Create loads from customer order emails
Shippers send load tenders as emails, PDFs and spreadsheets. An agent reads each one, checks addresses and dates, and creates the load in the TMS as a draft for the planner to confirm. For logistics teams keying orders by hand from a shared inbox.
Function: Operations · Industry: Logistics
Create loads from customer order emails
6 steps
At a glance
- Trigger
- An order or tender email arrives in the customer service inbox.
- Typical inputs
- Tender emails, PDFs and spreadsheets
- Customer profiles with default terms and equipment
- Location master and appointment rules
- Rate agreements by lane
- Systems it usually connects to
- Outlook
- McLeod
- Turvo
- Google Sheets
- How the work splits
3 rules, 2 model, 1 person steps
How it runs, step by step
6 steps, each tagged by what does the work. Rules are fixed logic, a model reads or drafts, and a person decides.
- Rules Fixed logic in code
- Model AI reads or drafts, with a confidence score
- Person A named person decides
- 1
Read the tender
ModelA model extracts pickup and delivery locations, dates, equipment, commodity, weight and special instructions from the body or attachment.
- 2
Validate the details
RulesAddresses are verified, dates are checked against transit time and business hours, and required fields are tested against the customer profile.
- 3
Look up the rate
RulesThe contracted rate or quote for the lane is pulled in, and loads with no rate on file are marked for a quote.
- 4
Create a draft load
RulesA draft is created in the TMS with the source email attached and every extracted field showing its confidence.
- 5
Confirm the load
PersonA planner checks the draft, fixes any flagged field and releases it for coverage.
- 6
Reply to the shipper
ModelA model drafts the order confirmation or a question about the unclear detail, for the planner to send.
Where people approve
The decisions that stay with your team, whatever the confidence score says.
- A planner confirms every load before it is tendered to carriers.
- Hazmat, temperature-controlled and oversized loads are always reviewed.
- Replies to shippers are sent by a person until you relax that.
KPIs to track
What to measure, before and after. Targets come from your own baseline.
- 01Minutes from order email to confirmed load
- 02Share of drafts released with no edits
- 03Orders entered with an error found later
- 04Planner hours spent on order entry
Questions about this workflow
What if the shipper's format changes every time?
That is the main reason to use a model instead of a template parser. It reads the document rather than a fixed layout, and anything it cannot read confidently becomes a question for the planner instead of a guess.
Can it handle multi-stop loads and recurring orders?
Multi-stop loads are supported when stops are listed clearly. Recurring orders work best when the shipper agrees on a standard format, so we often suggest a template for the top few customers.
Which steps use rules, a model and a person?
Rules: validate the details; look up the rate; create a draft load. Model: read the tender; reply to the shipper. Person: confirm the load. Rules are fixed logic in code. A model reads or drafts and reports its confidence. A named person decides.
What do we need to start?
Typically: tender emails, PDFs and spreadsheets; customer profiles with default terms and equipment; location master and appointment rules; rate agreements by lane. You also need read access to Outlook, McLeod, Turvo and Google Sheets, or the equivalents you use. A workflow audit measures your volumes and past cases first, then gives a fixed price for the build, so you can decide with real numbers.