As your company grows, so does the need for structure. The Branches / Departments feature in AscendTMS allows you to organize users into separate operational groups called Branches, giving you control over what data each team can access while maintaining visibility across the entire operation.

Branches help manage data visibility, operational structure, and financial reporting by controlling which Loads, Customers, Carriers, and Locations users can view and manage inside AscendTMS.

This is commonly used for:

Now that you understand the role branches play in organizing your operation, let’s take a closer look at how branches work inside AscendTMS and how they control visibility across your company.

Every AscendTMS account includes a built-in branch called Shared.

All users are automatically members of the Shared branch.

Any data created in the Shared branch can be viewed by every user in the company.

This makes Shared ideal for information that should be accessible across the entire organization, such as:

The Shared branch cannot be removed, but it can be renamed if your company prefers a different label.

This structure allows companies to separate teams, protect customer relationships, and maintain organized operations, while still sharing important company-wide information.

Users can belong to one or multiple branches.

Branch assignments are managed at the user level.

Navigate to:

Settings → User and Branch / Department Management → Add or Edit Users

When editing a user, Administrators can add or remove branch assignments for that user.

This determines which data that user can access.

For example:

Branches also allow companies to analyze performance by team or division.

With branches configured, AscendTMS reporting can be used to track:

This is especially valuable for companies managing agents, regional teams, or terminal operations.

The new branch will now be available for user assignments.

You can change the branch of a load by opening the load’s Shortcuts Menu and selecting Switch Branch.

At the bottom of the Edit Branches / Departments screen, you will find Default Branch / Department Selections.

These settings determine how new records are created for:

There are two configuration options:

Selecting Shared means new records are automatically created in the Shared branch.

This allows all users in the company to access the data.

This option helps prevent duplicate records and supports company-wide reporting.

Example:
If multiple teams deliver to the same warehouse, placing that location in Shared allows everyone to use the same location record.

Selecting User Choice allows users to decide which branch the new item belongs to.

This allows teams to keep certain information within their own branch.

Companies commonly use this when:

When configuring branches for the first time, following a few simple best practices can help keep your AscendTMS account organized and easy to manage.

The Shared branch is best used for items that should be accessible to everyone, such as:

This prevents duplicate records from being created across branches.

Managers, supervisors, and company owners should typically be assigned to multiple branches.

This allows leadership to:

Many companies assign each sales rep or agent their own branch.

This helps:

Managers can still maintain visibility by being assigned to those branches.

Your Default Branch Selections determine how data is created.

Choosing the right approach early can prevent confusion later.

Branches are particularly useful for freight brokerages, especially those operating with sales agents or independent reps.

A common brokerage setup looks like this:

This setup allows each agent to:

Meanwhile, leadership can still view company-wide performance by assigning themselves to all branches.

Companies typically use branches for several reasons.

Many brokerages assign each sales rep or agent their own branch.

This allows them to manage their own book of business without exposing customer or load data to other reps.

Managers or Team Leads can be assigned to multiple branches to maintain oversight.

Companies operating in multiple geographic regions may create branches such as:

Each team works within their own branch while leadership can view performance across all branches.

Asset-based carriers often use branches to represent different terminals or yards.

Each terminal can manage its own freight while still operating within the same AscendTMS account.

This typically means the user is not assigned to the branch where that data was created.

An administrator can add the user to that branch to grant visibility.

Yes.

Administrators can view and modify data across all branches, provided they are assigned to those branches.

Yes.

Users can be assigned to multiple branches simultaneously, allowing them to work across multiple teams or divisions.

Most companies include managers, supervisors, and administrators in multiple branches so they can maintain visibility across the organization while still allowing individual teams to operate independently.