SO Dates, Stages & Tracking in Freightools
The Shipment Order (SO) controls the Master-level timeline of the shipment.
Dates are not just informational — they drive:
- Shipment stages
- Alerts
- Process steps
- Tracking updates
1️⃣ Brief Recap – Date Structure in the SO
Each schedule milestone has three layers:
- Estimated
- Confirmed
- Actual
Initial entry populates Estimated dates.
Clicking Confirm Dates moves them to Confirmed.
When a milestone becomes actual, the checkbox is marked and the system updates the stage.
The visible dates in the Basic Information tab always reflect the currently active layer (confirmed or actual).
2️⃣ Schedule Milestones
The core SO schedule dates are:
- Pickup
- Cut Off
- Departure (ETD)
- Arrival (ETA)
- Delivery
These can be managed:
- Manually
- Automatically via Tracking Services
3️⃣ Automatic Tracking
When the tracking service is activated at company level, the system can automatically manage schedule updates up to Delivery status.
Required Data for Tracking Activation
Tracking begins automatically once the following are entered in the SO:
- Booking Number or MBL Number
- Carrier linked to a system carrier
- Valid Container Number
Once these parameters exist:
- Tracking starts automatically
- Schedule events are fetched and updated
Where Tracking Information Appears
Tracking schedule events are visible in:
- SO Goods Tab → Schedule section
- Top-right preview in the Dates section (Basic Information tab)
- Next to the container number in the Goods tab
This gives both a detailed and summary-level view of tracking progress.
4️⃣ Automatic Date & Stage Updates
When tracking is active:
- Every schedule change is recorded automatically.
- If Departure becomes actual, the system:
- Updates the stage to Departure.
- Records the actual departure date.
- The same logic applies to Arrival and Delivery.
All changes are system-recorded for full traceability.
Disabling Automatic Updates (If Needed)
If automatic tracking updates are not desired for a specific shipment:
- Uncheck the Auto Updates checkbox.
This allows manual control over dates and stages.
5️⃣ Manual Date Management
Even with tracking enabled, users can:
- Edit dates manually.
- Confirm or adjust schedules.
- Modify Estimated and Confirmed layers.
Manual logic remains as described in the SO Basic Information article.
6️⃣ Impact of Dates on Stages
Each milestone drives the shipment stage.
Example:
- Actual Departure → Stage changes to Departure
- Actual Arrival → Stage changes to Arrival
- Actual Delivery → Stage changes to Delivered
Stages are therefore date-driven.
7️⃣ Impact of Dates on Alerts
Freightools includes a large catalogue of alerts.
Many alerts are triggered directly from SO date changes.
Examples:
- Schedule Change Alert → Triggered on any schedule modification
- Arrived Alert → Triggered when Arrival becomes actual
- Delivery-based alerts
- Delay-based alerts
Since tracking may update dates automatically, alerts may also trigger automatically.
Alert configuration is detailed in a separate article.
8️⃣ Impact of Dates on Process Steps
Each process step contains:
- An Expected Date
This expected date is calculated based on SO schedule dates such as:
- ETD
- ETA
- Booking Date
- Delivery Date
When SO dates are entered or modified:
- Related process steps update accordingly.
If a process step is configured with Auto Update Dates:
- Any schedule change will automatically adjust the expected step date.
This ensures operational workflow remains synchronized with real shipment movement.
Structural Logic Summary
SO Dates → Control:
- Shipment Stage
- Alerts
- Tracking
- Process Step Planning
Tracking can automate the entire lifecycle up to Delivery, provided required shipment identifiers exist.
Manual control remains available when needed.