Custom Reference Numbers and Shipment Fields

This article explains how the Tai TMS lets you define your own named reference fields on shipments — so you can capture internal identifiers and tracking data that do not have a dedicated built-in field — and clarifies what the shipment booking screen's standard fields are.

Overview

The Tai TMS ships with a large set of built-in reference numbers for freight (pickup number, PRO number, customer PO number, shipper reference, trailer number, and many more). When your business tracks something the system does not have a built-in field for — an internal file code, a project name, a customer-specific identifier, a link to an outside record — you can create your own custom reference number. A custom reference number is a named field you define once (you choose the label, the kind of data it holds, and where it appears) and then fill in on individual shipments. Because you name the field yourself, a custom reference can be called almost anything, which means a label you see on a shipment (for example an unusual word like "Skittles") is simply whatever your organization decided to call that custom field — its meaning is defined by your company, not by the TMS.

How it works

Setting up a custom reference number happens in two parts. First, an administrator defines the field (its "reference type"): you give it a display name, pick the type of data it holds, choose which parts of a shipment it applies to, and decide who can see it. After that, staff (and, if you allow it, your customers) simply enter a value into that field on a shipment, the same way they would fill in any other reference number.

When you define the field you choose:

• A name / label — up to 100 characters, using letters, numbers, and spaces. The name cannot duplicate the name of a built-in reference field.
• A data type — Text, Number, Decimal, Currency, Date, Date & Time, Email, Phone, or Link. The data type controls how the value is entered and validated (for example, a Date field shows a date picker; a Link field holds a web address).
• Where it applies — you can attach the field to the shipment as a whole, to individual stops, and/or to individual commodities. For each of those levels you set it to Off, Optional, or Required. At least one level must be turned on.
• Allowed values — for a Text field you can either allow free-form typing or provide a fixed pick-list of allowed values so users choose from a set list. Other data types are always entered as free-form (but validated to their type).
• Who sees it — you choose whether the field appears for your back-office staff, and whether it also appears to customers in the front-office (customer) portal. Front-office visibility requires the shipment-level use to be turned on, and a field shown to customers is always shown to staff as well.

A custom reference field belongs to an organization. You pick which organization owns it — your own company, or a specific customer/sub-organization under you — which is how you can make a custom field apply to (and be visible to) one particular customer rather than everyone. Once values are entered, custom reference numbers are stored on the shipment alongside the built-in references and can be used as search criteria when you look shipments up.

The shipment booking screen (where a new shipment is created/quoted) has its own set of standard entry fields: origin and destination addresses, pickup ready/close dates and times, equipment type and length, commodity and freight details, declared value, an insurance option, and two standard reference fields — Shipper Reference Number and Customer PO Number. Other reference values (built-in or custom) are captured on the shipment's reference-numbers area rather than as fixed fields on that initial booking form.

Business rules & limits

• You name custom fields yourself. A custom reference label can be almost any word or phrase (letters, numbers, and spaces, up to 100 characters). What a given custom field means is decided by the organization that created it — the TMS does not assign meaning to the label. The label just cannot reuse the name of a standard built-in reference field.
• Data type is enforced. Each custom field has a data type (Text, Number, Decimal, Currency, Date, Date & Time, Email, Phone, or Link) and entries are validated against it. A stored value can be up to 200 characters.
• A field can apply to shipments, stops, and/or commodities. For each level you choose Off, Optional, or Required, and at least one level must be enabled. "Required" means the value must be provided where that field applies.
• Visibility is configurable, with one dependency. You control whether a custom field shows to back-office staff and/or to customers in the front-office portal. Showing a field to customers requires that it also be shown to staff and that it be used at the shipment level.
• Custom fields are scoped to an organization. Each custom field is owned by a specific organization, so you can target a field to a single customer/sub-organization instead of applying it to all accounts.
• Trailer and VIN are not fields on the booking screen. The new-shipment booking form's standard reference fields are Shipper Reference Number and Customer PO Number. Trailer and VIN are not part of that fixed booking-form field set.
• Trailer Number already exists as a built-in reference; VIN does not. "Trailer Number" (along with Truck Number, Driver Name, Seal Number, Container Number, and others) is a built-in reference type you can capture on a shipment even though it is not on the booking form. VIN has no built-in field anywhere in the system, so to track a VIN you create a custom reference field for it (or ask Tai about adding a dedicated field).
• Custom fields do not change carrier or EDI behavior on their own. A custom reference captures and displays your data and is searchable, but it is not automatically sent to a carrier or included in an integration message unless that mapping is separately configured.

Frequently asked questions

We see a reference field on our shipments with an unusual name (for example "Skittles"). What is it?

That is almost certainly a custom reference number your organization set up in the Tai TMS. Custom reference fields are named by the customer who creates them, so the label can be any word your team chose. The TMS does not assign meaning to that label — it is whatever your company decided to track in that field. To find out exactly what it represents, check with whoever administers your Tai account or look at how the field is defined in your custom reference settings.

Can we add Trailer and VIN as fields on the booking screen?

The Tai TMS booking (new-shipment) screen has a fixed set of standard fields, and Trailer and VIN are not among them — its standard reference fields are Shipper Reference Number and Customer PO Number. However, you can still capture both. "Trailer Number" is a built-in reference type you can record on the shipment's reference numbers. VIN has no built-in field, so the recommended way to track it is to create a custom reference field named "VIN" (choose Text as the data type) and enable it at the shipment level. If you would rather have a dedicated field added to a screen, contact Tai to request it.

How do we capture our own internal tracking data when there is no built-in field for it?

Use a custom reference number. In the Tai TMS an administrator defines a custom field — its name, its data type, which levels of the shipment it applies to (shipment, stop, and/or commodity), and who can see it — and then that field becomes available for staff (and optionally customers) to fill in on shipments. This lets you record internal identifiers, project codes, links, dates, or any other value the standard fields do not cover.

Who can create custom reference fields, and where?

Custom reference fields are set up in the Tai TMS custom reference number configuration by an administrator, not on the shipment itself. The configuration is where you define the field's name, data type, the shipment levels it applies to, its visibility, and which organization it belongs to. Regular users then simply enter values into fields that have already been defined.

Can a custom reference field be shown only to a specific customer?

Yes. Each custom reference field is owned by an organization, and you can assign it to a specific customer/sub-organization rather than to your whole account. You separately control whether the field appears to your back-office staff and whether it appears to customers in the front-office portal, so you can scope both the ownership and the visibility of the field.

What kinds of data can a custom reference field hold?

A custom reference field can be configured as Text, Number, Decimal, Currency, Date, Date & Time, Email, Phone, or a Link (web address). The data type controls how the value is entered and validated. For Text fields you can also choose to offer a fixed pick-list of allowed values instead of free-form typing, so users select from a defined set.

Are custom reference numbers searchable?

Yes. Once a custom reference field is defined and values are entered on shipments, those custom reference numbers are available as search criteria in shipment search, alongside the built-in reference numbers. This lets you find shipments by the internal identifiers your business actually uses.

Can a custom reference field be required?

Yes. When you define the field you can set it to Required at any of the levels it applies to (shipment, stop, or commodity). A required custom field must be filled in where it applies. You can also leave it Optional, or turn it Off for levels where it should not appear — as long as it is enabled for at least one level.