Manage LTL Carriers and Enable Manual Assignment

How it works

LTL carriers are priced by tariff rather than being pre-loaded as LSP carriers, so a carrier only becomes selectable on a load through one of two paths: a live Smart Quote lookup, or an LSP carrier list record.

Smart Quote returns tariff-based rates for one-time use on the load being worked; it does not create or update an LSP carrier record. If the carrier is not also added to the LSP carrier list, the quoted rate is not persisted for later manual reselection; the broker must re-run Smart Quote to retrieve it again.

Adding the carrier to the LSP carrier list persists it as a selectable option on LTL loads that were created or imported manually, independent of Smart Quote.

Enable Manual Selection for LTL Loads

To manually assign an LTL carrier to an LTL load, the carrier must be available in the LSP carrier list.

Add the LTL carrier to the LSP carrier list.
Once the carrier has been added, it becomes available for manual selection or assignment on LTL loads that were created or imported manually.

For instructions on how to add a carrier to the LSP carrier list, see How to Add a New LSP Carrier

Note: Adding an LTL carrier to the LSP carrier list does not change or disable an existing API connection.

API-Connected LTL Carriers

API-connected LTL carriers can continue to support automated processes after being added to the LSP carrier list.

For example, an API-connected carrier may automatically populate information such as the payee address when that information is provided by the integration.

Adding the same carrier to the LSP carrier list simply makes it available for manual assignment and does not interfere with the carrier's API integration.

Troubleshooting

Broker can't find or re-select a rate they got from Smart Quote

What you'll see: The carrier/rate returned by Smart Quote is no longer available to select on the load or on a later load.
Likely causes: If a carrier was previously available but is no longer appearing, there may be several possible reasons:
- The rate has expired, and the carrier currently does not have coverage for that lane or area.
- A Carrier Rule may be preventing the carrier or tariff from being returned.
- The applicable Tariff may be inactive or disabled.
Where to look: Check the applicable tariff, carrier rules, and the carrier's availability or coverage for the shipment.
Resolution / retry: Review the possible causes above and correct the applicable configuration before re-running Smart Quote.
Manual carrier addition: Add an LTL carrier to the LSP carrier list and manually assign it to a shipment only when you have obtained a rate directly from the carrier or when you intend to manage the pricing manually as well. Adding the carrier to the LSP carrier list does not generate or retrieve a rate from the carrier.
Failsafe: If the carrier was previously available through Smart Quote, do not assume that manually adding the carrier to the LSP carrier list will restore the Smart Quote rate. First verify the rate, tariff, carrier rules, and carrier coverage.

Carrier not available for manual selection on an LTL load

What you'll see: the LTL carrier does not appear in the manual selection/assignment list on a manually created or imported load.
Likely cause: the carrier has not been added to the LSP carrier list.
Where to look: LSP → Carriers.
Resolution / retry: add the carrier to the LSP carrier list; it becomes selectable immediately for manual/imported LTL loads.
Failsafe: adding the carrier does not affect any existing API linkage for that carrier.

Carrier details (e.g., payee address) not auto-populating

What you'll see: expected automated fields (such as payee address) are blank or not filled in for an LTL carrier.
Likely cause: the carrier's API integration is not active, or the carrier is not an API-linked carrier.
Where to look: carrier integration/connection status for that LTL carrier.
Resolution / retry: confirm the integration is active; if inactive, escalate to the integrations team to reconnect.
Failsafe: manually adding the carrier to the LSP carrier list for selection purposes does not disrupt existing API automation once restored.

Escalation

If a carrier's API integration appears active but automated details (e.g., payee address) still aren't populating, escalate to the Integrations/EDI team with the carrier name, load ID, and a screenshot of the current carrier record. If Smart Quote itself is not returning rates for a valid tariff carrier, escalate to the Rating team with the load ID and the exact error, if any.

Applies to: LTL Shipments / LSP Carrier Management · Last updated: 2026-08-12

Suggested category: TMS Documentation (LTL Carrier Management)

Suggested tags / search keywords: LTL carriers, Smart Quote, LSP carrier list, manual assignment, API-linked carrier, payee address