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8. Create a transport order for Slot Booking

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Written by Yannick De Coster
Updated over 10 months ago

Flo is so excited to dive into the booking flow with you, she’s brought her snorkel and flippers. But first, she needs to make sure you've set everything up correctly (and brought your logistics swimsuit). To do this, please follow the articles below:

Overview

The booking flow can be split up into a couple of sub-flows:

  • Create a material order and a transport order

  • Book a slot

    • Automated booking flow

    • Carrier booking flow

    • Internal booking flow

  • Edit your slots

    • Update slot ranges

    • Reschedule your slot

    • Cancel your slot

  • Update milestones

For more information about the last 2 bullet points, please read our article 'Keep track of your slot and edit, cancel, reschedule'. Click here

And next to this, we have some actions on a transport order that will automatically affect the slot.

  • Reassign or unassign carrier

  • Cancel transport order

  • Merge transport orders

  • Split transport order

  • Remove a Slot Booking location from the transport order

  • Add a Slot Booking location to the transport order

Create a material order

If the TMS is integrated with an ERP (SAP or any external system), the material order or transport order will automatically be created in the TMS.

If not, start by creating a material order.

  • As soon as a user adds a location that is relevant for Slot Booking (because it has a linked ID), you will see the 'Slot Range' appear. This is the range in which you want the material order to be collected/delivered and in which the slot should be booked. Flo would like you to add:

    • ‘Slot Range Start’

    • ‘Slot Range End’

  • When all fields are filled in, click 'Save'.

Create transport order

When the material order is created, also create a transport order. The slot ranges will automatically be generated based on the slot ranges in the material order.

Two cases:

  • A transport order with one material order

    • The slot ranges on the transport order will be copied from the material order.

  • A transport order with multiple material orders

    • Slot Range Start of the transport order is calculated based on the earliest slot range of all material orders.

    • Slot Range End of the transport order is calculated based on the latest slot range of all material orders.
      Note: So we won't calculate the greatest common divisor.

Overwrite slot ranges

It's possible to override the calculated slot ranges on the transport order.

The icon next to the Slot Range tells you if it's calculated or overwritten.

When it's overwritten, an icon will be shown that allows you to recalculate the slot ranges based on the material order slot ranges.

Labels

If you have set up your labels settings correctly (read more about this in this article), please fill in the correct labels and Flo will book the transport order in the correct section (aka dock) based on the configuration in Slot Booking.

Additional information

After filling in the slot ranges, please add a carrier, driver, and other relevant data. The following data will be sent to the Time Slot Booking application and will be shown on the slot:

  • Transport order number

  • Location name

  • Collection / delivery / activity type

    • Collection in Control Tower = Outbound booking

    • Delivery in Control Tower = Inbound booking

    • Collection & delivery in Control Tower = Inbound and outbound booking

    • Note: In Time Slot Booking you can link inbound and outbound to a section. So make sure the setting is set up correctly. If not, orders will not be booked.

  • Customer name

  • Supplier name

  • Incoterm

  • Company code

  • Organization

  • Contact info

  • Instruction

  • Driver

  • Carrier

  • Truck license plate

  • Trailer license plate

  • Labels

  • Material line

    • Description

    • Part code

    • Part name

    • Full text (= hazardous summary in Time Slot Booking)

    • Material line description (= comment in Time Slot Booking)

    • Quantity

    • Net weight

    • Gross weight

Book a slot

As described above, the transport order will be sent to Time Slot Booking automatically, where the booking rules will be checked.

Note: Please read our article to set up your booking rules correctly.

Below, we'll describe the 3 different booking rules:

  1. Automated Booking flow

    • The first available slot within the Slot Range will be booked automatically.

    • The slot will appear as booked in the Control Tower and in Time Slot Booking.

  2. Internal Booking flow

    • A slot should be booked manually by an internal user. The carrier will only see the slot when it's booked.

    • How do you book a slot? We'll explain that later.

  3. Carrier Booking flow

    • A slot should be booked manually by a carrier user

      1. Internal users can always book a slot if the carrier doesn’t do so in time.

In which transport order statuses can a slot be booked?

All transport order statuses in which a slot can be booked:

  • Pre-advise confirmed

  • Pending confirmation

  • Pending allocation

  • Changes pending

  • Ready for pickup

  • In transit

  • Rejected (drive rejected)

  • Changes rejected

  • Pre-advice rejected

  • Destination

All transport order statuses in which you can't book a slot:

  • Draft

  • Pre-advise sent

  • Incomplete

  • Confirmed missing rate

  • Rate provided

  • Rate requested

How to book a slot

Please enable the 'Slot Booking Status' column and the 'Slot Booking Milestone' column in your transport order grid in Control Tower.

In the internal and carrier booking flow, the slot should be booked manually:

  • Click on 'Book a slot' in the 'Slot Booking Status' Column.

  • A popup appears with all the slot suggestions

    • Slot suggestions are calculated based on the slot ranges of the transport order

    • Internal users can always book outside the slot ranges; carrier users can't.

    • Internal users can book slots retroactively, carrier users can't.

      • Slots in the past are indicated with a back-arrow.

    • You can switch days at the top of the page

  • Select the slot you want to book

  • Close the pop-up

  • Voilà, the slot is booked.

📝 Note: Don't worry if the status changes to ‘processing’ for a couple of seconds. Flo needs some thinking time to make sure the TMS and Slot Booking are exchanging the right information. When she’s finished her automation sorcery and the operation is complete, the status will change to ‘booked’.

Pending request flow

In your Time Slot Booking settings, you can enable the 'request flow' for certain carriers. Carriers that have the request flow enabled will be able to book a slot, but this booking will first need to be accepted by an internal user.

To accept the slot, please open the flyover and click on accept or reject).

Well done, the slot is booked

Once it’s booked, Flo will change the status to 'booked' and will show you the Slot Booking milestones.

If you want to see the slot information, click on one of the two Slot Booking columns and a popup will appear with all the information you need. In the top right corner of the page, you can see an 'open in new tab' icon. So if this information is too small or not sufficient, don't hesitate to hit that button like it’s the Golden Buzzer!

📝 Note: The information shown in the grid and in the flyover which opens when you click on one of the columns depends on your role in Time Slot Booking. If you don't have any Slot Booking permissions, you will only be able to see the basic information.

Possible errors

  • No available slots within the indicated transport order slot range. Possible solutions:


    • Ask an internal user to manually book a slot

    • Ask an internal user to manually change the TO slot range

    • Ask an internal user to manually make slots available in Slot Booking

  • The warehouse doesn’t allow you to make bookings too far in advance.
    Possible solutions:


    • Ask an internal user to manually book a slot

    • Ask an internal user to change the booking ranges in Slot Booking

  • The warehouse doesn’t allow you to make last-minute bookings.
    Possible solutions:


    • Ask an internal user to manually book a slot

    • Ask an internal user to change the booking ranges in Slot Booking

  • The warehouse doesn’t allow you to make last-minute bookings or make bookings too far in advance.
    Possible solutions:


    • Ask an internal user to manually book a slot

    • Ask an internal user to change the booking ranges in Slot Booking

  • Labels or activity type (in/outbound) of the material order don’t match the section settings

📝 Note: A transport order can only have one location that is linked to a Slot Booking application

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