Entering an Order

This article will walk you through the steps of entering an order in PEAK 4.0.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Navigating to the Order Entry Screen
• Entering a New Order: Order Details
• Entering a New Order: Build Route
• Entering a New Order: Assign Cargo
• Entering a New Order: Email Alerts
• Entering a New Order: Review

Navigating to the Order Entry Screen

To find the Order Entry screen, look at the navigation menu at the top left corner of PEAK 4.0. There, you will see a tab labeled "Order Entry."

Clicking this tab will take you to your list of drafts. You can click on a draft to open it up and resume, or click the "New Order" button at the top right of the draft list to begin a new order.

Entering a New Order: Order Details

After clicking the "New Order" button, you will be taken to the order entry form. It is separated into several sections, which you can see at the right edge of the screen to track your progress. The first section is labeled "Order Details."

In the Order Details screen, you will select the Customer and Bill To profiles, the Preferred Mode of your order, and the Responsible Party (if applicable). You can tag the order, mark it Hot, and enter an Authorization Number (if applicable).

Note that your name, email address, and phone number are filled in as the requestor information. This information is pulled from your user profile; if your profile does not have an email or phone number listed, you will not be able to submit the order, as this information is required.

Any fields outlined in red and marked with an asterisk (*) are required fields - something must be entered there to submit the order.

Tags

You can tag an order by clicking the plus button labeled "Add Tag" at the top right of the Order Details screen.

After clicking the button, enter the word or phrase you wish to use as a tag, then click "Add." Multiple tags can be added, if needed.

Once a tag has been added, it can deleted by clicking the X next to it.

Customer and Bill To

Select the appropriate customer profile from the "Select Customer" dropdown field.

Once selected, this should fill in the "Customer" and "Bill To" fields below.

If the "Bill To" does not automatically fill in, simply click the dropdown to select the appropriate profile. A new "Bill To" field will appear underneath once a profile is selected.

Though these fields cannot be edited, selecting a different profile from the dropdown will cause them to re-populate with the new customer information. You can also click on these fields to bring up more information about the profile that has been filled in.

Preferred Mode

The preferred mode is the mode of transport you are requesting for this order.

Clicking the Preferred Mode field opens a dropdown list with four options: Charter, Expedite, Ocean, or Truckload. 

Select the one that most fits your needs. 

Responsible Party

The Responsible Party shows who you will be charging the cost of the order back to. This field is not required; it is only used for data collection purposes.

Click the field to open a dropdown list of options. Note that the top option in the list is blank; select this option to leave the Responsible Party field blank.

Selecting "Pickup" or "Delivery" will set the shipper or consignee, respectively, as the Responsible Party for the order. Selecting "Original Pickup," "Final Delivery," or "Other" will cause another field to appear below the Responsible Party field, where you can search for the correct profile. Note that this second field is required.

Requested By

Under the Responsible Party field are fields labeled "Requested By Name," "Requested By Email," and "Requested By Phone." 

These are for the requestor's name and contact information, in case there are any questions about the order. These will automatically fill in with your name and information from your user profile.

Again, if you do not have an email address and phone number entered in your user profile, they will not populate here, and you will receive an error when attempting to submit your order.

Authorization Number

At the bottom left corner of the Order Details page is a field labeled "Authorization Number." This is for entering the authorization number, PO number, or other customer number, if needed.

An additional field may appear next to the Authorization Number field depending on the mode selected as the Preferred Mode. If the Preferred Mode is Expedite, a field labeled "Incoterm" will appear. Note that this field is not required, as it is not needed for all Expedite moves.

If the Preferred Mode is Truckload, a field labeled "Trailer Type" will appear. This field is required, as it gives the provider base an idea of the kind of equipment they will need to transport the freight.

The appropriate trailer type can be selected from the dropdown menu.

Saving a Draft

If you are not ready to submit your order, scroll down to the bottom right of the order entry page. Clicking the "Save" button will prompt you to save the information you have entered so far as a draft, which you can resume later.

After clicking "Save," enter a name for your draft and click the "Save Draft" button.

Next to the Save button you will see a "Next" button and two arrows. These can be used to navigate between the sections of the order entry page. Either click Next or the down arrow to move to the next screen.

Entering a New Order: Build Route

The second section of the order entry process is the Route section. Here, you can enter all the stops the provider will need to go to in order to complete the request. By default, there will be one pickup stop and one delivery stop, but more can be added if needed.

At least one pickup stop and one delivery stop will need to be entered to submit the order. Clicking the "Add Info" links next to Pickup or Delivery will open a new window to enter the details of that stop.

Ready Time/Need Time

At the top left of the details window, just under "Pickup" or "Delivery," is a field to enter the ready or need time. The window will have a message showing what time zone is being displayed; before a profile is selected, it will default to the time zone in your user settings.

Clicking in the time field will allow a date and time to be entered manually. The date should be entered first, then the time. Note that all times are displayed in military time (24-hour time).

Clicking the calendar and clock icon will allow you to select the date instead of typing it out. By default, the current date will be selected, but this can be changed by clicking the desired date instead.

Once the date is selected, it will be entered into the field, along with the current time. To change the time, just type the desired time into the field; it will overwrite the highlighted text.

Begin and End Times

If you have selected Truckload as the preferred mode for the order, you will instead see two time fields for your pickup and delivery: Ready/Need Time Begin, and Ready/Need Time End. For Truckload shipments, the ready and need times are given as windows instead of set appointments, so both ready and need time will need beginning and end times for those windows. Note that the begin and end times are both required fields.

Open and Close Times

In the upper right corner of the stop details, you will see two fields labeled "Open Time" and "Close Time". If you know the hours of operation for the pickup or delivery location, entering them here will be helpful should issues arise later on. (Note that for Truckload orders, the Open and Close Time fields are required.)

Location Details

The Location Details fields, located under the Ready or Need Time, show the location name, address, time zone, and contact information of the pickup or delivery location. The first field is a search bar, where you can look up the profile of the appropriate location.

Typing in the search bar will show a list underneath of all profiles matching the text you have entered.

Selecting a result will automatically fill in that location's details in the remaining fields.

Also note that now a profile has been selected, the time zone being displayed is the local time for that profile. This can be changed in your user settings if you would like all times displayed in your time zone.

If the profile you are looking for does not appear in the search results, click "Not what you are looking for? Click here to search" at the bottom of the list of results.

This will open the location lookup window.

Here you will see the full list of search results, which you can sort by any of the columns displayed. At the top of the window, you can use the search bar to try another search if you do not see the profile you want.

Once you find the profile you are looking for, simply click on it in the results list to have it populate in the stop window.

Dock High

Below the time zone field, you will specify whether this location requires dock high vehicles by clicking "Yes" or "No" - this is required to submit the order, as this information will affect which vehicle types can bid on the order. You can also provide a dock number if you have one.

Broker

Next to the location detail fields is a field for the customs broker. For international orders, if the broker is known, it will save time to provide them at order entry.

Contact Information

Below the broker dropdown are fields where you can provide contact information for this stop. This is not required, but can be helpful if any issues arise during the life cycle of the order.

Reason Code

Below the contact information is another dropdown labeled "Reason Code". Note that this only appears when adding pickup stops; delivery stops do not have this field.

This will display a list of reason codes based on the customer profile selected in the Order Details screen. Choose the one most applicable to this order.

Adding the Stop

Once all required fields are filled in, click the "Add" button in the bottom right of the stop details window to add the stop to the order.

You will now see the stop displayed in the route screen. If you need to edit the details for that stop, click on the location name to re-open the stop details window.

Note that to submit the order, at least one pickup and one delivery stop must be entered.

Once a pickup and delivery stop have been entered, the Route screen will also show the total mileage of the order underneath the list of stops. This example is 557.73 miles.

Multi-Stops

If your order has multiple pickups or deliveries, use the dropdown menu above the list of stops. Select a stop in the dropdown and then click the bubble for either "Add Before" or "Add After" to tell PEAK where you want to add the new stop. In this example, we are adding an additional stop after stop #1, the initial pickup.

Once you have specified where you want to add the new stop, click the "Add Stop" button. This will open another stop details window, which will allow you to select whether you are adding a pickup stop or delivery stop. Simply click "Pickup" or "Delivery" at the top of the window to change between them. (Note that if you are adding a stop before the initial pickup, you will only be able to add a pickup stop - the carrier will not have anything to deliver at this point.)

Fill out the stop details and click "Add" at the bottom right of the window to finish adding the stop.

You will then see your new stop in the route.

To delete a stop, click the X button to its right. Note that the first pickup and last delivery cannot be deleted this way.

This will open a new dialogue window asking you to confirm deleting the stop. Click "Confirm" to delete or "Cancel" to go back.

You can also delete a stop by clicking the location name to re-open the stop details, scrolling down to the bottom, and clicking the "Delete" button. Again, this option is not available for the first pickup or last delivery location.

Re-Ordering Stops

If your order has multiple pickup or delivery stops, you can change the order of the stops by simply dragging and dropping them in the Route screen. Note that not all stops can be moved this way - if you only have one pickup stop, it must remain the first stop in the list; if you only have one delivery stop, it must remain the last stop in the list.

To re-order your stops, hover the mouse cursor over the stop you wish to move. If it can be moved, the cursor will change to a four-directional arrow. Click and drag the stop onto the position you want to move it to. In the below example, we are switching the two pickup stops so that the second stop in Warren, MI will become the first stop.

When re-ordering stops this way, note that you cannot place a delivery stop before the first pickup, and you cannot place a pickup stop after the last delivery. Also be sure to adjust the ready/need times to reflect the new stop order.

Once all stops have been finalized, click the Next button at the bottom right of the screen (or the down arrow) to advance to the next section: the cargo details.

Entering a New Order: Assign Cargo

The third section of the order entry screen is the Cargo section. Here, the freight details are entered, including the number of containers, total weight, dimensions, hazmat, stackability, etc.

Cargo information is assigned on an individual stop basis. All cargo being picked up at a location will be listed under that location in the Cargo screen. Cargo must be assigned to all Pickup locations - the provider needs to know what freight they are picking up from each stop - but cannot be added to a Delivery location.

To add cargo information, select the appropriate Pickup stop in the Locations list, then click the "Add Cargo" button.

This will open the cargo details window.

Cargo Details

At the top left of the cargo details is a dropdown field to select the delivery location for this cargo. In this example, it has been automatically filled in, as there is only one delivery stop for this order. For orders with multiple delivery stops, the correct location must be selected from this dropdown.

Below the delivery location are fields to enter the Bill of Lading or Packing Slip numbers, if known.

Next is a dropdown to select the type of containers being shipped and field to specify the number of those containers.

Under the number of containers are fields to enter the containers' dimensions, in inches. (If your profile is set to show metric units by default, you will see centimeters instead.)

The left half of the cargo details contains bubbles to specify whether the cargo is stackable, can break down, is a loose load, or is hazardous. "Stackable" refers to whether the containers can be stacked on top of each other without damaging them or the freight. "Can break down" refers to whether the containers can be split up into smaller units - for example, a plastic-wrapped pallet of plastic tubs can be broken down to the individual tubs if needed. "Loose Load" generally refers to a shipment of pieces or containers that are not palletized. Hazardous freight requires extra caution and certifications to transport; common examples are airbags, batteries, and paint.

For Truckload orders, there are additional bubbles to check off whether certain criteria apply to the order:

Below these bubbles are fields for the UN Number and Class for hazardous freight. Note that if "Yes" is selected for Hazmat, these fields are required.

Under these fields, a Cargo Note can be entered. This field is for any special instructions or details about the freight or the order, such as needing a specific trailer type, equipment like straps or tarps, requests for team drivers, etc.

Lastly, the total weight of this cargo can be entered beneath the Cargo Note. The units for the weight, pounds or kilograms, will be determined by your user settings.

Part Details

After entering the cargo details, the lower part of the window is for individual part details.

The part number and quantity are required; note that "quantity" refers to the number of pieces of this part being shipped.

The "Part Note" field is for any extra information you wish to provide about the parts, such as special requirements needed for transport (air ride needed, must be kept at a specific temperature, etc.).

Lastly, the "Description" field is for a general description of the parts.

After entering the part information, click the "Add Part" button to save it.

Additional parts can be added by filling out the information fields again. Underneath these fields, you can see the list of parts you have added. To edit a part's information, click the pencil icon to its right; to delete a part, click the minus button.

Note that every part entered in the part details is included in the number of containers, dimensions, and weight listed in the top half of the cargo record. As these three parts are all entered together, this cargo record is saying these three parts make up a total of 5 skids at 5500 lbs, all with dimensions of 48 x 45 x 48.

Once you have entered all of the cargo and part details for this cargo record, be sure to click "Save" at the bottom right corner of the window to save the information you have entered.

After saving your cargo record, you will see it listed under the individual pickup stop.

A summary of the information for this cargo record will be displayed next to the "Add Cargo" button, showing the BOL number, part numbers, dimensions, and total weight.

To edit this cargo record, click the "Edit" button to bring up the cargo details window again. Click "Delete" to delete this cargo record (a popup window will appear asking you to confirm).

Adding Multiple Cargo Records to a Stop

Once a cargo record has been added, you can add more records by clicking the "Add Cargo" button again. This will open up a new blank cargo details window for you to fill out.

Multiple cargo records may be needed for a stop if any of the details in the top half of the cargo details window are different.

For example, if multiple containers with different dimensions (likely due to containing different parts) are being shipped, each one will need its own cargo record so that all the dimensions are entered accurately in the order. This is essential in ensuring that carriers bid the correct unit type for the cargo.

Multiple cargo records may also be needed if there is both hazardous and non-hazardous freight, if multiple Bills of Lading are being consolidated into one order, or if freight from this pickup stop is delivering to multiple different locations. Below is an example of multiple cargo records being added to one pickup location.

After adding all cargo records for the first pickup location, we will now need to enter our cargo for the second pickup location.

Each pickup location must have at least one cargo record associated with it - after all, if nothing is being picked up there, why would it be a stop in the order?

Once all the cargo information has been entered, click the "Next" button at the bottom right of the screen (or the down arrow) to advance to the next section: email alerts.

Entering a New Order: Email Alerts

The fourth section of the order entry screen is the Email Alerts section. Here, you can schedule automatic alerts to be sent via email when certain events happen during the order's lifetime.

To add an alert, fill out the three fields at the top of the screen: The email address you want to receive the alert, the type of alert you want to receive, and whether you want the alert in English or Spanish.

When selecting the alert type, note that each alert has a checkbox next to it. Check the box for every alert you wish this email address to receive.

Once you have filled in these three fields, click "Add" to add the alert to your order.

Immediately below this, you can see the list of alerts that have been added. You can add as many alerts as you like. To remove an alert, simply click the minus button on the right.

Once you have finished adding email alerts, click "Next" in the bottom right to proceed to the final step in order entry: Review.

Entering a New Order: Review

The final section of the order entry screen is the Review section. Here, you will be prompted to look over the information you have entered to ensure it is accurate before submitting your order.

The first section looks at the information you entered in the Details screen.

Underneath that you will see the Route details and cargo summary.

Lastly, you will see the email alerts you have scheduled for this order.

Once you have reviewed your order details, click "Submit" to submit the order for bidding.

Submitting Your Order

If you have filled in all required fields, you will see this screen with your order number:

Click "View Order" to go into the order and view its different tabs. Click "New Order" to go back to the start of the order entry screen and enter another order.

If any required information is missing, you will get an error message instead, stating what still needs to be entered or corrected to submit the order: