Shipment Lifecycle and Statuses

This article explains the shipment statuses in the Tai TMS, what each one means, the order they progress in, and how a shipment's status is set as work moves forward.

Overview

In the Tai TMS, every shipment moves through a defined series of statuses from the moment it is quoted until it is fully closed out. The status is more than a label: it tells everyone on your team where the load stands, it colors the shipment in your lists and on the status bar, and it drives automated steps behind the scenes such as sending the load to a carrier and making the shipment eligible for invoicing. Understanding the statuses and the order they follow helps staff keep loads moving and know what the system will do at each step.

How it works

A shipment advances through statuses in a set order. Each status represents a later stage of the load's life, and the normal forward path is:

Quote — The shipment has been priced or quoted but not yet booked. New shipments start here by default.
Committed — The load has been booked and committed to move.
Ready — The shipment is ready to be tendered/dispatched to a carrier.
Sent — The tender or dispatch has been sent to the carrier.
Dispatched — The carrier has been dispatched and has accepted the load.
In Transit — The load has been picked up and is moving.
Out for Delivery — The load is on its final delivery leg.
Delivered — The load has been delivered (proof of delivery is captured at this point).
Complete — The shipment has been closed out and finalized.

Outside of that forward path, a shipment can also be set to Canceled if the load will not move.

Status is set as work progresses, not by freely typing in a value. Staff advance a shipment from the shipment's tracking/check-call workspace, and the system records the change. Some transitions trigger extra prompts or steps:

Moving a shipment to In Transit captures the pickup arrival and departure details.
Moving a shipment to Delivered opens a prompt to capture proof of delivery (arrival, departure, and who signed).
Canceling a shipment goes through a confirmation step, and if a pickup date has already passed you are warned about it.
Certain transitions can require answering audit questions before the change is allowed.
Before any status change, the system checks whether the customer is on credit hold; if so, the change can be blocked with a warning.

The status bar on the shipment condenses these into five visual steps — quote, booked/ready/sent, dispatched, in transit/out for delivery, and delivered/complete — plus a canceled state.

Business rules & limits

The order is fixed and meaningful. Each status represents a later point in the shipment's life. A load generally moves forward through the sequence above; it does not skip meaning by being renamed.
New shipments default to Quote. Unless a different starting point is specified, a newly created shipment begins in Quote status.
Status drives automation, not just display. Advancing a shipment to Ready, Sent, or Dispatched is what triggers the system to electronically tender/dispatch the load to the carrier. Reaching the active-movement range (from Ready onward) is also what makes a shipment count for accounting and margin, so status directly affects invoicing and financial reporting — not only tracking.
Some transitions have required steps. Delivered requires capturing proof of delivery; In Transit captures pickup times; cancellation requires confirmation; and audit questions may need to be answered before a transition completes.
Credit hold can block a status change. If the customer is over their credit terms, the system can prevent the status update and show a warning rather than letting the load advance.
Complete and Canceled are end states. Complete means the shipment is operationally and financially finished; Canceled means it will not move. Neither is an "in-progress" state.
Domestic and international shipments share the same status meanings, though international shipments (ocean and air) do not use the Ready and Sent steps in the same way — their tendering flow differs.

Frequently asked questions

What are the shipment statuses in the Tai TMS and what order do they follow?

In the Tai TMS a shipment progresses through Quote (priced, not booked), Committed (booked), Ready (ready to tender to a carrier), Sent (tender sent), Dispatched (carrier accepted), In Transit (picked up and moving), Out for Delivery (final leg), Delivered (delivered, proof of delivery captured), and Complete (closed out). A shipment can also be Canceled if it will not move. Each status is a later stage than the one before it.

What status does a new shipment start in?

In the Tai TMS a newly created shipment starts in Quote status by default, meaning it has been priced or quoted but not yet booked. From there staff advance it to Committed and onward as the load is booked and moves.

How does a shipment's status get set — can I just pick any status I want?

In the Tai TMS status is set by advancing the shipment through its workflow (typically from the shipment's tracking/check-call workspace), not by freely choosing any value. The system records the change and, depending on the target status, may prompt for information (such as proof of delivery when marking a shipment Delivered) or run a check (such as verifying the customer is not on credit hold) before allowing it.

Why does the status matter beyond just tracking the load?

In the Tai TMS the status drives automated downstream work. Advancing a shipment to Ready, Sent, or Dispatched is what triggers electronic dispatch to the carrier, and reaching the active-movement range (Ready through Delivered) is what makes the shipment count for accounting and invoicing. So moving a shipment's status forward is how you set that automation in motion, not just a visual indicator.

What happens when I mark a shipment Delivered?

In the Tai TMS marking a shipment Delivered opens a prompt to capture proof of delivery, including the delivery arrival and departure times and who signed for the load. This ensures the delivery record is complete before the shipment moves toward Complete.

What is the difference between Complete and Canceled?

In the Tai TMS, Complete means the shipment has been delivered and then operationally and financially closed out — it is a normal end state. Canceled means the shipment will not move at all and is ended for that reason. Both are final states rather than in-progress ones, but they represent very different outcomes.

Can a status change be blocked?

Yes. In the Tai TMS, before a status change is applied the system can check whether the customer is on credit hold, and if they are over their terms the update can be blocked with a warning. Certain transitions can also require audit questions to be answered first, so a status change is not always immediate.