Glossary - Tai TMS Terminology
This glossary aims to facilitate the understanding of the terms used in Tai TMS.
A
- Accessorial Organization Link
This is a page in the TMS where brokers can organize and set up the accessorials they want to see during the shipment creation process, by selecting from the different display options available. (Hide, required, selected, show, show back office, show managers)
- Accessorial Schedules
Page within the TMS under the "Rates" tab that lists available Value Tables. These value tables are files that can be imported/exported to be used to calculate the pricing of an accessorial. This is most common with fuel.
- Account Management Links
This TMS feature enables the creation of staff user access to another organization, for account management and reporting purposes.
- Accounting Concerns Report
Report that can be used to identify areas of concern where there are negative margins and/or missing pricing on either the AP or AR side.
- Accounting Sync
This page allows brokers to perform QuickBooks Sync and create GL accounts. With this integration, you can easily sync your invoices, invoice payments, bills, bill payments, commission, and commission payments directly to QuickBooks Online. The sync only works in a one-way direction from the TMS to QuickBooks Online. We also sync back the check number for your checks to your carriers and vendors.
- API Key
A unique token, generated in the Authentication Keys option under the "LSP" tab, that can be used to access our public APIs. These keys are tied to a staff member (LSP or Customer). The staff type and permissions associated with each user determine the level of access given with said key.
B
- Back-office
Refers to the TMS site where brokerages manage their internal operations, such as carrier and customer management, shipment creation, accounting, reporting, and more.
- Baseline Overview
The report displays the initial baseline at the time of commitment for margin and basic shipment details (such as lane zip codes, weight, class, and accessorials) and compares it to current values.
- Bulk Rating
Process that the Tai Support team oversees. A template is provided to the broker where they enter a lane and commodity that they’d like a rating for. This file is then run to provide either buy pricing (ran at the organization level) or sell pricing (ran against a customer profile). This is considered an additional service.
C
- Carrier Labels
This feature enables brokers to categorize their carriers based on the specialized carrier services, making it easier to find a carrier for a specific freight type. Examples: Liftgate, Hazmat, or Over dimensional
- Carrier Service Availability
A functionality in the TMS that allows users to verify if a carrier offers services for the specified lane, including the service level provided. This feature is utilized by running a check against Carrier Connect.
- Carrier Summary Report
This is a page under the "Reports" tab, that gives brokers the ability to see the performance of their top 10 carriers in 4 different categories (Shipment volume, weight, margin, revenue).
- Committed
When a broker wins the business, the shipment status should be changed to "committed." This status triggers workflows that operate in the background. Essentially, this means that the shipments are automatically sent to integrations with various DFM platforms we are connected with, initiating the carrier search process. Additionally, the committed status is used to accept EDI tenders.
- Commissions Linking Report
There are two tabs where this report is available. Under "Reports" and under the "Sales" tab. The one under the Report tab is to be used at an administrative level. It will show a list of commissions for all sales reps in the system where it notes the customer, organization, and amounts. The report under the Sales tab shows the same information, but only the commissions for the sales rep accessing this report.
- Companies
It refers to the Shipper profiles created as a customer company in the TMS.
- Company Loadboard
It is an option available under the "Shipments" tab, that allows brokers to use filters such as carries, customer, alerts, origin and destination states, equipment type, shipment status, and more to find and manage Truckload freight.
- Content Templates
This feature, found in the "LSP" Tab, allows brokers to create and customize email and live document templates such as BOLs, carrier confirmations, quote sheets, invoices, and pickup and delivery alerts using plain text, HTML formatting, and system tags.
- Custom Reports
The Custom Report builder tool can create detailed reports using hundreds of available data points from the shipment, customer, or carrier data objects. Behind the scenes, Tai TMS utilizes an advanced querying tool capable of extracting, filtering, and combining data efficiently.
- Customer
Typically referred to as “Shippers” and include companies that manufacture, produce, distribute, import, or export goods that require transport
- Customer Portal / Front Office
A branded self-service portal that enables broker customers to easily quote, book, track, and view shipment documentation and reporting.
- Customer Trends Report
This report will display the customer trends for the chosen time periods. The columns labeled "Recent" are based on the date range selected for the comparison. On the other hand, the columns labeled "Average" are based on the average amount for the date range selected before the comparison date.
- Customers Tab
Tab within the Tai TMS, Where the shipper's information is stored and managed.
D
- Delivered
This shipment status identifies shipments that have been successfully delivered and can kickstart automation workflows with the accounting processes if the settings are active.
- Dispatched
After the carrier confirmation is accepted, the shipment status can be moved to a dispatched status, which the operations team can filter to ensure that the carrier is on the way to the pickup location.
- Document Processor
The document processor is a page in the TMS that allows brokers to quickly, or automatically, process a stack of documents, such as carrier bills, PODs, inspection certificates, or other shipment-related documents. Instead of finding each shipment one by one, the stack of documents can be uploaded and quickly processed with a live preview of the image while adding relevant data such as Shipment ID, PRO Number, Reference Numbers (Customer PO, Shipper Reference), Document Type (BOL, POD, etc.)
- Domestic - Search
Option available under the 'Shipments' tab, which directly takes you to the shipment search page with shipment type 'Domestic' preselected. Here, you can search and manage domestic freight by applying filters such as carrier, customer, alerts, status and more.
- Drayage - Search
Option available under the 'Shipments' tab, which directly takes you to the shipment search page with shipment type 'Drayage' preselected. Here, you can search and manage Drayage freight by applying filters such as carrier, customer, alerts, status and more.
F
- Factoring Companies
This feature, found under the 'LSP' tab, allows brokers to create profiles for Factoring Companies. These specialized companies engage in invoice factoring, which involves buying outstanding invoices from brokers or carriers. This service is particularly beneficial when customers have lengthy payment terms, and brokers are seeking to enhance their cash flow.
G
- GL Report
The GL Report summarizes financial transactions in a specific period, making it easier for brokers to add journal entries and track financial performance.
I
- Inactive Customer Report
This report will show customers and organizations with minimal activity (less than 5 shipments) over the last 60 days. Recent quotes will show the number of quotes requested in the last 60 days. It can be customized by sales person, customer and/or Last Shipment Date.
- Integration Sources
It's a page under the "LSP" tab where you can set up all available integrations in Tai and view previously created integrations summary.
- International - Search
Option available under the 'Shipments' tab, which directly takes you to the shipment search page with shipment type 'International' preselected. Here, you can search and manage international by applying filters such as carrier, customer, alerts, MAWB Serial Number and more.
- In Transit
This status is used to identify shipments where the cargo has been picked up from the pickup location and is In Transit to the destination or additional stops.
L
- License Key
Field available within integration sources that can be used to enter credentials for various integrations. This can be provided in the form of a license key, API Key, or other authentication token variation.
- LSP
Logistics service providers (LSPs), commonly referred to as third-party logistics (3PL) providers.
- LSP Carriers
A company or person legally authorized to transport goods by land, water, and air. The carrier works with brokers to move loads on behalf of a shipper from one place to the other. In the TMS the LSP Carriers function, allows brokers to create/ edit carrier profiles and see listed all the carrier profiles already saved in the system along with information such as name, address, phone number, MC number, SCAC, DOT number, TSA compliance, insurance, authority, safety, etc."
- LSP Staff
The Tai TMS users employed by a particular brokerage organization. Each of their profiles will be setup with the permissions allowed by the Admin user.
LSP Tab Tab within Tai TMS, where brokers can manage their company's organizational settings.
- LTL - Search
Option available under the 'Shipments' tab, which directly takes you to the shipment search page with shipment type 'LTL' preselected. Here, you can search and manage your freight by applying filters such as alerts, service levels, lanes, and more.
M
- Marketplace Buyer
A logistics service provider whose Buyer's Profile and Credit Application have been approved and is looking to use competitive LTL rates in the Tai Marketplace.
- Marketplace Seller
A logistics service provider with competitive contracted rates and published tariffs in the Tai Marketplace, visible to buyer logistic service provider organizations and available to be used for a margin amount.
- My Organization
Refers to the page within the LSP tab, where a broker can find their organizational summary, edit the organization's general information and settings, view recent activity, view, create, and edit margins, edit the address book, and more.
O
- Onboarding Guide
Under the LSP tab, there is a section that brings together the information created and transferred during the onboarding process. This information will be continually updated as more data feeds the TMS. Here, you can find Site Organization Information, templates for importing data (such as new customers, customer staff users, import shipments, addresses, carriers, and products), as well as the ability to add and edit load board integrations, tariffs for your organization, and more.
- Organizations
Page within the LSP tab, where the main organization and all sub-organizations are listed, along with their hierarchy, here you can also find the option to edit existing and add new LSP organizations.
P
- Parent Organization
The main office of the brokerage company or organization, under which sub-organizations or child organizations are created and managed.
- Profitability Report
In this page you can create a profitability analysis, by month, by organization, by tariff, by vendor by sales rep, and by detail, to track your organization's performance.
Q
- Quote
Initial shipment status, when a shipper shares shipment details with a broker to receive an estimated rate, allowing the shipper to decide whether to move the shipment with the broker or not.
R
- Ready
The ready shipment status indicates that the Truckload Carrier Confirmation workflow can begin. This could be a manual process where the Carrier Confirmation is manually sent to the carrier for approval/acknowledgment. For LTL this is how you tender a shipment to the selected LTL carrier.
S
- Sent
This shipment status is used to identify that the Carrier Confirmation has been sent and is awaiting acceptance by the Carrier.
- Shipment Status
Are terms used to describe the current state of a shipment. Here is the sequence of shipment statuses in the TMS, from the start to the end: Quote, Committed, Ready, Sent, Dispatched, In Transit, Out for Delivery, Delivered, and Complete.
- Shipped Report
The 'Shipped Report' is a feature located within the 'Reports' tab. It allows brokers to generate reports with specific shipment data details by selecting various filters such as sub-organization, customer organization, carrier, sales person, date type, date range, shipment type, invoice status, shipment status, origin, and destination.
- SMC Bulk Rating
Feature within the TMS that users with an SMC3 license can use to import a file and get rates in bulk per lane entered in the file.
- Staff
Users employed by the Shipper who have a profile and user created under the customer tab, granting them access to the TMS front office.
T
- Tai Marketplace
Is a marketplace within the Tai TMS, designed for brokers searching for the most competitive LTL rates by connecting them to various 3PLs, where seller brokers or rate providers can add their own rates which can be accessed by buyer brokers and shippers. The Marketplace rates are accessible by generating a smart quote within an LTL shipment from the back office or front office.
- Tariff Links
This feature allows brokers to associate a specific tariff with a particular customer or organization, enabling the tariff to either appear or be excluded from the search results when rating a shipment.
- Tariff Wizard
Tai's Tariff Wizard is a feature that enables you to create API tariffs that are seamlessly integrated into the TMS with all your carrier rates. This feature allows your rating engine to display real-time rates by retrieving pricing from carriers through direct API integration within the TMS.
- Transaction Date (In TMS report)
Date/Time that we use to bill shipments to the brokers using Tai. This is registered when a is moved to a status of Ready or greater(dispatched).
- Transportation Management System (TMS)
A software system intended for managing every aspect of a freight brokerage operation, it acts as a central hub, integrating data from various industry-leading companies, and automates processes involved in transportation and freight management.
U
- Unmatched Shipment List
Report in the TMS that's used to match shipments to EDI/Documents received from an external source, usually EDI. The documents are tied to the organization, but the system could not find an appropriate shipment to match them to.
V
- Variance List
A page under the Accounting tab that enables you to relocate shipments with discrepancies to a specific area for your review before sending out any invoices. Shipments on this list may have no margin, a negative margin, or require further review.
W
- Workflow Automation
Refers to a feature in the TMS that assists brokers in carrying out various tasks and activities without human intervention. By automating workflows, brokerage companies can save time and improve productivity by providing built-in tools that promote teamwork and simplify the process of entering shipment information.
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