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Document Templates

What are Document Templates?

Document Templates let you customize the professional documents TMS.ai generates automatically: rate confirmations, bills of lading, invoices, manifests, and more. Instead of using generic formats, you can design templates that include your company branding, specific legal language, custom data fields, and the exact layout that meets your operational or compliance needs. Templates pull data directly from your TMS records, automatically populating customer names, order details, rates, and any custom fields you've created.

This transforms document generation from a time-consuming manual task into an instant, error-free process. When you assign a carrier to an order, the system can automatically generate a rate confirmation using your template, pre-filled with all the specifics from that order. Your branding appears on every document. Your legal terms are consistently included. And if you've added custom fields like special handling instructions or unique reference numbers, those populate automatically wherever you've placed them in your template.

How Document Templates work:

  1. Access template settings: Navigate to Settings, then look for document or template customization options specific to the document type you want to modify (invoices, rate confirmations, BOLs, etc.).
  2. Select or create a template: Choose an existing template to modify or create a new one from scratch. Most objects in TMS.ai support multiple templates, letting you maintain different formats for different customers or situations.
  3. Add your branding: Upload your company logo, set brand colors, and choose fonts that match your corporate identity. Position your logo where it should appear on the document—typically in the header alongside your company name and contact information.
  4. Design the document layout: Arrange sections and data blocks in the order that makes sense for your documents. For example, a rate confirmation might show shipper and consignee details at the top, followed by pickup/delivery information, then commodity details, and finally rate and payment terms.
  5. Insert data fields: Use field placeholders to pull information from your TMS records. Click to add fields like {Order.CustomerName}, {Order.PickupDate}, or {Order.TotalRate}. The system replaces these placeholders with actual data when generating the document. Include any custom fields you've created—they work exactly like default fields.
  6. Add static content: Enter text that appears on every document using this template: legal disclaimers, terms and conditions, special instructions, or compliance notices. This content remains consistent while the data fields change based on each specific record.
  7. Configure conditional elements: Set up rules for when certain sections appear. For example, only show a "Special Handling" section if the order has a value in that custom field. Or display different payment terms for different customer types.
  8. Preview and test: Generate a sample document using real order data to verify everything appears correctly. Check that fields populate properly, formatting looks clean, and all required information is present.
  9. Save and set as default: Once satisfied, save your template. You can set it as the default for all documents of that type, or keep it as an alternative option you select manually for specific situations.
  10. Generate documents automatically: With templates configured, the system generates professional documents instantly when you take actions like assigning a carrier (rate confirmation), completing delivery (POD), or invoicing (customer invoice). Documents pull the latest data from your TMS and apply your template formatting.

What it means for you:

Document Templates eliminate the tedious work of creating shipping documents manually. No more copying information from your TMS into Word templates or Excel spreadsheets. No more typos from re-entering data. No more inconsistent formatting across documents. When you dispatch an order, the rate confirmation generates instantly with all the correct information already filled in. When you invoice, the document pulls exact rates, accessorials, and charges without you touching a calculator.

Professional, branded documents build trust with customers and carriers. Every piece of paper that leaves your operation looks polished and consistent, reinforcing your company's credibility. And when compliance or legal requirements demand specific language or formatting, your templates ensure those elements appear every single time—no one forgets to include the liability disclaimer or leaves off the SCAC code. Your documents become automatic, accurate, and professional, freeing your team from paperwork so they can focus on moving freight.