Scheduling Controls

  • Minimum Transit Time: This is the minimum amount of transit time between any two locations. If the Minimum Transit Time is greater than the transit time returned by the applicable distance engine, scheduling will instead use the Minimum Transit Time.
  • Safe Arrival Window: If the interval between the time when the location opens and the time the load will arrive at the location is less than or equal to the Safe Arrival Window, and the load will arrive before the next closing time, service of the load will be guaranteed regardless of the amount of time it will take to load or unload. If the interval is greater than the Safe Arrival Window, then location must remain open for the duration required to load and/or unload the freight at the location. This applies to all stops on the load.
  • Scheduling Mode: This flag determines how scheduling will be performed:
    • Planning: When scheduling is performed, the earliest possible Pickup From Date/Time for the shipments being picked at the load’s first stop, or the load’s Scheduled Date/Time, whichever is later, will be used as the Earliest Schedule Date/Time. All lead times for the carrier and locations will be honored. In this mode, the computed start date/time for the load could be later than the earliest possible date/time.
    • Confirmation: When scheduling is performed, the Shipped Date/Time for the load will be used as the start date/time for scheduling and lead times will not be honored. Scheduling will always be performed using Planning mode until Shipped Date/Time is provided for a load (or first load on a trip). Confirmation mode will be used thereafter.
    • Execution: When scheduling is performed, Execution Scheduling will incorporate reported pick-up and delivery dates/times at locations and current location / ETA updates from carriers (a.k.a. execution events) to develop a revised load schedule.
  • Notes:

    • Setting Execution is dependent on the following Global Settings:
      • Keep Load Start End Dates must be ‘true’
      • Keep Stop Schedule Data must be ‘true’
      • Always Use Planning Rating Mode must be ‘false’
    • Scheduling will be performed in Planning mode until the load qualifies for Confirmation or Execution mode, if either of these is set.
  • Minimum Delay for Execution Scheduling (Hours): Specifies the minimum time that must elapse after a successful scheduling request before scheduling will be invoked again in response to a reported location event.
  • Note: This field is applicable only when the Scheduling Mode is set to Execution.

  • Dependent Leg Scheduling Mode: When scheduling is performed for a load or trip, this flag controls how scheduling will be performed for the dependent shipment legs to ensure that the entire itinerary for each shipment on the load/trip is feasible. Dependent legs are the other legs for the shipments that are attached to the load or trip.
    • Basic Dependent Route/Rate/Schedule: This mode will make assumptions about the dependent shipment legs and perform simplified routing/rating/scheduling. It is not recommended for customers that make extensive use of hubs, multi-stop loads through hubs or input units.
    • Scheduling Only: This process will check the feasibility of scheduling of all dependent legs related to the primary load or trip. However, routing and rating will not be performed for the dependent legs. Instead, equipment loading time information will be inferred from the requirements of the other shipment legs.
    • Full Dependent Route/Rate/Schedule: This mode will perform full rating, routing and scheduling for all dependencies of the primary load or trip being rated. This feature will provide all the checks for tariff restrictions, multi-stop restrictions like out of route, restricted carriers or services and other cost-related checks. It will also check the feasibility of scheduling all dependent loads and trips related to the primary load or trip. This will perform a full analysis of multi-stop loads and trips and properly check routing and rating feasibility. It will also take into account input units of a dependent load or unattached shipment leg.
    • "Scheduling Only Mode" will provide a faster dependency check than "Basic Dependent Route/Rate/Schedule" or "Full Dependent Route/Rate/Schedule". It should be used when dependent leg feasibility checks do not require rating and routing evaluation.

      "Basic Dependent Route/Rate/Schedule" will provide a faster dependency check than "Full Dependent Route/Rate/Schedule". It should be used if routing and rating must be performed for dependent legs and performance using "Full Dependent Route/Rate/Schedule" is not acceptable. Performance issues are possible when the web of inter-related shipments and loads is extensive.

  • Maximum Number of Dependent Legs: This field is only applicable when Dependent Leg Scheduling Mode is "Full Dependent Route/Rate/Schedule". If the sum of the number of dependent loads and the number of dependent trips is greater than this value, scheduling will revert to the "Basic Dependent Route/Rate/Schedule" mode. A setting of zero for this parameter means that there is no limit and "Full Dependent Route/Rate/Schedule" will always be used.
  • Keep Load Start End Dates: This flag indicates whether a load’s Start Date/Time and End Date/Time should be cleared or retained when the load becomes rating invalid or scheduling inactive.
  • Dock Commitment Tolerance: When scheduling is performed for a load for a stop with a dock commitment, this is the interval after the dock commitment's End Date/Time that will be tolerated. For example, if the dock commitment ends at 9:30 and the Dock Commitment Tolerance is 10 minutes, scheduling will succeed for the load if the Computed Departure Date/Time is no later than 9:40 on the same date.
  • Keep Scheduling Data: If selected, the schedule data of a stop is retained in the application when the load associated with the stop becomes rating invalid or schedule inactive.
  • Keep Tender When Last Shipment Removed: If enabled, the status of loads with the Tendered, Tender Rejected, or Tender Accepted operational statuses do not change when shipment legs are removed. If the last shipment leg for a stop is removed, the now empty stop is preserved with the expectation that it will be refilled manually, or in a future optimization request including this load as input.

IMPORTANT: This setting applies to all shipments; to only keep tenders for planning shipments, use Keep Tender When Last Planning Shipment Removed.

  • Keep Tender When Last Planning Shipment Removed: If enabled, the status of loads with the Tendered, Tender Rejected, or Tender Accepted operational statuses do not change when planning shipment legs are removed. If the last shipment leg for a stop is removed and that shipment leg is marked as a Planning Shipment, the now empty stop is preserved with the expectation that it will be refilled manually, or in a future optimization request including this load as input.
  • Appointment Scheduling Control: This flag will determine whether the Scheduling Active flag for the applicable load will be deactivated when an appointment for any of the load's stops is created or modified:
    • Maintain Current Setting: The Scheduling Active flag for the corresponding load will never be impacted when any appointment is created or modified for any of the load's stops.
    • Deactivate Scheduling: The Scheduling Active flag for the load will be deactivated when an appointment is created via TM for one of the load's stops in Planned, Notified or Confirmed status, or when an appointment for one of the load's stops that was in the Suggested status is advanced to one of the other three potential appointment statuses.

    There will be no impact on scheduling controls when appointments are created or modified for shipment legs not attached to a built load.

    For shipping locations with docks, appointments for load stops are created exclusively based on dock commitment activity. If this flag is set to Deactivate Scheduling, load scheduling will be deactivated only when dock commitments (and corresponding appointments) are created or updated based on explicit actions performed in TM. The Scheduling Active flag for a load will not be impacted when dock commitments are created based on optimization.

    Under no circumstances will edits to an appointment ever cause the Scheduling Active flag for a load to be changed from inactive to active.

See Also