Creating and Managing Shipments in Freightools

Part 2 – Creating and Managing the Shipment Order (SO)

The Shipment Order (SO) represents the carrier-level shipment (Master).
The Customer Shipment (CS) represents the House-level shipment.

Understanding this structure is critical before choosing how to create the SO.

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Recommended Workflow – Creating CS + SO Together from SP

When creating from a Sales Proposal (SP), select:

“Create CS and SO from this SP”

Why This Is the Easiest Method

• Automatic linkage between House (CS) and Master (SO)
• No manual binding
• Clean operational flow
• Minimal risk of mismatch
• Fastest workflow

When This Method Is Ideal

This approach is most suitable when the shipment structure is:

• 1 Master (SO)
• 1 House (CS)

In other words: a straightforward shipment with one CS linked to one SO.

This is the simplest operational scenario and therefore the recommended standard workflow.

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Important Clarification – Consolidation Shipments

In consolidation scenarios:

• One SO (Master)
• Multiple CS (Houses)

The “Create CS and SO from SP” option can still be used — but only for the first CS.

Why?

Because:

• Only one SO is required for the consolidation.
• Additional CS shipments must later be linked to the same existing SO.
• Creating CS + SO repeatedly would generate unnecessary additional Masters.

Best Practice for Consol Shipments

1. Create the first CS + SO from SP.
2. For all additional Houses:
   • Create CS only.
   • Link them to the existing SO.

This keeps one Master and multiple Houses under it — which is the correct operational structure.

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Creating SO from the CS Grid (Good Alternative)

If a CS already exists and is not linked to an SO:

1. Open the CS grid.
2. Select the CS.
3. Click Create SO.

This method is still efficient because the system automatically links the SO to the selected CS.

When to Use It

• The CS was created without SO.
• Carrier details were defined later.
• The shipment evolved into a Master structure afterward.

For consolidation:

• This method is appropriate only for the first CS (when creating the Master).

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Creating SO from the SO Grid (Least Recommended)

From the SO grid:

1. Click New Shipping Order.
2. Manually link the relevant CS.

This approach:

• Requires manual matching.
• Is more time-consuming.
• Depends on multiple fields aligning.
• Increases risk of operational inconsistencies.

Since the SO represents the Master structure of one or more CS, creating it from the CS side ensures cleaner logic.

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Workflow Hierarchy Summary

Standard Shipment (1 Master / 1 House)

Best option:

• Create CS + SO together from SP

Fastest and simplest workflow.

Consolidation Shipment (1 Master / Multiple Houses)

Best structure:

1. Create CS + SO from SP (first House only).
2. Create additional CS.
3. Link them to the existing SO.

Avoid creating multiple SOs for a consolidation.

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Key Principle

• One SO = One Master.
• One Master can have multiple CS.
• The easiest workflow applies primarily to 1:1 shipment structures.
• Consol shipments require controlled SO creation.