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Create an LTL shipment

The Turvo user interface offers two versions of Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipment creation. The default workflow is enabled on all tenants by default and uses a single page Create shipment modal that is used for shipments of all modes. The alternate workflow provides a different Create shipment modal that has been tailored to the needs of LTL shipping to provide a more streamlined experience. To use the alternate workflow, contact your Turvo representative to have it enabled on your tenant. This article covers shipment creation using both the default and the alternate workflows in the sections linked below.

Protip: An LTL platform partner integration is required to rate and assign/book LTL shipments. See our LTL Shipment Guide article to learn more about Turvo’s integrations with LTL platform partners and other LTL-related features.

Key workflow differences

The key differences in the alternate workflow from the default are:

  • Item information is not required at shipment creation in the alternate workflow. If you need to create a shipment but do not have item information yet, you can use the SKIP NEXT & CREATE button to finish creating the shipment once the Customer, Service Type, Pickup/Delivery location, and Pickup/Delivery date information has been entered.
  • If you are ready to add item information, a second Item details page is available in the Create shipment modal by clicking the NEXT button once the basic shipment details are filled in.
  • When using the alternate workflow, the default columns shown in the Items section of the shipment’s Details tab have been updated. See our article, Managing advanced shipment details, to learn more.

Protip: Further information on creating shipments for other modes can be found in our How to create a shipment article. Additional information on advanced shipment details can be found in our Managing advanced shipment details article.

Creating an LTL shipment

Step 1:

Login and click on the + sign in the upper right corner of your screen, then select Shipment from the drop-down menu.

____Shipment.png

Step 2:

In the Create shipment modal, use the Mode drop-down to select LTL. The modal will update automatically with LTL fields, but the fields shown will differ based on the workflow configured for your tenant.

Protip: To create a shipment faster, make sure you have your customer and locations created before you start. See our articles, How to create a customer and How to create a location, to learn more.

Step 3–Default workflow:

The screenshot immediately below shows the modal as it appears if your tenant uses the default workflow. In this workflow, you will add shipment and item details in one page.

Notes:

  • The default version of the workflow requires item information to be input upon shipment creation.
  • If your tenant is using Turvo’s P44 integration for LTL rating and booking, item information automatically populates. 

  • Fields from the item master pre-populate the fields on the shipment creation form.

  • If the Item fields are already populated and a new item is looked up, the existing fields are overwritten.

LTL_Create.png

  • Customer: Select the customer who is requesting the shipment. Only customers that have already been created will appear in this drop-down.

    Note:     If the customer also has a Turvo tenant, then you will have the option to share the shipment with them. Click the Share toggle to turn sharing on (blue) or off (grey). Check out our article, How to share shipments and orders with partners, to learn more about sharing across tenants.

Screen_Shot_2020-07-29_at_4.55.19_PM.png

  • Send Turvo link to/when shipment is: This gives you the ability to send a customer contact a Turvo link when the shipment reaches a particular status. First, check the box to enable, then begin typing your contact to prompt options from the drop-down. You can add multiple contacts, if need be. Lastly, select a status from the drop-down menu. Turvo links are a great way to share shipment information with customers that do not have their own Turvo tenant.
  • Mode: By default, the shipment will be selected as a TL (truck load) shipment. Use the drop-down menu to select LTL as described in Step 2.
  • Service type: Choose the applicable service type from the Service type drop-down menu. With LTL selected in the Mode field, the service types shown will be specific to LTL shipments.
  • Pickup/Delivery Location: Select the location where the shipment is being picked up and dropped off. Locations that have already been created will appear in the drop-down.
    • If you need to create a new location, you can choose + New location directly from this menu to create it. See our How to create a location article to learn more about location creation.
    • Once a location has been selected, an optional Pickup account and Delivery account field will appear below the respective location field. Use the drop-down to tie the shipment to an account associated with the location. This can be useful when multiple customers use the same location.
    • Note: To input Pickup and Delivery Location accessorials, click the More Options menu (three dots) to the right of the fields. This opens up the Pickup services and Dlivery services fields where you can input the accessorials.
  • Requested Pickup/Delivery dates: Select the Shipment’s requested pickup and delivery dates. Additional pickups or drop offs can be added in the Details tab once the shipment is created.
  • Item Details: Enter the name of the item to be shipped, the Quantity (Qty) of that item, and the corresponding Units, such as Barrels, Pallets, Units, etc. You are required to enter the Length, Width, and Height of the item, then select the appropriate dimensional unit from the Dimension units drop-down. Weight is also required. Type in the item's weight, then select the appropriate weight units from the Weight units drop-down. Lastly, select the item's Freight class.
    • Protip: More than one item can be added by clicking + Add item. You can also add additional items later in the Details tab after the shipment is created.

Once all required information is filled out, the CREATE button will change from grey to blue. Click CREATE and the shipment will be created. At this point in the default workflow, you can proceed to the Final Step.

Step 3–Alternate workflow:

If your tenant has the alternate workflow enabled, the Create shipment modal will initially display the Basic details page, shown below. Use the fields provided to fill in the initial details of the shipment.

  • Customer: Select the customer who is requesting the shipment. Only customers that have already been created will appear in this drop-down.
    • Note: If the customer also has a Turvo tenant, then you will have the option to share the shipment with them. Click the Share toggle to turn sharing on (blue) or off (grey). Learn more about sharing shipments across tenants.

Screen_Shot_2020-07-29_at_4.55.19_PM.png

  • Send Turvo link to/when shipment is: This gives you the ability to send a customer contact a Turvo link when the shipment reaches a particular status. First, check the box to enable, then begin typing your contact to prompt options from the drop-down. You can add multiple contacts, if need be. Lastly, select a status from the drop-down menu. Turvo links are a great way to share shipment information with customers that do not have their own Turvo tenant.
  • Mode: By default, the shipment will be selected as a TL (truck load) shipment. Use the drop-down to select LTL if you have not already done so.
  • Service type: Choose the applicable service type from the Service type drop-down menu. With LTL selected in the Mode field, the service types shown will be specific to LTL shipments.
  • Pickup/Delivery Location: Select the location where the shipment is being picked up and dropped off. Locations that have already been created will appear in the drop-down.
    • If you need to create a new location, you can choose + New location directly from this menu to create it.
    • See our How to create a location article to learn more about location creation.
  • Requested Pickup/Delivery dates: Select the Shipment’s requested pickup and delivery dates. Additional pickups or drop offs can be added in the Details tab once the shipment is created.

Once all required information is filled out, the NEXT and the SKIP NEXT & CREATE buttons will change from grey to blue. Click NEXT if you are ready to add item details at this point. If you wish to add item details to the shipment at a later time, click SKIP NEXT & CREATE to proceed to the Final Step.

Add items

The second page in the alternate workflow’s Create shipment modal allows you to add information regarding the items to be included in the shipment.

  • Freight Class: Use the Freight Class drop-down menu to select a freight class for the item.
  • Item: Type in the item’s name. If the item already exists on your tenant, the drop-down menu will show matching options.
  • Quantity (Qty): Type in the quantity of the item in your shipment.
  • Units: Use the drop-down to select the unit by which the item is measured (base unit, box, pallet, etc.)
  • Total Weight: Type in the total weight of one unit of your item (e.g., if measured by the box, the total weight of the box).
  • Weight Units: Use the drop-down to select the unit by which the weight of the item is measured (e.g., lbs, kg, etc.)
  • Length/Width/Height: Type in the dimensions of a unit of the item.
  • Dimension units: Use the drop-down to select the unit by which the dimensions of the item are measured (e.g., inches, centimeters, etc.)

Use the + Add item button to add details on additional items, if needed. Once all required information is filled out for all the items you’ve added, the CREATE button will change from grey to blue. Click CREATE and the shipment will be created.

Note: Clicking BACK will return you to the basic details portion of the Create shipment modal. Clicking CANCEL will close the modal and cancel the creation of the shipment.

Final Step:

In either workflow, once CREATE is clicked, you will be taken to the shipment’s Summary page. From here, additional details can be added to the shipment, such as route details, items to be shipped, costs, contacts, etc. Existing shipments will appear under the Shipments tab in the left navigation menu or can be found by searching in the global search bar at the top of the screen.

LTL platform integrations and considerations for LTL shipments

Once your shipment is created, the next thing you'll need to do is find a carrier. In order to book carriers or view contracted rates for LTL shipments in your tenant, you will need to utilize Turvo's LTL platform rating partner integrations with the project44 (P44) and/or SMC3 CzarLite. See our LTL Shipment Guide to learn more about the integrations and rating/booking LTL shipments.

More information on updating shipment details can be found in our Managing Advanced Shipment Details article. 

LTL shipment considerations

The following tips should be considered during or after LTL shipment creation in order to ensure the shipment contains the necessary information for successful synchronization with LTL platform partners.

Update shipment status - Tendered

If you’re a Shipper creating an LTL shipment to offer to a logistics service provider, it’s important to post an update to the shipment status moving it from Draft to Tendered. 

After your shipment is created, click the Fast Action Button and select Post update. From there, you can update the status of the shipment to Tendered. This ensures visibility of the shipment.

Draft_to_Tendered.gif

Add pickup/delivery contacts

In order to complete an LTL booking request using P44, a contact must be assigned to each stop along the route. To add a contact, navigate to the Shipment section and click Route to expand the route details.

This will show a block containing the pickup location details and delivery location details.  Fill in a contact for each in the Contacts field.

LTL_Stop_contacts.png

If your contact does not already exist, click + New contact. For more information on contact creation, see our How to create a contact article.

Note: Location contact information is required for the P44 integration, but is not required to complete LTL shipment rating/booking with the SMC3 integration.

Add Hazmat details

Select the Hazmat checkbox to identify the item as hazardous. Checking this box opens the following fields:

  • Identification number
  • Proper shipping name
  • Hazard class
  • Packing group
  • Emergency contact

You can use these fields to import hazardous information from the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations Hazardous Materials Table. Start typing either the identification number (UN Number) or the proper shipping name and a drop-down list of possible matches appears. Select the correct entry and the rest of the fields (except for Emergency contact) automatically fill in. 

LTL_Hazmat.png

Click SAVE to save changes.

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