Freight

Freight

Freight can be recorded against a booking either...

• Manually on the booking equipment tab and/or
• Using predefined freight on the booking freight tab.  Using this option freight is set up outside the booking (usually during initial data setup) and selected on the freight tab during booking entry. 

Pricing Parameter #24 defines how freight is entered on the booking

• Single Freight Charge

• Delivery, Collection, Fuel Surcharge (fuel surcharge is across all bookings and is entered when setting the parameter)
• Fuel Surcharge and 'Allow Manual Entry of Freight' preferences are set in the same parameter.  Freight can also be locked, left unlocked or only locked when a booking is confirmed via Pricing Parameter #25

Manual Freight Entry

When activated, users can choose to manually enter freight on the Equipment Tab of a booking (per screenshot below).  It's important to note that the freight tab is still available and any freight entered under the freight tab of the booking will supersede manual freight entry.  This freight cost makes up part of the booking total price.

Predefined Freight - The Display Window

The freight setup window displays differently based on parameter settings. 

• When Pricing Parameter #24 is set to 'Allow Manual Entry of Freight'
  • One charge for freight will be entered on the booking
  • The freight window displays as below
  • Region and Location fields display for multi-location systems only.

• When Pricing Parameter #24 is set to 'Allow Manual Entry of Freight' = NO
  • The freight window displays as below.
  • The parameter also sets either
    • Single Freight Charge
      • A combined charge is stored for delivery and collection 
    • OR 'Delivery, Collection and Fuel Surcharge'
      • Separate delivery and collection charges are stored against the booking along with a fuel surcharge
  • With no manual entry permitted, shipping costs can be calculated using the base rate up to a specified weight, however for freight greater than the defined weight a higher charge can be applied using the Rate per unit entered against each weight threshold.
  • Region and Location fields display for multi-location systems only.

Predefined Freight- Service, Our Truck, Zones, Cost

The Freight Setup window allows for configuration of multiple freight options for pickups and deliveries.

• Service is used to describe the type of service offered by the Freight description
• Our Truck is used to identify deliveries and returns that need to be tracked by the software in the Delivery & Return window
• Zones are used to denote distance to travel, so that the same service can be used to charge different rates for differing distances.
• Cost is used to advise the user of the cost of freight to the company, to avoid undercharging for freight on a booking

Below both a 'Regular' and an 'Express' service are set up for freight description UPS.

Each service covers two zones charged at different Base Rates and escalating rates per unit

Since 'Our Truck' is set to 'No', bookings using this freight option will not display in the Delivery and Return window since we don't need to track this freight in-house.

Edit any line entry to modify freight settings

Predefined Freight - Rate Calculations

• Base Rate
  Used to calculate the freight charge up to the maximum weight entered.

  Example:

A Base Rate of 7.5  with a Maximum Weight of 10Kg results in a freight charge of $75

• Rate Per Unit (RPU)
  Applies an additional charge for each unit above the maximum weight threshold, up to the next configured weight range.  From the setup shown in line 1 above:

  • Base Rate = 1.5
  • Weight breaks:
    • 5 lb → rate 2
    • 10 lb → rate 2.5
    • 15 lb → rate 3
    • 20 lb → rate 3.5
    • 25 lb → rate 4
  The software analyzes as follows:

  Starts with the BaseRate

  1. Finds the highest matching weight break ≤ booking weight (Use the highest weight tier that does not exceed the booking weight)
  2. Adds:
  $\text{rate}\times (\text{weight}-\text{first break weight})$

  For a booking weight of 20 lb:

  • First break weight = 5
  • Matching bracket = 20 with rate 3.5
  So:

  
  

  $3.5\times (20-5)$

  $3.5\times (20-5)=52.5$

  Then add the base rate:

  $52.5+1.5=54.0$

  $52.5+1.5=54.0$

Fuel surcharge is applied to collection.

Example assuming:

• Collection = 54
• Fuel surcharge rate = 10%

Then:

$10\%\times 54=5.40$

Total:

$54+5.40=59.40$

Using weight thresholds together with multiple freight services provides considerable flexibility when calculating freight charges.

Predefined Freight - Default Built in Methods

Default freight settings can also be configured. These defaults are automatically applied whenever a new booking is created.

Predefined Freight on the Booking

Now that freight has been set up it can be used in bookings. If you haven't done so already, log out and back in again to see the latest freight setup.

When freight is selected on a booking, the software intelligently groups the related options together offering one freight option for matching descriptions with differing service and zone options for that description. This setup provides flexibility for operators to manage different freight scenarios, including:

• Charging based on varying travel distances

• Applying preferred freight rates for selected customers

• Offering different shipping priorities and service levels

For our example, UPS will appear once in the list with options under 'Service' for Regular and Express and options under 'Zone' for 0 and 1

Our number/Their number is simply a toggle showing who is paying for freight.

• Our number: the freight cost is added to the booking
• Their number: the freight cost is noted on the booking but NOT added to the final quote since it will be paid by the client 

When freight is entered or modified click 'Apply' so that the latest freight is visible on the Equipment tab.

Multi Location Freight

When using the multi-location module, an additional Location column will appear in the Freight Setup window allowing the freight option to be assigned either to all locations or to a specific location.

To configure Freight defaults for each location, navigate to Setup → Locations. edit the location to find the default settings for both Delivery and Return Freight options.

Note: When creating a booking, PO, cross rental or transfer, the freight options will display based on the location selected.