Rate Confirmation Layout and Features

Before You Use This Article

• Access needed: Freight broker setup in Load Manager, or the broker side of a company that also runs trucks.
• Use this article when: you broker freight under your own authority, or you are working on the broker side of a company that also runs trucks. Full company path: Freight Brokers.
• Use a different article when: you run trucks and need driver, equipment, or driver settlement workflows; use Dispatch Report Overview for Carriers and Trucking Companies. If you dispatch for carrier customers, use Dispatch Report Overview for Dispatch Services.

Use the Rate Confirmation to send the assigned carrier the load details, carrier pay, notes, and carrier terms for a freight-brokered load. The Rate Confirmation can be opened as a PDF, emailed as a PDF, or sent as an electronic Rate Confirmation for the carrier to review and sign.

Before you start: Applies to Freight Broker accounts or companies using the broker side of Load Manager.

If your company is a Dispatch Service or a Carrier / Trucking Company, your carrier or driver-facing document is usually a Dispatch Report, not a Rate Confirmation. The screens may look similar, but the report name and workflow depend on your TMS type and setup.

When to Use a Rate Confirmation

For freight brokers, use the Rate Confirmation after the load is saved, the carrier is assigned, and the carrier rate information has been reviewed.

Rate Confirmation Settings

Admin users can review Rate Confirmation setup in Settings >> Configuration Options. The settings that commonly affect the Rate Confirmation include:

• Rate Confirmation format: Controls the report layout used for the PDF.
• Rate Con Last Page: Adds a saved final page to the end of the Rate Confirmation PDF when configured.
• Carrier Terms: Prints the terms and instructions at the end of the report.
• Rate Con Default Email Text: Controls the default email message when sending a Rate Confirmation PDF.
• Electronic Rate Con Default Email Text: Controls the default message when sending the electronic Rate Confirmation link.
• Rate Con / E-Dispatch Prompt Options: Controls whether Load Manager updates or prompts to update the load to Dispatched after the Rate Confirmation or dispatch workflow is completed.

Open the Rate Confirmation on a Load

1. Open the saved load from My Loads, All Loads, or the load search screen.
2. Confirm the carrier is assigned to the load.
3. Review the pickup and delivery stops, carrier rate, accessorials, notes, and carrier terms.
4. Click Rate Con to open the PDF.
5. Click the envelope icon beside Rate Con to email the Rate Confirmation.

What Prints on the Report

The Rate Confirmation is built from the saved load details. Depending on your setup and the information entered on the load, the report can include:

• Header: Report title, load number, order or pickup date, and total amount when dollar amounts are enabled for the report.
• Your company information: Company name, logo, address, contact details, dispatcher, and any additional company information configured for the report.
• Assigned carrier information: Carrier name, address, contact, phone, email, driver, truck, trailer, equipment, temperature, reference number, and miles when those fields are entered.
• Pickup and delivery stops: Stop name, address, city, state, ZIP/postal code, phone, pickup or delivery number, stop date, stop time, and instructions.
• Commodity and accessorial rows: Items entered in the Commodities and Accessorials table when they have a carrier amount or weight that should print.
• Totals: Flat rate, flat miles charge, accessorials, payments, and total carrier amount.
• Notes and terms: Critical Notes, Carrier Notes, and Dispatch Terms & Instructions.

Commodity and Accessorial Rows

Use the Commodities and Accessorials table on the load to enter cargo details, accessorials, payments, or other charge rows. On the Rate Confirmation, Load Manager prints carrier-facing rows when the row has a carrier amount or weight that applies to the report.

A commodity row may not appear on the Rate Confirmation if it does not have a carrier amount or weight. Review the row on the load, save the load, and reopen the PDF after making changes.

Totals, Notes, and Terms

The total section calculates the carrier-facing total from the carrier amounts on the load:

• Flat Rate: The carrier flat rate entered on the load.
• Flat Miles Charge: The carrier miles charge when used.
• Accessorials: Carrier-facing accessorial or commodity charges.
• Payments: Payment Advance rows that reduce the carrier total.

Critical Notes print in a highlighted style when entered on the load. Carrier Notes print below the totals when entered. Dispatch Terms & Instructions print from the carrier terms used for that load.

Carrier terms can come from more than one place depending on your setup. A carrier-specific terms field or a Bill From Company terms field may be used when configured for the load. If the terms on the report are not what you expected, review the carrier profile, Bill From Company, and Configuration Options.

Send Options

Load Manager gives you several ways to send or share the Rate Confirmation:

• Open PDF: Click Rate Con to view, download, or print the PDF.
• Email PDF only: Use the envelope icon and choose the PDF-only option.
• Electronic Rate Confirmation: Use the envelope icon and choose the electronic Rate Confirmation option so the carrier can open a link, review details, and sign electronically.
• Mobile Rate Con / Mobile Dispatch: Use the mobile dispatch workflow when your company sends carrier or driver-facing load details by mobile app or web app.

Electronic Rate Confirmation

When you send an electronic Rate Confirmation, the carrier receives a link instead of only a PDF attachment. From that link, the carrier can review the load, enter or confirm driver, truck, trailer, and reference details when prompted, and sign the Rate Confirmation electronically.

After the electronic Rate Confirmation is submitted, Load Manager records the signature details, updates the load with the submitted driver or equipment details when applicable, adds a dispatch note, and saves a signed Rate Confirmation PDF to the load files.

Troubleshooting

• The button says Dispatch Report instead of Rate Con: Confirm the company TMS type and whether the carrier or load uses a dispatch fee workflow. Dispatch Services and Carrier / Trucking Company accounts normally use Dispatch Reports.
• The dollar amount is missing: Review the Rate Confirmation settings and carrier report settings that control whether carrier dollar amounts print.
• A commodity or accessorial is missing: Check whether the row has a carrier amount or weight. Save the load and reopen the report after updating the row.
• The stop details are incomplete: Review the stop name, address, city, state, ZIP/postal code, stop date, stop time, and instructions on the load.
• The wrong terms appear: Review carrier-specific terms, Bill From Company terms, and the default Carrier Terms in Configuration Options.
• The email recipient is missing: Review the carrier profile and carrier contacts. Contacts that should receive Rate Confirmation emails must have the correct email settings on the carrier record.
• Email does not send: Review the sending user's email setup and make sure the user's email account is validated in Load Manager.
• The signed electronic Rate Confirmation is not attached: Confirm the carrier completed the electronic confirmation link and submitted the signature.

Related Articles

• Choose the Right Load Manager Articles for Your TMS Setup
• Commodities and Accessorials Type Overview
• Customer Invoice and Quote Layout
• Dispatch a Load Using the Mobile App
• Set Up MacroPoint in Load Manager
• Company Info and Logo