Shipping order
A shipping order is a document issued by a carrier. Carriers issue a shipping order to confirm that equipment and space on a shipping line vessel are available for a shipment’s transport.
Import/export shippers present shipping orders to customs officials during international transportation to authorize the release of the cargo to the shipper.
TMS Terms: Shipping order
Shipping order in the MercuryGate TMS means the record of a request for freight to be moved. In the course of TMS execution, one or more shipping orders are placed on an execution load, which is a record of what carriers are hired to move.
Note: Details in this glossary term generally relate to shipping orders as they are used in ocean transportation.
What is a shipping order?
A shipping order is referred to as a Container Release Order or Authority to Withdraw in certain countries. Shipping orders are compiled into a shipping manifest presented to an ocean-going carrier completing the vessel voyage.
Who issues a shipping order?
What information is in a shipping order?
- Shipper details.
- Freight forwarder information, if applicable.
- Cargo information and commodity type.
- Bill of lading number of the carrier.
- Place of receipt for the empty container.
- Port of loading where the container will be loaded on the vessel.
- Port of discharge where the carrier will deliver the goods.
- Transshipment port where containers may be transferred from small to larger vessels.
- Vessel name and voyage number.
- Equipment type for the containers required for shipment.
- Empty pickup location where haulers will pick up empty containers.
- Full return location where the loaded container needs to be returned.
- Document cut-off for when shipping instructions need to be sent to the carrier.
- Verified gross mass (VGM) cut-off for the deadline to submit a shipment’s VGM information.
Who needs a shipping order?
Electronic shipping order management streamlines transportation workflow.
Shipping Order Number vs. Purchase Order Number vs. Tracking Number
The tracking number is assigned to each shipment before transportation. Tracking numbers are unique identification codes that allow shipment tracking from departure at a warehouse or freight hub to the final delivery destination.
How MercuryGate Supports User Shipping Orders
MercuryGate TMS offers users a secure, cloud-based platform to store, manage, generate and execute shipping orders and other documents required across the transportation supply chain.
Benefits of Digital, Embedded Shipping Order Generation
Risk mitigation: Identify document problems and develop solutions in advance to save expenses.
Manage by exception: Automated processes provided by TMS integration, document generation, and file management free manpower to focus on more strategic objectives.
Paperless supply chain: Instantly access any document related to a freight shipment without waiting for an email, upload, or paper transaction.
Meet compliance: Vital transportation documents are automatically managed as required by law.
Existing templates and auto-fill features allow users to generate digital documents quickly and customize them as needed.
