Load Boards are an essential tool for many brokers, and Tailwind provides integration with the most popular boards, allowing you to easily post a Quote or Order to whichever boards you prefer.
Configuring Your Load Board Details
Before you can make use of 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, and select ‘Configuration.’ Then click on the ‘Integrations’ header and select ‘Load Boards.’
You should now see a list of any existing Load Board Credentials that are set up for your account; if this is your first time setting up Load Boards, the list will likely be empty! To add a new board, click the ‘Add Load Board’ button.
Load Board Account Details
This is what is needed to properly setup your load boards, please reach out to your load board vendor is you are missing this information.
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.
Mapping Equipment Types
Once you have added a Load Board to the list, use the blue ‘O’ button to open the record. In order 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 at all without something in the equipment field. However, if you regularly advertise loads with specific equipment requirements, you will also 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 types of equipment you are likely to be using, you are now set up to post to the Load Board.
Posting a Quote/Order
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.
Removing Load Board Postings
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 on this button will remove the related posting.
Changed the Details? – Remove and Repost
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.
Related Articles
When responses start coming in 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.