Use the Load Screen to Build and Manage a Load

Before You Use This Article

• Access needed: Load Manager login and permission to use this screen, report, setting, or workflow.
• Use this article when: you are creating, updating, dispatching, documenting, importing, exporting, or tracking a load in Load Manager.
• Use a different article when: you need the company-specific dispatch document instead; brokers should use Rate Confirmation Layout and Features, dispatch services should use Dispatch Report Overview for Dispatch Services, and trucking companies should use Dispatch Report Overview for Carriers and Trucking Companies. For full setup order, start with Freight Brokers, Carriers, Owner-Operators, and Trucking Companies, or Dispatch Services.

The Load Screen is the main workspace for creating, editing, dispatching, tracking, and billing a load in Load Manager. Use it to enter the customer, pickup and delivery stops, assigned carrier or driver, rates, commodities, notes, documents, and status updates.

The fields and buttons you see depend on your TMS type, user permissions, load status, and enabled integrations. For example, a freight broker account uses carrier and Rate Confirmation wording, while dispatch service and carrier/trucking accounts use Dispatch Report wording for their dispatch workflow.

Before You Start

Before creating or updating a load, have the main load details ready:

• The customer or payer for the load.
• Pickup and delivery location details, including dates, times, instructions, and reference numbers.
• The carrier or driver assignment, depending on your TMS type.
• Customer rate, carrier or driver rate, and any accessorials, payment advances, or direct costs.
• Any documents, notes, or customer reference numbers that should stay with the load.

Open or Create a Load

1. Go to All Loads, My Loads, or the Dispatch Board to open an existing load.
2. To create a new load, select Add Load from the load menu.
3. Enter the required load details.
4. Select Save to stay on the load, or Save & Exit to save and return to the load list.

After a load is saved, the Load Screen shows additional buttons for reports, attachments, GPS/location tools, emails, and other saved-load actions.

Saved Load Tools at the Top

A saved load may show these tools near the top of the screen:

• Email Updates: Opens customer or location update email options when enabled.
• Attach Files or View/Attach Files: Add documents, images, PODs, invoices, or other load files.
• Load #: The Load Manager load number. If manual load number entry is enabled, authorized users may be able to edit it.
• Enter Driver's Location: Manually enter a driver location when needed.
• Last Location or No GPS Data Found: Shows the most recent driver location if GPS data is available.
• Project44, MacroPoint, Trucker Tools, or other tracking options: Appear only when the related integration is enabled.
• Copy Load: Copies the load when your company allows copying.
• Delete: Appears only for users with delete permission. Deleted loads may not be recoverable.
• Previous and Next: Save and move between loads when available.

Status, Load Number, Dispatcher, and Sales Rep

The top section controls the load's workflow status and internal assignment fields.

• Status: Tracks the load through your company's workflow. Status names can be customized by your company.
• Load Number: Assigned by Load Manager unless manual load number entry is enabled.
• Dispatcher and Sales Rep: Pull from active user profiles and may auto-populate from the customer profile.
• Internal Reference # or custom fields: Searchable internal fields used for company-specific reference information.
• Order Date, Invoice Date, and Carrier Invoice #: Used for order tracking, billing, and accounting workflows when available.
• Customer Paid and Carrier/Driver Paid: Used by accounting workflows when those payment fields are part of your setup.

Status changes can affect reports, load board posting, customer update emails, dispatch notes, billing, and accounting workflows depending on your configuration.

Customer and Bill To Section

The customer section identifies the payer or bill-to customer for the load. Start typing in the customer field to search for an existing customer profile. Select the correct customer from the list so the load uses the saved customer billing details.

• Customer or Payer: The bill-to customer used for invoices and customer reports.
• Customer contact details: Address, contact, phone, fax, email, credit details, and default setup can populate from the customer profile.
• Customer PO # and BOL #: Customer reference fields used on load lists, documents, reports, and searches.
• Currency: Appears when foreign currency is enabled for your company.
• EDI options: May appear when the customer is set up for EDI transactions.

If you need to update customer details, open the customer profile from the customer link or the Customers tab instead of creating a duplicate customer record.

Pickup and Delivery Stops

Use the pickup and delivery sections to enter the location, address, contact, dates, appointment times, arrival and departure times, instructions, and internal notes for each stop.

Important stop fields include:

• Pickup # and Delivery #: Stop-level reference numbers.
• Pickup Date and Delivery Date: Used for scheduling, dispatch, reports, and customer updates.
• Appointment Time: The scheduled time for the stop.
• Arrived and Departed: Stop progress times used for tracking and status history.
• Instructions: Instructions that may appear on documents or dispatch workflows depending on setup.
• Internal Notes: Notes for your team that should not be treated as customer-facing instructions.
• Address Blind and Contact Blind: Hide stop address or contact details from certain customer-facing documents when needed.

For multi-stop loads, add additional stops from the Load Screen. The carrier or driver selected for the first stop may carry forward to the added stops unless you expand a stop and assign a different carrier or driver for that stop.

Carrier or Driver Section

The assignment section changes based on your TMS type.

New carriers or drivers should be added from the Carrier or Driver tab before they are assigned to a load. The Load Screen is used to select the carrier or driver and enter the load-specific details such as driver cell, truck number, trailer number, equipment, reference numbers, and rate information.

Rates, Totals, and Profit

The rate area summarizes the customer side, carrier or driver side, and profit side of the load. The exact fields shown depend on permissions and company settings.

• Miles Charge: Miles multiplied by the rate per mile.
• Flat Rate: A flat customer or carrier/driver amount.
• Accessorials: Totals from the Commodities and Accessorials table.
• Advance Payment(s): Payment Advance rows from the Commodities and Accessorials table. These reduce totals.
• Direct Cost: Internal direct costs when enabled.
• Factoring Fee or Overhead: Optional deductions that can affect profitability when enabled.
• Profit: Calculated from customer charges minus carrier/driver charges and other enabled costs.

If a rate field is hidden, your user role may not have permission to view customer pricing, carrier/driver pricing, or financial rates.

Commodities and Accessorials

Use the Commodities and Accessorials table to enter the freight being moved and any additional charge, credit, payment advance, direct cost, or fee connected to the load.

Each row can include quantity, type, description, weight, class, customer rate, carrier or driver rate, carrier percentage, and calculated customer or carrier/driver charges. Commodity and accessorial setup controls how each type behaves.

Notes

The Load Screen includes several note fields. Enter notes in the correct field so they appear in the right place.

• Public Notes: General load notes. Depending on setup, these may be used for load board posting or customer portal visibility.
• Internal Dispatch Notes: Internal team notes and status history details.
• Critical Notes to Driver: Important driver instructions that can appear in dispatch workflows.
• Carrier or Driver Notes: Notes that can appear on the Rate Confirmation or Dispatch Report depending on your TMS type.
• Pricing Notes: Pricing-related notes used for customer-facing documents when configured.
• Customer Invoice Comments: Notes intended for the customer invoice or quote.

Documents and Reports

Saved loads can generate load documents and reports. Common buttons include:

• Rate Con: Used by freight broker accounts to send a Rate Confirmation to the carrier.
• Dispatch Report: Used by dispatch service and carrier/trucking accounts for carrier or driver dispatch communication.
• Mobile Rate Con or Mobile Dispatch: Sends a mobile dispatch, Driver Web App, MacroPoint, Trucker Tools, or related tracking workflow depending on setup.
• B.O.L. Report: Opens the Bill of Lading report.
• Invoice or Quote: Opens the customer invoice, quote, or customer-facing report based on load status and setup.
• Google Map or PCMiler Map: Opens route mapping when enabled.

When the Load Screen Is View Only

A load may become read-only or partly disabled when:

• Another user is currently editing the load.
• The load has reached a status that your user role cannot edit.
• The load is locked by EDI invoice processing.
• The load has accounting or QuickBooks restrictions that must be cleared before certain status changes.
• Your user role does not include permission for that field, button, report, or rate area.

Administrators may have an unlock or override option depending on company settings and user rights.

Troubleshooting

• A button is missing: Confirm the load is saved, the feature is enabled, and your user role has access.
• A rate or total looks wrong: Review flat rates, miles rates, commodity/accessorial rows, payment advances, direct costs, factoring fees, and overhead settings.
• GPS says No GPS Data Found: Confirm the load was dispatched through the correct mobile or tracking workflow and that the driver allowed location access.
• A status is not available: Your company may enforce status sequence rules, status locks, or role permissions.
• A customer, carrier, or driver does not appear: Confirm the profile is active and entered in the correct Customers, Carriers, or Drivers tab for your TMS type.
• Changes did not save: Use Save or Save & Exit before leaving the screen, and watch for required-field or lock messages.

Related Articles

• How to Dispatch a Load: Beginner Workflow
• Rate Confirmation Layout and Features
• Dispatch Report Overview for Dispatch Services
• Driver Web App with Mobile Dispatch
• All Loads >> Commodity Type Overview