Help Center / Loads and Dispatch

Create a Load

Create a load with the step-by-step load wizard, opened from the Loads page or the dispatch board. You can save a draft at any point and finish it later.

Where in CloudTMS: /loads, /dispatch, /loads/[id]

Open the Load Wizard

  1. On the Loads page, click New Load. The dispatch board has the same New Load button in its header. (page: /loads)
  2. If you have unfinished drafts, the You Have Unfinished Loads window opens first. Click Continue on a draft to pick it up where you left off, or Start New Load to begin a fresh one. (page: /loads)
  3. To start from a saved template, open the arrow next to New Load and choose Use Template. You can also click Use Template in the wizard header while you are on the first step. (page: /loads)
  4. The Create New Load window opens. If you have the rate confirmation PDF, drop it in the box at the top to fill in the fields for you (see the rate confirmation article), or fill everything in by hand. (page: /loads)

Work Through the Steps

The wizard has seven steps: Customer, Pickup, Delivery, Stops & references, Equipment, Rate and Review. Click Next to move forward and Back to go back, or click a step name to jump to it. Next won't let you move on until the required fields on the current step are filled in.

  1. Customer: search for the customer and click it. If they aren't in the list, click Create new customer, type the name and click Create. This creates the customer with just a name, so you can fill in the rest of their record later. Use Bill-To customer (if different) only when someone else pays.
  2. Pickup: enter the Shipper company or at least the City, plus the Pickup date. Appointment type controls which time fields are shown.
  3. Delivery: enter the Consignee company or at least the City, plus the Delivery date.
  4. Stops & references: add any reference numbers (BOL number, PO number, Pickup number, Reference number, Seal number, Manifest number, Container number). Click Add a stop for stops between pickup and delivery.
  5. Equipment: pick a Trailer type (required). Under Driver & Equipment Assignment you can choose a Driver, Vehicle and Trailer now, or leave them unassigned and dispatch later. Units already on a load are marked "ON LOAD", and units with expired documents show a warning.
  6. Rate: enter the Freight rate ($) (required). Fuel surcharge and Other charges ($) are optional. Calculated miles fills in automatically once both pickup and delivery have a city and a 2-letter state, and you can change it. Check TONU — Truck Order Not Used to bill a TONU rate instead of the freight rate, or Partial Load to adjust the driver's base pay.
  7. Review: check the summary, then click Create Load. The new load starts in the Created status.

Drafts, Duplicates and Attachments

Save as Draft is available on every step and only needs a customer. Drafts don't show up in your normal load lists. Find them under the Drafts filter on the Loads page, or reopen one from the You Have Unfinished Loads window.

When you click Create Load, CloudTMS checks whether the BOL, reference or PO number matches another active load in your company. If it does, the Possible Duplicate Load window lists the matches. Click Create Anyway if the load really is new. Drafts skip this check.

To attach more files (for example a broker address sheet, signed BOL or accessorial receipts), drop them in the second box at the top of the wizard or click Add file, then pick a type for each one: Rate Confirmation, Broker Address Sheet, Bill of Lading, Accessorial Document or Other. Only PDFs and images are accepted. Files are uploaded once the load is created. They are not uploaded when you click Save as Draft, so add them again when you finish the draft.

Edit a Load After Creating It

On the load's page, Edit Load reopens the wizard with everything filled in. Make your changes and click Save Changes. The button only appears while the load is Created, Tendered or Accepted. After that, change individual stops on the load page instead.

Before a load can move to Dispatched or any later status, it needs a driver and a truck. It also needs a trailer, unless you cleared the trailer type for a power-only move.

  1. Open the load and click Edit Load in the header. (page: /loads/[id])

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