Shipment Importer

How to access it

Navigate to Back Office → Shipments → Bulk / Admin → Shipment Importer.

Before you start: download the template

Always use the current template before building your file. Click the Template as of [date] link at the bottom of the form to download it. The template date reflects the most recent version.

There are two templates — one for each shipment type:

Standard — LTL, truckload, and domestic freight
Drayage — Port and drayage shipments

The template download automatically matches whichever Shipment Type is selected in the form, so switch the type first if you need the Drayage template.

Template update warning: If the template was recently updated, the system shows a confirmation prompt when you click Import Shipments. Review your file against the latest template before continuing to avoid column mismatch errors.

Form fields

Customer (required)

Search for and select the customer company this import belongs to. All shipments in the file are created under this customer unless the file itself contains a Customer Id column per row — see Importing for Multiple Customers or Carriers below.

Email (required)

The email address where your import results will be sent. The import runs in the background — you will not see final results on screen, only a confirmation that the file was queued.

Shipment Status (required, default: Committed)

The status applied to every shipment created from the file.

Status	When to use
Quote	Shipment is still in the quoting stage — not yet booked.
Committed	Shipment is booked; carrier not yet dispatched. (Default)
Ready	Shipment is ready for carrier dispatch.
Sent	Rate confirmation has been sent to the carrier.
Dispatched	Carrier has been dispatched.
In Transit	Freight is on the road.
Out for Delivery	Freight is out for final delivery.
Delivered	Freight has been delivered.
Complete	Shipment is fully closed out.
Canceled	Shipment was canceled.

Most bulk imports use Committed or Quote depending on whether a carrier has already been assigned.

Excel Sheet (required)

Click Choose File to select your completed Excel template file. The filename appears next to the button once selected.

Carrier (optional)

Search for and select a carrier to apply to all shipments in the file. If left blank, the system uses least-cost routing to assign a rate automatically.

The Search Broker Carrier checkbox (enabled by default) limits carrier search results to carriers in your broker carrier list. Uncheck it to search all carriers.

Shipment Type (required, default: Standard)

Select Standard for LTL or truckload shipments, or Drayage for port-related shipments. This determines which column format is expected in your Excel file and which template to download.

Importing for Multiple Customers or Carriers

This option allows you to import shipments for more than one customer or carrier in a single file, eliminating the need to run separate imports per customer.

When to use it

Use this when your Excel file contains shipments belonging to different customers or assigned to different carriers across rows — for example, when doing an end-of-day bulk import from multiple accounts.

How to enable it

Check the File Contains Multiple Customers/Carriers checkbox to the right of the Customer field label before uploading.

When this checkbox is checked, the Customer and Carrier fields on the form are both disabled and cleared. The customer and carrier for each row must come from the file itself.

What to include in your file

Each row must include customer and carrier identifiers for that shipment:

Column	Required?	Notes
Customer Id	Yes	The TMS Customer Id for the customer that shipment belongs to.
Customer Reference Number	Alternative to Customer Id	Used to look up the customer if no Customer Id is provided.
Carrier DOT	At least one carrier field	Used to match the carrier for that row.
Carrier MC	At least one carrier field	Alternative carrier identifier.
Carrier SCAC	At least one carrier field	Alternative carrier identifier.

If a row is missing both Customer Id and Customer Reference Number, that row will fail with the error: "Customer is required" and will appear in the error table after submission.

How the system processes multi-customer files

The customer and carrier from each row are applied to that shipment only.
Rows with different customers or carriers in the same file are handled separately — each gets the customer and carrier specified in its own columns.
If a row has a Customer Id in the file and a customer is also selected in the form, the form selection overrides the file.

Template Column Reference

Use the downloaded template to ensure correct column headers and formatting.

Dates & Times

Column	Notes
Pickup Date	Required
Pickup Ready Time	Optional
Pickup Close Time	Optional
Delivery Date	Optional
Delivery Ready Time	Optional
Delivery Close Time	Optional

Origin

Column	Notes
Origin Company Name
Origin Street Address
Origin Street Address Two
Origin City
Origin State	Two-letter abbreviation
Origin ZIP
Origin Country
Pickup Instructions
Shipper Contact
Shipper Phone Number
Shipper Email

Destination

Column	Notes
Destination Company Name
Destination Street Address
Destination Street Address Two
Destination City
Destination State	Two-letter abbreviation
Destination ZIP
Destination Country
Delivery Instructions
Consignee Contact
Consignee Phone Number
Consignee Email

Shipment Details

Column	Notes
Shipment Type	Required for Standard imports
Service Level
Trailer Type
Trailer Size
PRO Number
Shipper Reference Number
PO Reference
Quote Number
Tariff Description
Customer Reference Number	Used to identify the customer when no Customer Id is provided
Customer Id	Overrides the Customer selected in the form; required for multi-customer files
Comments	Any internal notes for the shipment

Freight

Column	Notes
Handling Quantity
Package Type
Weight Total
Pieces Total
Freight Class
NMFC
Description
Hazardous Material	`true` / `false`
Additional Markings
Length / Width / Height	Optional dimensions

Carrier & Pricing

Column	Notes
Carrier DOT	Used to identify the carrier per row in multi-customer/carrier files
Carrier MC	Alternative carrier identifier
Carrier SCAC	Alternative carrier identifier
Buy	Optional; overrides rated buy
Sell	Optional; overrides rated sell
Fuel Buy
Fuel Sell
Accessorial Codes	Comma-separated list of accessorial codes
Carrier Rep
Do Not Dispatch Carrier	`true` / `false`

Drayage-only columns

Column	Notes
Seal Number
Trailer Number
Steamship Line
Container Size
Container Number
Vessel Voyage
Import Export

Running the import

Complete the form and select your file.
Click Import Shipments.
If prompted by the template update warning, confirm your file matches the current template and click Continue with Upload.
The system validates your file and queues accepted records for background processing.

Import results

Results appear on the page immediately after submission. A detailed summary is also emailed to the address you entered.

Result	What it means
Green banner	All records were queued. The email will confirm when shipments finish creating.
Yellow banner	No records were found and no errors occurred. Check that your data rows are present and formatted correctly.
Red banner + error table	One or more rows failed validation. The table shows the Record Number (row in your file) and the reason for the failure.

When errors occur, fix the affected rows in your original file and re-upload only the corrected records. Rows that imported successfully do not need to be re-submitted.

Tips and common issues

Always use the latest template. Column structure changes between versions — uploading an old format will cause errors.
Shipment Type is required in the file for Standard imports. Rows missing a valid Shipment Type will fail.
The Customer field on the form takes priority over the file. If you select a customer in the form, all rows use that customer regardless of what is in the Customer Id column. Only use the form customer field when all rows belong to the same customer.
Carrier is optional. If left blank in both the form and the file, least-cost routing assigns rates automatically.
Results are not instant. The import runs as a background job — check your email for the final confirmation after submitting.
To reset the form: Click Clear Fields to clear all selections and start over. This does not affect any imports already submitted.