Load Boards are an essential tool for many brokers. Tailwind integrates with the most popular boards, allowing you to quickly post a Quote or Order to whichever boards you prefer.

Before using the integrated posting, you will have to configure your Load Board details. To do so, click on the gear icon at the top right of the page, select ‘Configuration.’ Then click on the ‘Integrations’ header and select ‘Load Boards.’

You should now see a list of any existing Load Board Credentials set up for your account; if this is your first time setting up Load Boards, the list will likely be empty! Click the ‘Add Load Board’ button to add a new board.

This will bring up a ‘Create Posting Site’ page. Select the site where you have an account and enter the account details. Then click ‘Create’ to finalize the new board.

This is needed to set up your load boards properly. Please reach out to your load board vendor if you are missing this information.

Once you have added a Load Board to the list, use the blue 'O' button to open the record. For Tailwind to successfully post loads to the board, you will need to create an ‘equipment mapping’ – a correspondence between Tailwind’s equipment list and the equipment types used on the board.

At a minimum, you will want to set up a generic mapping (Flatdeck or Van) since you will not be able to post a load without something in the equipment field. However, if you regularly advertise loads with specific equipment requirements, you will want to create those mappings now.

Click on ‘Add Mapping’ to create a new mapping. You will be prompted to select which Load-Board-specific equipment type you want, then asked to choose a corresponding equipment type in Tailwind.

(Tailwind equipment types can be modified in the ‘Equipment Types’ section of the Configuration menu, which is found under the Lookup Tables header.)

Once you have created mappings for the equipment you are likely to be using, you are now set up to post to the Load Board.

Posting to a Load Board is a straightforward process. Both Quotes and Order records include a button labelled ‘Post to Load Board’ at the top of the page – clicking this button will automatically post the related shipments to your Load Board.

When an Order has been posted to a Load Board, the ‘Post to Load Board’ button is replaced by a ‘Remove From Load Board’ button. As you might expect, clicking this button will remove the related posting.

If you update the details on a Quote or Order that had previously been posted to a Load Board, the posting will NOT update automatically: you will need to click to ‘Remove From Load Board’ and then re-post with the new details.

When responses start regarding your Posting, you may want to update the related Quote or track different carrier rates.

If you get a response from a new Carrier, you might need to add them to your Vendor list.

Once everything is finalized, it may be time to convert your Quote into an Order or even dispatch your existing Order.