We are pleased to inform you that we have successfully launched a new version of our Control Tower, 2025 v6.
Rate Lines "Transit Time"
Goal
To improve the accuracy of transit time calculations by allowing shippers to define and manage transit times at a more granular level. This ensures that the transit time on a specific shipment is always based on the most precise information available, leading to more accurate delivery estimates.
What's New?
Previously, transit times were either set on the overall Rate Zone or, for specific routes, on the Lanes within that zone. This new feature introduces the ability to define a transit time directly on the Rate Line itself.
When a transit time is set on a Rate Line, it now takes precedence over any transit time defined at the Rate Zone or Lane level. This allows for more specific and accurate transit time configurations, which is especially useful for handling unique shipping agreements or carrier services that have different delivery schedules.
How To Use
How To Use
You can now specify transit times directly within the Rate Line settings.
Example
Before: A shipment from Zone A to Zone B might have a default transit time of 3 days set on the Rate Zone. All shipments between these zones would automatically use this 3-day transit time.
Now (with new setting): You can set a transit time of 2 days on a specific Rate Line for a premium service with a particular carrier. When this rate is selected for a shipment, the system will now use the 2-day transit time from the Rate Line instead of the 3-day transit time from the Rate Zone, providing a more accurate delivery estimate.
Fallback would be the default Transit time if given
Enhanced Cancellation Logic - Cancel a Sales Order linked to Transport Order
Goal
To ensure the historical integrity of rate analysis data. By formally canceling Transport Orders (TOs) instead of deleting them when the primary Sales Order (SO) is canceled, shippers can retain valuable records—such as selected carriers and manually added costs—for retrospective analysis.
What's New?
We have introduced a change in the cascading cancellation process. If a Sales Order (SO) is canceled, the associated Transport Order (TO) will now be updated to a "Cancelled before Activation" status, provided it is in one of the following rate negotiation statuses:
"Rate requested"
"Rate provided"
The general rule remains that if a linked Sales Order is cancelled, any associated Transport Order that is still in the Draft status will be permanently deleted from the system
How To Use
How To Use
This functionality is automatic and triggered upon the cancellation of the related Sales Order.
Example
Initial State:
Sales Order (SO) has a rate confirmed.
Transport Order (TO) status: "Rate provided" (where the carrier/price analysis was completed).
Material Order (MO) status: "Draft" (waiting for final activation).
Action: The Sales Order (SO) is subsequently canceled by the shipper.
Result (New Behavior): The cancellation status is now propagated:
The SO is set to "Cancelled before Activation."
The MO is set to "Cancelled before Activation."
The TO is set to "Cancelled before Activation."
The TO remains in the system with its rate data intact, allowing you to access the historical information for the carrier and price that were selected prior to cancellation.
Mandatory Shipping Unit Fields Setting
Goal
To ensure data integrity and accurate logistics planning by allowing shippers to designate key Shipping Unit fields as mandatory during manual order creation in the Material Order (MO) form. This obligates users to provide precise dimensions and weight for all shipping units.
What's New?
We have introduced new configuration options within the MO Form Settings to enhance data quality in the Shipping Unit line section. Shippers can now explicitly make the following critical fields mandatory:
Dimensions (Height, Width, Length)
Gross Weight
This ensures that whenever a user manually adds a Shipping Unit line item, these essential details cannot be skipped.
Validation Scope
The mandatory field checks are now enforced across multiple order creation pathways:
UI: When creating or editing Material Orders manually.
API: All system integrations that create or update orders.
Excel Upload: Validation during the Material Order creation flow via Excel upload.
How To Use
How To Use
Navigate to the Material Order Form Settings. A new subsection under "Field requirements" will allow you to select which fields in the Shipping Unit line section must be completed by the user.
ASAP Order Logic Granularity: Separate Collection and Delivery Controls
Goal
To provide greater precision and control over "ASAP" (As Soon As Possible) order handling for shippers, specifically by enabling separate configuration for preferred Collection and Delivery times. This allows for more specific rules, such as allowing a supplier to only set ASAP for Delivery.
What's New?
We have introduced granular control settings for handling ASAP orders within the CT Partner Portal Settings for both Material Orders and Sales Orders.
The previous single "Allow ASAP orders" setting has been split into four distinct options, allowing shippers to enable ASAP preference independently for collection and delivery times (the "Order logic" section):
New Setting | Scope |
Allow ASAP orders Collection | Standard ASAP preference for the collection time. |
Allow ASAP orders Delivery | Standard ASAP preference for the delivery time. |
Allow ASAP OOO Collection orders | ASAP preference for Out-of-Office (OOO) collection times. |
Allow ASAP OOO Delivery orders | ASAP preference for Out-of-Office (OOO) delivery times. |
This change provides flexibility to apply rules like only allowing ASAP for Delivery times, ensuring tighter control over the logistics process.
If you previously had the single "Allow ASAP orders" setting enabled, all four new granular settings (Standard Collection/Delivery and OOO Collection/Delivery) have been automatically enabled. You may review and adjust these new settings immediately as needed.
Improved Usability for Updating Scheduled and Actual Sections
Goal:
Simplify how CT users add or adapt data in the Scheduled and Actual sections.
What Changed:
Users can now click directly into any field within Scheduled or Actual to edit data — no need to select the boolean field first.
When saving, the system automatically triggers an “Update Scheduled” or “Update Actual” event based on which section was modified.
The previous warning message is no longer required.
Field access follows these rules:
Actuals can only be added once the Transport is in “Ready for pickup” or later.
Once an Actual date is added, the Scheduled date can no longer be changed.
Benefit:
More intuitive and efficient data entry for CT users, reducing clicks and improving workflow accuracy.
Improvements
New columns Shipper Container Grid: Company Codes and Organizations containing the Material Order data will be shown
Roundtrip on Material Order has been added to the API