Booking freight from orders

EQUOS integrates with freight carriers to streamline shipping. From any send order, you can request quotes from multiple carriers, compare prices and delivery times, book a consignment, and print shipping labels — all without leaving the order screen.

Overview of the freight booking process

The freight booking workflow consists of four stages:

1. Create transport task — Open the freight booking screen from your order
2. Get quotes — Request real-time quotes from integrated carriers
3. Book consignment — Select a quote and confirm the booking
4. Print label — Download the shipping label for dispatch

Before you begin

Ensure you have:

• A send order with items ready to ship (see Creating Orders)
• Valid pickup and delivery addresses on your contacts
• Package weights and dimensions (or the ability to enter them)
• Carrier accounts configured in your business settings

Step 1: Create a transport task

Start the freight booking process from your order:

1. Navigate to Order Management from the main menu.
2. Open the send order you want to ship.
3. Click Create Task from the order actions.
4. Select Freight as the task type.

The Create Transport Task screen opens with order details pre-filled.

Understanding the task screen

The transport task screen displays:

• Order reference — The order number and customer references
• Pickup contact — Where the goods will be collected from
• Delivery contact — Where the goods are being sent
• Packages — Items from the order with dimensions

Step 2: Review and edit package details

Before requesting quotes, verify package information is accurate:

Package dimensions

Each order line appears as a package with:

• Name — Product name from the order
• Quantity — Number of items
• Weight — Weight in kilograms per unit
• Dimensions — Length, width, height in centimetres

Editing dimensions inline

If package dimensions are missing or incorrect:

1. Click into any dimension field (weight, length, width, height).
2. Enter the correct value.
3. The change saves automatically.

Dimension changes are saved back to the order and inventory records, so future orders will use the corrected values.

Clearing packages

If you need to start fresh:

1. Click Clear All to remove all packages.
2. Add packages from presets or re-add from the order.

Saving packages as presets

Create reusable package templates for common box sizes:

1. Click the menu icon on a package card.
2. Select Save as Preset.
3. Enter a name for the preset (e.g., “Small Carton”, “Pallet”).
4. Click Save.

Presets appear in the package selector for quick addition on future orders.

Step 3: Request freight quotes

Once package details are complete, request quotes from carriers:

Getting quotes

1. Click Get Quote from the task type selector, or
2. Click the Freight Quotes button if a quote job already exists.

The system sends your shipment details to all integrated carriers and opens the quotes drawer.

Understanding the quotes drawer

The drawer displays:

• Loading state — “Fetching quotes…” while waiting for carrier responses
• Quote count — Number of quotes received
• Carrier groups — Quotes organised by carrier with expandable sections

Quote information

Each quote shows:

Refreshing quotes

If you change package details or want updated pricing:

1. Click Refresh at the top of the quotes drawer.
2. New quotes replace the existing results.

Step 4: Select and book a consignment

Choose the best quote and complete the booking:

Selecting a quote

1. Review the available quotes in the drawer.
2. Click a quote to select it — the card highlights.
3. The selected quote summary appears in the footer.

Clicking the same quote again deselects it.

Booking the consignment

1. With a quote selected, click Book Consignment.
2. The booking dialog opens with pre-filled details.
3. Review the shipment information:
   • Sender address — Verify pickup location details
   • Receiver address — Verify delivery location details
   • Items — Confirm package list
   • Customer references — Your order reference numbers
4. Click Confirm Booking to create the consignment.

Booking confirmation

When booking succeeds:

• The drawer shows “Booking Complete” with a green checkmark
• Carrier and service details are displayed
• The total cost is confirmed
• The Download Label button appears

Step 5: Download and print the shipping label

After booking, download your shipping label:

Downloading the label

1. Click Download Label in the booking complete view.
2. The system requests the label from the carrier.
3. A PDF file downloads to your device.

Label formats

Labels are generated in carrier-standard format:

• Thermal label size — Default format for direct printing to thermal printers
• A4 format — Available option for standard office printers

Printing the label

1. Open the downloaded PDF file.
2. Print to your label printer or office printer.
3. Affix the label to your package.

The label includes:

• Carrier barcode and tracking number
• Sender and receiver addresses
• Service type and reference numbers
• Handling instructions

Managing freight modes

EQUOS supports two freight modes for flexibility:

Quote mode (recommended)

Get live quotes from integrated carriers:

• Real-time pricing from multiple carriers
• Compare services and delivery times
• Book directly through EQUOS
• Automatic label generation

Select Get Quote when creating the transport task.

Manual mode

For shipments booked outside EQUOS:

• Select your carrier from the dropdown
• Enter tracking number manually
• Record estimated cost for reporting
• No automatic label generation

Select Manual Entry when creating the transport task.

Handling common scenarios

Partial address information

If carrier quotes fail due to missing address details:

1. Check the error message in the quotes drawer.
2. Update the contact record with complete address information:
   • Suburb, state, and postcode are required
   • Street address improves delivery accuracy
3. Refresh quotes after updating the contact.

Package dimension errors

Carriers require valid dimensions for quoting:

• Weight must be greater than zero
• Length, width, and height must all be greater than zero
• Ensure realistic values (carriers may reject implausible dimensions)

No quotes returned

If no quotes appear:

• Verify pickup and delivery addresses are in serviceable areas
• Check that package weights are within carrier limits
• Review carrier account configuration in settings
• Contact support if issues persist

Booking failures

If a booking fails:

1. Check the error message for specific issues.
2. Common causes include:
   • Invalid address format
   • Carrier service unavailable for route
   • Account authentication issues
3. Try an alternative carrier quote if available.

After booking

Tracking the consignment

Once booked, track your shipment:

1. Navigate to Transport from the main menu.
2. Open the Freight tab.
3. Find your consignment by reference or tracking number.
4. View real-time tracking updates from the carrier.

Cancelling a booking

If you need to cancel a consignment:

1. Open the freight job in the Transport module.
2. Click Cancel Consignment from the actions menu.
3. Confirm the cancellation.

Cancellation policies vary by carrier. Some may charge fees for late cancellations.

Reprinting labels

To print additional copies of a label:

1. Open the freight job in the Transport module.
2. Click the Print Label action.
3. Download and print as needed.

Tips and best practices

1. Set up package presets — Create templates for your common box sizes to speed up quoting.
2. Keep contact addresses current — Accurate addresses ensure reliable quotes and successful deliveries.
3. Compare carrier options — Different carriers offer better rates for different routes and package sizes.
4. Enter dimensions accurately — Incorrect dimensions can cause billing adjustments or delivery issues.
5. Book early in the day — Same-day pickup cutoffs vary by carrier and location.
6. Save dimension corrections — When you correct package dimensions, they’re saved for future orders.
7. Use references consistently — Your order reference numbers appear on shipping labels for easy matching.

Validation requirements

The system validates freight bookings before processing:

Required for quoting

• At least one package with weight and dimensions
• Valid pickup contact with suburb, state, and postcode
• Valid delivery contact with suburb, state, and postcode

Required for booking

• A selected quote from the quotes drawer
• Complete sender address (street, suburb, state, postcode)
• Complete receiver address (street, suburb, state, postcode)
• Contact phone numbers for delivery notifications

Related documentation

• Transport module — Managing all transport jobs
• Shipping orders — Warehouse picking and dispatch
• Creating orders — Setting up orders for shipping
• Contacts module — Managing addresses for shipping