How do I process indents?

This guide explains how to use the Indent app of the TMS helps you manage your shipments. The Indents screen is your central hub for managing all your shipment-related tasks in the TMS platform. It provides a detailed overview of all active and historical indents, allowing you to monitor shipment progress, resolve issues, and take necessary actions at every stage of the logistics process.

An indent is a shipment request or a transportation order that outlines the details of a load, such as its origin, destination, transporter, and truck type. It serves as a record to track the movement of goods through the supply chain. In Indent, you can create, monitor, and manage your indents efficiently.

From the Indents screen, you can:

1. View and track the status of all active and completed indents.
2. Filter and search for specific indents using multiple criteria.
3. Take necessary actions, such as dispatching a truck or reporting an issue.
4. Monitor SLA performance, such as delays and interruptions.
5. Upload invoices and load details for efficient record-keeping.

Viewing Status

You can view the status of all the active and completed indents. 

• In Searchbar, you can enter multiple Load IDs or any other IDs to directly find a specific indent.

Select any of the filters from the dropdown.

• Load ID:  A unique identifier for each indent.
• Order ID: Associated order details, if applicable.
• Truck Number: The registration number of the truck assigned to the load.
• LR Number: The Lorry Receipt number provided for goods in transit.
• Invoice Number: The unique number assigned to the billing document for the shipment.

• From SLA Dropdown, you can filter from the following dropdown. It identifies indents facing delays such as:
  • Acceptance Delay: Delays in accepting the indent.
  • Placement Delay: Delays in assigning or placing the truck.
  • Loading Delay: Delays in loading goods onto the truck.
  • Unloading Delay: Delays in offloading goods at the destination.
  • Transit Delay: Delays occurring during the transit phase of the shipment.

• In the Origin Center, enter the origin facility name.
• From Status dropdown, you can refine the list based on the indent's current status:
  • Requested: Shipment request has been initiated.
  • Accepted: Transporter has acknowledged the request
  • Assigned: A truck has been allocated for the shipment.
  • Marked In: The truck has arrived at its destination.
  • Reported: The truck reported at the destination.
  • In Transit:  The shipment is currently en route.
  • Marked Out: The shipment has been dispatched.
  • Cancelled: The indent has been cancelled.

• From Service Type dropdown, filter by shipment type:
  • LTL (Less Than Truckload)
  • FTL (Full Truckload)

• From More Filters dropdown, you can select more filters:

Filter by additional criteria such as: 

• Transporter Name/ID: Filter by the name or ID of the transporter.
• Destination: Filter based on the delivery destination.
• Manifestation Method (LTL): Select based on the method of shipment, such as Less Than Truckload (LTL).
• Truck Type: Filter by the type of truck assigned.
• Inspection: Filter based on inspection status or requirements.
• Tracking Consent: Filter by shipments with tracking consent enabled.
• Tracking Method: Filter by the method used for shipment tracking.
• Issues: Filter by shipments flagged with specific issues.
• Transit Delay Ageing: Filter based on the ageing of transit delays.
• POD Ageing: Filter based on the ageing of Proof of Delivery (POD).

Creating or Uploading Loads, Invoices 

From the Indent screen as well, you can create or upload loads and invoices. To know how to create loads, refer to the Load documentation.

• Invoice Upload: Use this option to upload invoices related to your shipments. This ensures all necessary financial records are tied to the corresponding indents.
• Load Upload: Bulk upload load information if you have multiple shipments to manage at once.
• + Load: Create a new indent by clicking this button. Fill in the required details like origin, destination, transporter, and truck type to initiate a new shipment request.
• Action Tip: Regularly review the status to ensure timely updates and to address any issues.

You can create a single load for small shipments or create bulk load for larger shipments. The below section helps you understand the load creation process step-by-step.
 

Creating Loads

1. Single Load Creation

Creating a single load involves manually entering the details of one shipment at a time into the TMS. This is a straightforward process where you enter all the necessary information for that specific load, such as:

• Shipper and receiver details
• Product or goods being shipped
• Transport vehicle assignment
• Route and delivery details
• Special handling instructions (if any)

This approach is typically used for smaller, one-off shipments or when there is no need for large-scale data entry. It is often quicker and easier for users managing a few loads at a time or handling customized shipments with unique requirements.

When to Use:

• When you need to create a load for a single shipment.
• For smaller or irregular shipments.
• When specific details are required for individual loads.

To create a single load, follow the below steps.

1. From the left navigation menu, select Loads. 
2. On the right side of the Load screen, click to create a single load for your shipment.
3.  Enter the details for the service type, route details, truck type, additional details like dispatch date and time.
4. Add the additional detail and click Submit.

5. A confirmation message will appear. Refresh the page to view the new load.

Allocating Load

To allocate the load, follow the below steps:

• If you know the market rates, then continue with the Indent process. 

      Or, if you want to get competitive bids from multiple transporters, click the Send for Bidding button. This       will:

• Create and launch a spot auction.
• The load will remain in the To Allocate tab while the auction is live. To understand how to send a bid, refer to the Send for Bidding section.

Indenting Load

6. Click Indent to allocate and assign the load to a contract.

• Or, click on the selected load, you will see three more options will be enabled for you:
  • Indent: You can click this Indent as well to allocate more than one load to the contract.
  • Cancel Load: You can cancel this load.
  • Clear Selection: You can undo the selection.

Note: Select all loads to cancel loads at once, and clear selection.

7. Allocate the contract to the transporter. 

Managing Loads

You can view and manage loads on the Indent App and perform required actions to dispatch the shipment.

8. After you allocate and assign the contract to the transporter, the transporter accepts and provide the required details.

Note:  You can track the load’s progress in the Expected tab to see a list of loads expected to pick materials from your facility.

Info:

• WM/DM can see list of loads expected to pick materials from their facility in Expected tab and their current status:
  • Requested - Load is assigned to the transporter
  • Accepted - Transporter has agreed to place the vehicle
  • Assigned: Transporter has provided the vehicle details

9. After the transporter accepts, they will assign the vehicle and provide details. 

10. Now the transporter will assign the vehicle and provide the details. 

 11.The system may auto-detect the vehicle's location and mark it as arrived when it reaches the facility. Alternatively, you can click Mark Reported to manually mark the vehicle as reported.

• The vehicle will appear in the Arrived tab.
• DM can cross-check the truck and driver details, modify if-necessary
• DM shall provide the reported on time and submit to mark the vehicle reported

 12. Click Inspect Truck to inspect the vehicle.

 13. You can check the vehicle details and mark the inspection as either Success or Failed. 

• The Dock Manager can check vehicle details fetched from the Govt portal.
• The Dock Manager can physically inspect the vehicle.
• Depending upon vehicle state, DM can either mark Inspection Success or Failed.

14. After you inspect the truck details, you get the confirmation message of Inspection completed.

 15. Click on the Load ID to view the details page.

16. You can view the load details, including the route it took and all the stages of its journey.

 17. Once the truck leaves the facility, the system will automatically dispatch the vehicle or you can manually dispatch it by clicking the Dispatch button and confirming the dispatch time.

 18. Once dispatched, the load will move from the Arrived tab to the InTransit tab.

19. You can upload materials or upload invoices from the Load detail page.

 20. You can upload LR details. Alternatively, the transporter can also upload LR details. 

 2. Bulk Load Upload:

A bulk load upload allows users to upload multiple loads at once by importing data from an external source, such as a spreadsheet (CSV). This is an efficient way to manage large volumes of shipments. Bulk uploads allow you to quickly add several loads without manually entering each shipment's information one by one.

To perform a bulk load upload, you'll typically:

• Prepare a file with all the necessary load data (e.g., load number, shipment details, route information).
• Import the file into the TMS, which automatically creates multiple loads based on the provided data.

This feature is particularly useful for organizations handling large numbers of shipments at once or when there are repeated, bulk data uploads from other systems.

When to Use:

• When handling multiple loads at once.
• For large shipments or recurring shipments that can be grouped.
• When integrating data from external sources to automate the load creation process.

To create a bulk Upload, follow the below steps:

1. From the Load screen, click to create a bulk load.
2. Download the template to understand how to fill in load details.
3. Upload a CSV file with all the shipment data.

3. After uploading, your load details will appear in the To Allocate tab.

4. Follow the same steps as for Single Load Creation to allocate and manage the bulk loads.

Uploading Invoices

From the Loads screen, you can upload invoices. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click .
2. Click Download Template to understand how you will fill the invoice information.
3. Fill in the required information as per the template format.
4. Save the file in CSV.
5. Upload the file.
6. Click Process.

7. The invoice will be uploaded and you can view the uploaded invoice in the Tasks module. 

Additional Functionalities

• Sorting: Click on column headers to sort the table by that parameter, such as Load ID or Transporter.
• Pagination: Use the controls at the bottom to navigate between multiple pages of indents.