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Manual Order Creation

What is Manual Order Creation?

Manual order creation is the step-by-step process of entering a new freight order directly into TMS.ai through the order widget interface. This is how dispatchers build orders from phone calls, written quotes, or customer emails that need human interpretation. You select a customer, enter origin and destination details, specify commodity information, set pickup and delivery dates, and add rate details to create a complete order record that generates documents and becomes trackable through your system.

This method gives you complete control over every field and lets you capture details that might not appear in automated sources. When a customer calls with special handling requirements, appointment constraints, or non-standard billing arrangements, manual entry ensures those details get recorded correctly from the start rather than corrected later.

How Manual Order Creation works:

  1. Click "Create Order" from the orders board. Navigate to the main orders view and click the "Create Order" button in the top right. This opens a blank order widget where you'll build the new shipment.
  1. Select or create the customer. Click the customer field and search your existing customer database by name or account number. If this is a new customer, click "Create New Customer" to add their company details, billing address, and contact information before continuing with the order.
  1. Enter the pickup location and details. Fill in the shipper's address, contact name, phone number, and email. Set the pickup date and time window (e.g., "8:00 AM - 12:00 PM"). Add any special instructions like gate codes, dock numbers, or appointment requirements in the notes field.
  1. Add the delivery location and requirements. Enter the consignee's complete address, contact information, and delivery date/time window. Include delivery appointment details, receiver hours, or specific unloading instructions that drivers need to know.
  1. Specify commodity information. Click "Add Commodity" to enter freight details. Fill in the commodity description (e.g., "electronics," "building materials"), weight, dimensions, piece count, and any handling units (pallets, crates). Add hazmat information if applicable using the hazmat toggle and entering the UN number and class.
  1. Add equipment and service requirements. Select the equipment type needed (dry van, reefer, flatbed, etc.) from the dropdown. If temperature control is required, enter the temperature range. Mark any accessorial services like liftgate, inside delivery, or residential delivery.
  1. Enter rate information. Add the customer rate (what you're charging) and, if already determined, the carrier pay rate. Include any accessorial charges, fuel surcharge percentages, or other line items that affect the total. The system calculates margin automatically based on customer rate minus carrier pay.
  1. Save and assign the order. Click "Save Order" to create the order record. The system auto-generates a BOL with the commodity details you entered. You can now assign the order to a driver or carrier, which triggers rate confirmation generation.

What it means for you:

Your team can capture every detail of complex shipments that don't fit standard templates. When a customer calls with a three-stop consolidation run that includes a refrigerated product and requires liftgate delivery at the final stop, your dispatcher enters all those specifics in the order record. That information flows through to the BOL, shows up in driver dispatch instructions, and gets included in billing automatically. Nothing gets lost in translation between the phone conversation and actual operations.

Manual entry also gives you flexibility for rush bookings or situations where you need to get a load covered immediately. Instead of waiting for a customer to send paperwork, you capture the essential details, create the order, and start tendering to carriers within minutes of getting off the phone. Speed matters in the spot market, and manual creation helps you move fast without sacrificing accuracy.