acceptance.

Unlike in an exception rule, the Actions field is not editable. The Actions for accessorial approval rules default to Auto-approve charge request.
1. Use the Copy the cost to customer block toggle if the cost of the auto-approved accessorial should be charged to the shipment’s customer.
Once you have created your rule, click SAVE to implement the rule.

If your tenant allows requests for all cost types

If your tenant allows carriers to request all cost item types, you can create both auto-approval and auto-rejection rules. From the Create shipment rule modal:

Use the When drop-down to select Carrier adds a cost.
1. Note: This option is only available if your tenant is configured for it.

The initial If statement for Carrier adds cost is always Cost category. This is the overall category of cost types that the Autopilot rule applies to. Use the drop-down to select from:
1. Fuel
2. Freight
3. Accessorial
4. Service
5. Tax
6. Others
Next, set the initial And (Required) statement for the Cost Type.
1. Use the Is or Is not toggle and the provided drop-down to select which specific cost type(s) should or should not be included in the rule.
  1. Only available cost types of the category selected in the previous step are shown. Select all that apply.

Click the +Add criteria button to create And statements, which narrows down the rule further. Use the first drop-down in the And statement to select the criteria. The second field in the statement changes depending on the selection you make in the first.

1. The possible And statements and how to utilize them are outlined below.

Amount	Use the Amount text field to set an allowable cost amount threshold for auto-approval or auto-rejection of each requested carrier cost item that matches the Cost category and Cost type selections. This amount is on a per-cost type basis, not on a per-shipment basis. If the rule is for auto-approval, requested cost items with a total value that is less than or equal to the amount entered in this field are eligible for auto-approval (depending on the rest of the rule’s conditions). For example, if auto-approval rule covers a particular cost type and has the Amount field set to $100, and there is a line item requested by the carrier with the indicated cost type at $50 with a Quantity of 2, then the $100 line item is approved because the total value of the line item is $100 or less. If the cost item is not auto-approved and there is no corresponding auto-rejection rule for costs above this threshold, the requested cost remains with a Pending status until it is reviewed and manually approved or rejected by the shipment broker/customer. If the rule is for auto-rejection, requested cost items with a total that is greater than or equal to the amount entered in this field, the requested cost item is rejected automatically. For example, if auto-rejection rule covers a particular cost type and has the Amount field set to $100, and there is a line item requested by the carrier with the indicated cost type at $50 with a Quantity of 2, then the $100 line item is rejected because the total value of the line item is $100 or greater. The carrier can then remove the rejected costs or modify them for re-approval. The threshold unit should be the primary currency of the tenant, and the amount can only be whole numbers. If you enter “50,” it populates with “$50.00.”
Total amount	Use the Total amount field to set a threshold for the total amount of all requested carrier cost items on a shipment that match the Cost category and Cost type selections. This amount is on a per-shipment basis, not on a per-cost item basis. If the rule is for auto-approval, if the total combined value of all requested cost items is less than or equal to the threshold set in Total amount, all requested costs are eligible for auto-approval (depending on the rest of the rule’s conditions). For example, if auto-approval rule covers a particular cost type and has the Amount field set to $100, and there is a line item requested by the carrier with the indicated cost type at $50 with a Quantity of 2, then the $100 line item is approved because the total value of the line item is $100 or less. If the requested cost items are not auto-approved and there is no corresponding auto-rejection rule for total costs above this threshold, the requested cost items remain with a Pending status until they are reviewed and manually approved or rejected by the shipment broker/customer. If the rule is for auto-rejection, if the total combined value of all requested cost items is greater than or equal to the threshold set in Total amount, all requested costs are auto-rejected. For example, if a carrier requests six $10 accessorial charges to a shipment, but you’ve placed a Total amount rule of $50 on requested costs of that type, then all of the costs are automatically rejected because the total amount of the charges is $60. The carrier can then remove the rejected costs or modify them for re-approval. The threshold unit should be the primary currency of the tenant, and the amount can only be whole numbers. If you enter “50,” it populates with “$50.00.” When used in conjunction with Amount, this field can be used to prevent carriers from circumventing your auto-approval and auto-rejection rules. See the scenario below: You have an auto-approval rule for Accessorial - Overhead cost items with the Amount set to $80 and a corresponding auto-rejection rule with the Amount set to $80.01, but no Total amount set on either. This means that any request for Accessorial - Overhead cost items where the individual line item’s Amount totals $80 or less is approved, but any at $80.01 or above is rejected. No manual intervention would take place on requests of this cost type. A carrier requests a shipment cost line item with the Cost type set to Accessorial - Overhead, the Quantity set to 1, and the Price set to $100. This requested cost is automatically rejected based on your auto-rejection rule, as the Amount on the line item would be greater than $80. To bypass the auto-rejection rule, the carrier could add 10 separate shipment cost line items with the Cost type set to Accessorial - Overhead with a Quantity of 1 and a Price of $10. Without a Total amount set on the rule, the auto-approval rule would see the ten individual requests for $10 cost line items and approve them. In this scenario, you can prevent the carrier from bypassing your auto-rejection rule by doing any of the following: Configure the auto-approval rule with the Total amount criteria set to $80: In this case, if the carrier were to attempt to bypass the auto-rejection rule in the way described above, the auto-approval rule would not approve the requested cost items because the total amount of all cost line items with the Accessorial - Overhead cost type exceeds $80. Instead, the requests remain in the Pending status, requiring manual review and approval/rejection. Configure the auto-rejection rule with the Total amount set to $80.01: In this case, the auto-rejection rule would apply the Rejected status to the requests because the total amount of all cost line items with the Accessorial - Overhead cost type is equal to or greater than $80.01. Configure the Total amount for both rules as indicated above: In this case, the auto-rejection rule would also apply.
Customer	Use this rule to auto-approve/auto-reject requested carrier cost items if the shipment’s customer includes or excludes the selected customer(s). Use the Is and Is not toggle and the drop-down to select the applicable customer(s).
Carrier	Use this rule to auto-approve/auto-reject requested carrier cost items depending on the carrier that requested them. Use the Is and Is not toggle and the drop-down to select which carrier(s) apply.
Visibility group	Use this rule to auto-approve/auto-reject requested carrier cost items depending on the Visibility group that the shipment falls under. Use the Is and Is not toggle and the drop-down to select which Visibility group(s) apply. See our Create and manage Visibility groups article to learn more about Visibility groups in Turvo.
Mode	Use this rule to auto-approve/auto-reject requested carrier cost items depending on the shipment mode(s). When adding Mode criteria to the rule: Use the Is and Is not toggle and the drop-down to select the applicable mode(s). If there is a Location on the requested cost, Turvo checks the mode of the route segment with that location. If the mode of that route segment matches the rule, the carrier’s requested cost is automatically approved. If no Location is associated with the accessorial, Turvo matches the rule against any mode of the route segment(s) that the carrier is on.
Location	Use this rule to auto-approve/auto-reject requested carrier cost items depending on the location associated with the shipment stop. Use the drop-down to select the applicable location(s).
Shipment Status	Use this rule to auto-approve/auto-reject requested carrier cost items depending on the shipment’s status at the time that the cost is requested by the carrier. Use the Is and Is not toggle and the drop-down to select which status(es) apply.

Set the Action for the rule. This determines whether the rule is for the automatic approval or the automatic rejection of requested carrier cost items. In the Action section at the bottom of the modal, use the radio buttons to select either:
1. Auto-approve the request
  1. If you selected this option the Copy the cost to the Customer block checkbox appears. If you are acting as a broker on the shipment and select this checkbox, then once the carrier’s requested cost item is auto-approved, a corresponding billable cost item is added to the shipment customer’s Costs section.
2. Auto-reject the request
Once you have created your rule, click SAVE to implement the rule.

What if an auto-approval and an auto-rejection rule conflict?

In some cases, there may be a conflict between an auto-approval and an auto-rejection rule. For example, if the auto-approval rule says to approve a cost within $100 while the auto-rejection rule says to reject the same cost over $50, this causes a conflict. When a conflict occurs, the auto-rejection rule takes precedence and the request cost item’s status is changed to Rejected.

Updating existing rules

To make any changes to your existing rules, hover over the rule and click on the 3 dots icon to the far right. This gives you the options to edit, disable/enable, copy, or delete your rule.

Note: The list of rules features all rules configured in Autopilot, whether they are for exceptions, cost approvals/rejections, or payable discrepancies. Refer to the Actions column to understand more about what the rule is for at a glance.

Editing rules

Click Edit from the drop-down menu to bring up the Edit rule modal and make any changes you need to the rule. Make sure to click SAVE to save your changes!

Disabling and Enabling rules

Disabling a rule stops it from triggering until it is enabled again. This option is good for those rules that need to be paused, but not removed from the list. You can see whether a rule is Disabled or Enabled in the Status column of the Rules list view.

Copying rules

Select Copy to copy an existing rule’s information into a new rule.

Protip: The copied rule won’t indicate it’s a copy anywhere in the name, so be sure to change the new rule name to something unique!

Deleting rules

To completely remove a rule from your tenant, select Delete from the drop-down menu.

When Delete is selected, you’ll receive a prompt asking if you’re sure you’d like to delete the rule. To continue with deleting, select YES or select NO to keep the rule in place.

Note: Once a rule has been deleted, you can’t recover it from the system.

Timeline updates for cost requests and auto-approval/auto-rejection

When a requested cost is auto-approved or auto-rejected, the shipment’s Timeline tab updates to reflect the change in shipment costs. The timeline update includes the following information:

The charge request event type:
- Charge request added
- Charge request approved
- Charge request rejected
- Charge request updated
  - Note: This timeline update occurs upon any change to the charge request, including to the Description field.
- Charge request deleted
By:
- If the user making the update is in your tenant, only the username is displayed.
- If the user making the update is on a connected tenant, both the username and tenant name are displayed.
- If the charge request is approved or rejected by an Autopilot Rule, then By Turvo System Bot is displayed on the timeline entry in your tenant and connected tenants.
Cost: The Cost category and Cost type of the carrier’s requested shipment cost is displayed next.
If applicable, the shipment stop location name associated with the requested shipment cost is displayed.
- If no location is associated, this field is not shown.
If a description was added to the carrier’s requested shipment cost, it is shown next.
If a comment was added at the time of an update to the cost request, it is the last field in the timeline entry.