What is a Shipping Order?
A Shipping Order (SO) is the core operational record in FreighTools that represents the physical movement of goods from origin to destination. It consolidates all logistics information for a shipment — including routing, travel details, partners, schedule milestones, linked customer shipments, cargo details, process steps, financials, documents, and communications — into a single manageable entity. Every SO is identified by a unique number following the format SO XXXXXX-YYYY - [Trade] - [Service Mix] (e.g., SO 020961-2022 - O-I - FCL/FCL).
Accessing Shipping Orders
To open the Shipping Orders module, navigate to Business Process → Shipment Management → (SO) Shipment Order from the top menu bar. This opens the Shipping Orders list view where you can browse, search, filter, and manage all your shipping orders.
The Shipping Orders List View
The list view displays all shipping orders in a data grid. Each row represents one SO and shows key summary columns including Edit, Log, Engagements, Services, Service Type, Number, Created date, MBL, Status, N.CS (number of linked customer shipments), Agent Name, Carrier, Estimated Arrival, ATA, HBL/MBL, Customers, From/To Details, and more. You can scroll horizontally to reveal additional columns.
Search and Filters: At the top of the list you have a search bar ("Type here to search") and several filter dropdowns — Execution User, Service Mix, Milestones Exception, Status, and Stage. These allow you to quickly narrow down the list to find specific orders.
Row Actions: Each row provides quick-action icons on the left side. The pencil icon opens the SO for editing, the list icon opens the log, and the engagement icon shows related engagements.
Pagination: At the bottom of the list, you can choose how many records to display per page (50, 100, 500, or 2500) and navigate between pages.
Creating a New SO: Click the + New Shipping Order button in the upper-right corner to open a blank Shipping Order form.
The Shipping Order Form
When you open an SO (either by creating new or editing an existing one), a dialog window opens with a header section and a tabbed interface containing eight tabs: Basic Information, Customer Shipments, Goods, Process Steps, Economics, Printouts, Integrations, and History.
Header Section
The header at the top of the SO form is always visible regardless of which tab you are on. It includes:
SO Title: Displays the SO number and key identifiers (e.g., "Edit Shipping Order (SO 020961-2022 - O-I - FCL/FCL)").
Status Dropdown: Located at the top left, it shows the current status and allows you to change it. Available statuses are: New, Open, Dates Confirmed, Pending, Approved, Archived, and Canceled.
Quick Reference Bar: A summary strip showing the linked SP (Sales Proposal), CS (Customer Shipment), MBL, HBL, Routing, Stage, Shipper, Consignee, Customer, and REF (Reference) at a glance.
Save / Update Button: The dark button in the upper-right labeled Save Changes (for new SOs) or Update (for existing SOs) saves all modifications.
Floppy Disk Icon: An additional save option.
Restore, Collapse/Maximize, and Close (X) Buttons: Window management controls at the top right of the dialog.
Clone Button: Allows you to duplicate the current SO.
Pending Comment: A text field for adding a comment when setting the status to Pending.
Tab 1: Basic Information
This is the default tab and contains three major sections:
General Section
This section captures the fundamental parameters of the shipment. Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required:
*Country From **: The origin country.
*Country To **: The destination country.
*Service Mix **: The combination of transport service (e.g., Ocean FCL, Ocean LCL, Air).
Created: Auto-populated date when the SO was created.
*Service Type **: The mode of transport (e.g., Ocean, Air).
*Service Trade **: The trade direction (e.g., Import, Cross, Export).
*Pickup Service **: How goods are picked up at origin (e.g., Full Container Load).
*Delivery Service **: How goods are delivered at destination (e.g., Full Container Load).
Manifest Number / Manifest Date: Reference numbers for cargo manifests.
Carrier Transaction Number: The carrier's reference number.
Execution User: The user responsible for executing/operating this SO.
Exchange Rates Date: The date used for currency exchange rate calculations.
Tags: Optional labels for categorizing or flagging the SO.
Travel Info Section
Located in the lower-left area, this section is organized under the "Transshipments" label and captures vessel and booking details:
Booking Date: The date the booking was made with the carrier.
Booking Number: The carrier booking reference number.
Terminal Withdrawal / Terminal Delivery: The terminals where containers are picked up or delivered (with a view icon to inspect terminal details).
Vessel: The vessel name (e.g., MAERSK NAKURU, MSC ZOE) with edit and lookup options.
Voyage: The specific voyage number.
MB/L: The Master Bill of Lading number.
MBL Type: The type of master bill of lading.
Carrier: The shipping carrier (e.g., MAERSK, MSC).
Partners Section
Located in the center-bottom area, this section defines the origin and destination logistics partners, organized into "From Details" and "To Details":
From Details (Origin):
First Vessel: Displays the vessel name and identifier.
*Master From **: The origin port/terminal (e.g., CNSHK - Port of Shekou).
Customs Operator: The customs broker at origin.
Customs Office: The customs office at origin.
Handling Agent: The local agent handling the shipment at origin.
To Details (Destination):
Last Vessel: Displays the vessel name and identifier.
*Master To **: The destination port/terminal (e.g., ROCND - Port of Constantza, ILASH - Port of Ashdod).
Customs Operator: The customs broker at destination.
Customs Office: The customs office at destination.
Handling Agent: The local agent handling the shipment at destination.
Schedule Section
Located in the lower-right area, this section tracks the key milestones of the shipment's journey:
Auto Update checkbox: When enabled, schedule dates are automatically updated from carrier tracking systems.
Alert On checkbox: When enabled, alerts are triggered for schedule deviations.
Milestones tracked: Each milestone has a Stage name and a Confirmed/Actual date column:
Pickup — when goods are collected from the shipper
Cutoff — the carrier's cargo cutoff deadline
Departure — when the vessel departs from origin
Arrival — when the vessel arrives at destination
Delivery — when goods are delivered to the consignee
Edit Dates button: Opens a date editor for manually updating milestone dates.
Dates shown in green indicate confirmed/actual dates from the carrier.
Tab 2: Customer Shipments
This tab manages the link between the SO and one or more Customer Shipments (CS). A single SO can consolidate cargo from multiple customers.
Filters: At the top you can filter by CS number, Shipper, or Consignee.
Linked Customers Shipments Table: Displays all CS records bound to this SO with the following columns:
Bind: Checkbox indicating whether the CS is linked to this SO.
Master: Indicates if this is a master shipment.
Copy CS: Button to copy the CS record.
Number: The CS number, creation date, and expiration date.
From Details: Origin information including master port and shipper name.
To Details: Destination information including master port and consignee name.
Partners: Agent and receiver customer information.
CNTR TEUs PCs: Container counts, TEU counts, piece counts, weight (Kg), and volume (m³).
Economics: Summary of chargeable volume, total selling, chargeable total buying, and margin.
Update Binding button: Saves changes to CS-to-SO linkages.
Show Available / Show Available Masters checkboxes: Toggle to display unlinked CS records that could be bound to this SO.
Tab 3: Goods
This tab provides a detailed view of all cargo items within the SO, organized by linked Customer Shipment.
Summary Bar: At the top, a summary shows total Containers count, TEUs count, Pieces count, Total Weight, Total Volume, and Net Weight. A dropdown lets you switch between "Full View" and other view modes. A settings gear icon provides additional configuration.
Each cargo line item (container or freight unit) is displayed in its own card with five sub-tabs:
Basic Sub-tab
Freight Unit: The type of container or freight unit (e.g., Container 20' Box, Container 40' HC).
FU checkbox: Freight unit designation flag.
S / T / R checkboxes: Shipper, Transshipment, and Receiver checkboxes.
M. Unit: Measurement unit (kg/cm or lb/in).
Quantity: Number of units.
Unit Weight / Total Weight: Weight per unit and total weight.
L × W × H: Dimensions (Length, Width, Height) in CM/IN.
Unit Volume / Total Volume: Calculated volume values.
Contained: If the item is contained within another freight unit.
ID Number: The container ID number (e.g., MSBU4141946).
Seal: The container seal number.
Tracker ID: Tracking device identifier.
Chargeable Total Weight / Chargeable Total Volume: Values used for billing calculations.
Commodities: The HS code and goods description.
Additional Sub-tab
PO Number: Purchase order reference.
Packages Qty: Number of packages inside the container.
AWB Rate: Air waybill rate (for air shipments).
Tare: The container's empty weight.
Payload / Capacity: Maximum payload and capacity figures.
Marks and Numbers: Shipping marks and package numbering.
Kind of Package: The packaging type.
Goods Description: Detailed description of the goods.
Said to Contain: Declaration of contents.
Notes Sub-tab
Internal Note: Notes visible only to your organization's staff.
External Note: Notes that may be shared with external partners.
SKU Sub-tab
Manages Stock Keeping Unit details for the goods in the shipment.
Schedule Sub-tab
Shows container-level tracking events, such as:
Name: Location name (e.g., Port of Shekou).
User: The source of the event (e.g., Container Position Service).
Container Event: The event type (e.g., Departed (DEPA), Loaded (LOAD), Gated in (GTIN), Gated out (GTOT)).
Country Name: The country where the event occurred.
Estimated Time: The timestamp of the event.
A + New Customer Shipment Good Schedules button allows adding new tracking events manually.
Action Icons per cargo item: Each cargo card has colored action icons (red X for delete, snowflake, bell notification, and warning triangle for alerts).
Tab 4: Process Steps
This tab tracks the operational workflow steps for each linked Customer Shipment. Process steps represent the tasks and milestones that must be completed during the lifecycle of the shipment.
Filters: You can filter by CS and toggle "Show Active Only" or "Show My Process Steps Only."
Each process step shows:
Date: When the step was created or due.
Step Name: The description of the task, such as:
2 SO / OCEAN BOOKING
SO / PICK UP GOODS
SO / GOB – GOODS ON BOARD
CONFIRM AND REGISTER DEBIT NOTE
MBL/HBL/TELEX
ISSUE INVOICE
ARRIVAL NOTICE (AUTOMATIC)
VERIFY ARRIVAL
Status: Each step is marked as either CONFIRMED or OPEN.
Edit icon (pencil): Click to edit or update an individual process step.
A menu icon (hamburger) at the top right of the section allows bulk management of process steps.
Tab 5: Economics
This tab provides a complete financial overview of the Shipping Order.
Summary Table: At the top, a matrix shows financial data across four stages — Sales, Operations, Orders, and Invoices — for the following categories:
Selling: Revenue amounts in both USD and local currency.
Buying: Cost amounts in both USD and local currency.
Shared Costs: Any shared or split costs.
Margin (%): The calculated profit margin, shown with a colored progress bar (indicating profitability at a glance).
+ Manage Orders button: Opens the order management interface for adding or editing financial orders.
Detailed Orders Section: Below the summary, individual buying and selling orders are listed with columns for Select, Credit, Edit, Split, Planned, Activity name, Original Value, Delta Value, Unit Value, Total Value, Document Value, VAT Code, Value Inc. VAT, Comment, and Invoice reference.
Toggle buttons: Switch between Buying and Selling views, and Show Credit / Hide Credit to control the visibility of credit-related entries.
View Invoices button: Opens related invoices for a given supplier or customer line.
Tab 6: Printouts
This tab manages document generation, email communication, and file attachments.
Printouts Section
A table lists all generated printout documents with columns for ID, Name, View, Create PDF, and Delete.
Use the dropdown to select a printout template, then click + Add New Printout to generate a new document.
Mails Section
+ New Mail: Compose a new email related to this SO.
Reply: Reply to an existing email thread.
Mails Log: View the full email history for this SO.
Files Section
A table lists attached files with columns for Select, Shared, Name, Size, Uploaded date, Download, and Delete.
Browse button: Upload new files from your computer.
Import from Mailbox: Import attachments directly from your email.
Files count badge: Shows the total number of attached files.
Tab 7: Integrations
This tab displays all external system integration logs and API transaction records related to the SO.
Filters: Search bar, and dropdowns for Result Type, Request Type, and Respond Type.
Integration Log Table columns:
ID: Integration record ID.
User Email: The user who triggered the integration.
Created: Timestamp of the integration event.
External Correlation ID: The external system's reference ID.
Result Type: Whether the integration succeeded or failed.
Request Type: The type of request made to the external system.
Request Summary: A brief summary of what was requested.
Respond Type: The external system's response type.
Tab 8: History
This tab provides a full version history and audit trail for the SO.
Columns:
ID: Version identifier.
Created: Timestamp of the change.
User: Who made the change.
Load Version: Button to restore this historical version.
Show Differences: Button to compare this version with the current state, highlighting what changed.
SO Lifecycle and Status Workflow
A Shipping Order progresses through the following statuses:
New — The SO has just been created and is being set up.
Open — The SO is active and operational details are being managed.
Dates Confirmed — Key schedule dates (departure, arrival) have been confirmed by the carrier.
Pending — The SO is awaiting approval or additional information (a pending comment can be added).
Approved — The SO has been reviewed and approved.
Archived — The SO has been completed and archived for record keeping.
Canceled — The SO has been canceled and is no longer active.
Tips and Best Practices
Always fill in all required fields (marked with *) in the General section before saving a new SO.
Enable Auto Update in the Schedule section to receive automatic milestone updates from carrier tracking systems.
Enable Alert On to receive notifications when schedule deviations occur.
Use the Customer Shipments tab to link multiple CS records when consolidating cargo from different customers onto the same vessel/booking.
Regularly review the Process Steps tab to ensure all operational tasks are progressing and completed on time.
Use the Economics tab to monitor profitability and ensure selling prices cover all buying costs and shared expenses.
Upload all relevant documents (bills of lading, customs declarations, packing lists) under the Printouts → Files section to keep everything centralized.
Use the History tab to track changes and restore previous versions if needed.
Use the Clone function to quickly duplicate a similar SO when handling repeat shipments.