Creating and Managing Shipments in Freightools

Part 1 – Terminology and Shipment Creation Methods

This guide explains how shipments are structured and created in the system.

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1️⃣ Understanding the Structure of a Shipment

When a booking is received from a customer, a shipment must be created in the system to manage it operationally and financially.

In Freightools, a shipment is built from two main entities:

CS (Customer Shipment)

Equivalent to:

• HBL (House Bill of Lading) in ocean freight
• HAWB (House Air Waybill) in air freight

Represents the shipment between:

• The actual shipper
• The actual consignee

This reflects the commercial relationship between the forwarder and the customer.

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SO (Shipment Order)

Equivalent to:

• MBL (Master Bill of Lading) in ocean freight
• MAWB (Master Air Waybill) in air freight

Represents the shipment between:

• The freight forwarder
• The carrier

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Other Transport Modes

The same structure applies to:

• Ocean
• Air
• Land
• Rail
• Multimodal movements

These combinations are referred to as Service Mixes.

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Shipment Structures

A shipment can consist of:

• One CS linked to one SO (1 HBL – 1 MBL)
• Multiple CS linked to one SO (consolidation)
• One CS linked to multiple SO (split shipment)

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2️⃣ Recommended Method – Creating from a Sales Proposal (SP)

The most recommended way to create a shipment is from a Sales Proposal.

Why:

• Ensures pricing consistency
• Keeps commercial structure aligned
• Reduces manual errors

Steps

1. Open the relevant Sales Proposal.
2. Click the hamburger menu next to the Status button
   – or use the creation icon from the SP grid.
3. Create the CS.
4. Optionally create the SO at the same time.

When to Create CS + SO Together

This is useful when:

• The shipment consists of one HBL and one MBL.
• No consolidation is expected.
• The operational structure is straightforward.

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3️⃣ Alternative Method – Fast Quotation

A quicker alternative is creating a CS from Fast Quotation.

Best used when:

• The rate does not exist in agreements.
• You need a rapid booking setup.

Steps

1. Perform the rate search.
2. If no agreement is found, complete the rate manually.
3. After the search ends, click Create CS.

Advantage

All search parameters automatically populate the shipment:

• Customer
• Shipper / Consignee
• Goods
• Service mix
• Trade
• Routing

This avoids retyping the same data.

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4️⃣ Additional Method – Cloning an Existing CS

Another efficient way to create a shipment is by copying a previous CS.

How to Clone a CS

1. Go to the CS grid.
2. Select the relevant shipment.
3. Click the Clone button.

A new CS will be created with the same structure and details.

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When Cloning Is Recommended

Cloning is especially useful when:

• The shipment follows the same trade lane.
• The same customer is involved.
• Similar goods and routing are used.
• The structure of activities and price details is similar.

This method significantly reduces manual updates and setup time.

After cloning:

• Review and update shipment-specific details (dates, references, quantities).
• Adjust economics if necessary.
• Link to SO if required.

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Creation Methods Summary

Method

Best Use Case

Main Advantage

From Sales Proposal

Standard workflow

Commercial alignment

Fast Quotation

No agreement rate

Auto-populated shipment

Clone Existing CS

Repetitive shipments

Saves manual data entry

Manual Creation

Complex/custom case

Full flexibility

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This concludes the updated Part 1 covering shipment structure and creation methods.