This version of Eniture Technology’s LTL Freight Quotes module retrieves your negotiated LTL freight rates, takes action on them according to the module’s settings, and displays the results as shipping options in the Magento cart and checkout page.
Basic Plan
Live negotiated carrier rates returned to the checkout process.
Supported origins: Canada, United States.
Supported destinations: Canada, United States.
Customize the text used to label quotes displayed to shoppers.
Elect to display the carrier’s transit time with the rate estimate.
Option to always include the residential delivery fee.
Compatible with the Residential Address Detection plugin which automatically includes the residential address delivery fee when the Ship To address is a residence.
Option to always include the lift gate delivery fee.
Additional options for lift gate delivery are enabled with the installation of the Residential Address Detection plugin.
Assign products a freight class, weight and optionally dimensions.
Identify one warehouse and multiple drop ship locations.
Embed a handling charge in the displayed rates to recover the cost of packaging materials or other shipping related expenses.
Dynamic presentation of parcel and LTL freight rates with the installation of compatible apps from Eniture Technology.
Standard Plan
Everything in the Basic Plan, plus…
Define multiple warehouses.
The warehouse closest to the shopper is used as the shipment origin to keep shipping costs low and delivery times fast.
Support for products that ship as hazardous material.
Advanced Plan
Everything in the Standard Plan, plus…
Offer in-store pick up based on the shopper’s ZIP code or distance to the warehouse.
Offer local delivery based on the shopper’s ZIP code or distance to the warehouse.
Identify a charge for local delivery.
Hold At Terminal – Offer an option to have the order held at the local delivery terminal which will be cheaper for customers who would otherwise pay for lift gate delivery and/or residential delivery.
Current version: 1.0.0
Requirements
An installation of Magento CE (Version 2.x).
A FedEx billing account number.
A FedEx shipper account number. This is particular to FedEx freight enabled accounts. It may or may not be the same as your billing account number.
Your username and password to fedex.com.
Your FedEx API Authentication Key.
FAQ’S
How do I get an account number?
Call the carrier or use its website to register online.
Where do I find my username and password?
Contact the carrier’s customer service department or the account manager assigned to your account.
How do I get a license key for the extension?
You must register your installation of the extension, regardless of whether you are taking advantage of the trial period or purchased a license outright. At the conclusion of the registration process an email will be sent to you that will include the license key. You can also login to eniture.com using the username and password you created during the registration process and retrieve the license key from the My Licenses tab.
How do I change my extension license from the trial version to one of the paid subscriptions?
Login to eniture.com and navigate to the My Licenses tab. There you will be able to manage the licensing of all of your Eniture Technology extensions. Refer to the Documentation tab on this page for more thorough instructions.
How do I install the extension on another website?
The extension has a single site license. To use it on another website you’ll need to purchase an additional license. If you want to change the website to which the extension is registered, login to eniture.com and navigate to the My Licenses tab. There you’ll be able to change the domain name that is associated with the license key.
Do I have to purchase a second license for my staging or development site?
No. Each license allows you to identify one domain for your production environment and one domain for your staging or development environment. The rate estimates returned in the staging environment will have the word “Sandbox” appended to them.
Why isn’t the extension working on my other website?
If you can successfully test your credentials from the Connection Settings page then you have one or more of the following licensing issues: 1) You are using the license key on more than one domain. The licenses are for single sites. You will need to purchase an additional license. 2) Your trial period has expired. 3) Your current license has expired and we have been unable to process your form of payment to renew it. Login to eniture.com and go to the My Licenses tab to resolve any of these issues.
Why are the shipment charges I received on the invoice from the carrier different than what was quoted by the app?
Common reasons include a difference in the quoted versus billed shipment parameters (weight, dimensions, freight class), or additional services (such as residential delivery) were required. Compare the details of the invoice to the shipping settings on the products included in the shipment. Consider making changes as needed. Remember that the weight of the packing materials is included in the billable weight for the shipment. If you are unable to reconcile the differences call the carrier’s customer service department (800-463-3339) for assistance.
Why do I sometimes get a message that a shipping rate estimate couldn’t be provided?
There are several possibilities:
The most common reason is that one or more of the products in the shopping cart did not have its shipment parameters (weight, dimensions, freight class) adequately populated. Check the settings for the products on the order and make corrections as necessary.
The city entered for the shipping address may not be valid for the postal code entered. A valid City+State+Postal Code combination is required to retrieve a rate estimate.
Your shipment exceeded constraining parameters of the carrier’s web service.
The carrier’s web service isn’t operational.
Your carrier provided account has been suspended or canceled.
There is an issue with the Eniture Technology servers.
Your subscription to the extension has expired because payment could not be processed.
There is an issue with your server.
How do I determine the freight class for my product(s)?
The easiest thing to do is to contact your carrier account representative and ask for assistance. However, the official source is the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) directory maintained by the National Motor Freight Transportation Agency (NMFTA.org). You can purchase a hard copy of the directory or obtain an online subscription to it from their website.
How does the density calculator work?
The density calculator will calculate a freight class by performing a calculation using the product weight and dimensions as inputs. In most cases, the returned freight class will match the product’s (commodity’s) freight class as recorded in the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) directory. However, this is not always true and in the event there are differences, the freight class recorded in the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) directory takes precedence. An incorrectly identified freight class can result in unexpected shipping charges and even fees. You are solely responsible for accurately identifying the correct freight class for your products. If you need help doing this, contact your carrier account representative for assistance.
User’s Guide
If you are taking advantage of a trial subscription, the module will stop working when the trial period ends. Be sure to read the Manage Your License section to learn how to upgrade your subscription.
Overview
Setting up the module to display LTL freight quotes consists of the steps listed below. Each step is bookmarked to the relevant section of the User’s Guide. In the heading of each section there is a Return to top link which will deliver you back to the list of steps.
- Pre-installation preparations.
- Register for the module License Key.
- Download the module installation file.
- Install the module.
- Obtain Your API Authentication Credentials.
- Enable the delivery method.
- Connect the module to your shipping account.
- Identify your warehouse and drop ship locations.
- Choose your quote settings.
- Enter the product shipping parameters.
Other information contained in this guide:
1. Pre-installation Preparations |
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Before installing the module, make sure you’ve made the following preparations:
- Set up a server that meets the Magento 2 system requirements.
- Create the Magento file system owner.
2. Register for the module License Key |
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You’ll be presented with a registration form. The email address and password you enter will serve as your credentials to eniture.com. You’ll use these to gain access to the customer dashboard where you can download the module installation file, manage your license, and update your payment information.
If you’re starting with the free trial, you’ll receive a verification email. You must complete the verification step described in the email before you can access the customer dashboard. You’ll have immediate access to the customer dashboard if you choose to start with one of the paid subscriptions.
You’ll receive an email containing your license key. The license key will work for one production site and one staging site. You entered the domain for the production site when you completed the registration form. You can change the production site domain or add/update a staging site anytime from the customer dashboard.
To access the customer dashboard, login to eniture.com and click on the My Licenses tab. Click the Edit button associated with the license you want to update.
3. Download the module installation file |
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While logged into eniture.com with the credentials created in Step 2 (Register for the module License Key), select Downloads > Magento. Locate the module and then click the link to download the installation file. Save the file to a familiar location because you will need to navigate to it during the installation process.
4. Install the module |
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- Go to the magento-root/app directory using FTP.
- Create a code directory if it doesn’t exist.
- Create a Eniture directory in the magento-root/app/code directory.
- Upload the FedExLTLFreightQuotes folder retrieved in Step 3 to the magento-root/app/code/Eniture directory.
- Open SSH.
- Execute the following commands:
php bin/magento setup:upgrade
- Clear the cache using the following command (or do it from the admin panel):
php bin/magento cache:flush
- Re-deploy the static contents (production mode only) by executing the following command:
php bin/magento s:s:d
5. Obtain Your API Authentication Credentials |
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To successfully connect the app to your freight account, you need your API Authentication key. If you don’t have one, sign into the carrier’s website using your username and password and then scroll to the bottom of the page. In the footer, click on the link to the Developer Resource Center. Once you’re on the Developer Recourse Center page, look for and then click on the link for Web Services that is present under the Other products section in the left side bar menu.
On the Web Services page, locate and then click on the MOVE TO PRODUCTION link.
Click on the GET PRODUCTION KEY button.
On the Application Profile page, answer the questions with the following responses, and then click the Continue button.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do you intend to resell your software? | No |
| Please check the box next to each type of web services you intend to use in your integration solution: | Check the option for Web Services for Shipping |
| Please indicate whether you are a developing your integration solution as a Corporate Developer or as a Consultant. | Corporate Developer |
On the License Agreement page click the I Accept button to advance to the next step.
The next two steps will ask you to provide information about your company’s account and contact information, and your developer info. On the Developer Info page enter the name and contact information of the person or firm who performs most of the work and maintenance on your website.
When you complete the steps you will be delivered to the Confirmation page. Your Production password will be emailed to you. The Confirmation page will contain your Authentication Key and your Meter Number. Record all of these values. You will use them to establish the connection to your freight account in the next step.
6. Enable the delivery method |
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7. Connect the module to your shipping account |
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Using the Magento ADMIN menu, navigate to Stores > Configuration. Click on the ENITURE LTL FREIGHT QUOTES – FOR FEDEX option on the left side of the page.
Click on the option for Connection Settings and follow these instructions:
| Billing Account Number | Your billing account number. This is always the main account number on the account and is almost always the account number you would use if you were shipping a parcel shipment. |
| Meter Number | The Meter Number received when you completed the process for obtaining the Authentication Credentials in Step 6. |
| Password | The Production Password that was emailed to you when you completed the process for obtaining the Authentication Credentials. |
| Authentication Key | Your API Authentication Key. This is the Authentication Key you retrieved earlier in these instructions. |
| Shipper Account Number | The carrier identifies a specific account number for what it refers to as the “Shipper Account Number”. Often it is the same as the Billing Account Number, but not always. If you aren’t sure, contact the carrier’s customer support department. |
| Billing Address | The billing address on record for the main account. |
| Physical Address | The physical address associated with the Shipper Account Number. |
| Third Party Account Number | The carrier will issue a different account number if your shipments have origin and destination addresses that don’t match the address on file. This is common if you tend to drop ship items from vendors to customers or suppliers. If you have one of these account numbers, enter it here. |
| Plugin License Key | The plugin license key is issued by Eniture Technology to registered users only. If you don’t have a plugin license key, click the link to the right of this field to obtain one. |
8. Identify your warehouse and drop ship locations |
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Click the Add button in the appropriate sections to add warehouse and drop ship locations.
If you ship products from only one location, add the location as a warehouse and proceed to the next step.
If you ship from more than one location, then you need to understand the distinction the programming makes between warehouses and drop ship locations.
Warehouses are understood to have a complete inventory of all products not otherwise assigned to a drop ship location. If you have more than one warehouse defined, the warehouse closest to the shopper will be used to retrieve the shipping rate estimates. When you have more than one warehouse defined, the relationship between a product (that is not assigned to a drop ship location) and warehouses is one-to-many.
Drop ship locations usually represent vendors that supply items that you don’t inventory. These items are shipped directly to your customer on your behalf. Items that ship from a drop ship location are assigned to the drop ship location in the product settings. The item is understood to only ship from that location. The relationship between a product assigned to a drop ship location and the drop ship location is one-to-one.
If you have only drop ship locations (no warehouses), a recommended best practice is to define the drop ship location that sources most of your orders as a warehouse instead of a drop ship location. This insures that quotes will be returned in the event you forget to assign a product to a drop ship location.
When an order includes drop shipped items the shopping cart will display a single figure for the shipping rate estimate that is equal to the sum of the cheapest option for each shipment required to fulfill the order.
8a. In-store pick up settings |
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The Advanced Plan is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Advanced Plan the words Advanced plan required will appear adjacent to the settings header, and the fields associated with the feature will be inaccessible.
In-store pick up can be offered as an option in the checkout process based the shopper’s postal code or proximity. It will only be offered if the feature is enabled and only one stocking location (warehouse or drop ship location) is involved in providing a quote. The settings for In-store pick up are visible on the page used to add or edit a warehouse or drop ship location.
| Enable in-store pick up | Check the box to enable the in-store pick up feature. |
| Offer if address is within (miles) | The distance in miles within which you’d like to offer in-store pick up. The distance is route miles (driving distance). Leave blank if you don’t want to use distance to determine if in-store pick up should be offered. If both distance and postal codes are used as evaluation criteria, in-store pick up will display if either is satisfied. |
| Offer if postal code matches | The postal codes to which you’d like to offer in-store pick up. Enter only the five digit ZIP Code for US addresses. Leave blank if you don’t want to use postal codes to determine if in-store pick up should be offered. If both distance and postal codes are used as evaluation criteria, in-store pick up will display if either is satisfied. |
| Checkout description | The description to use to identify the option in the checkout process. The most obvious candidate is In-store pick up, but you can make it anything you’d like. |
| Phone number | Enter the phone number to display in the description of the in-store pickup option. |
8b. Local delivery settings |
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The Advanced Plan is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Advanced Plan the words Advanced plan required will appear adjacent to the settings header, and the fields associated with the feature will be inaccessible.
Local delivery can be offered as an option in the checkout process based the shopper’s postal code or proximity. It will only be offered if the feature is enabled and only one stocking location (warehouse or drop ship location) is involved in providing a quote. Local delivery can display as a free option or have a charge associated with it. Other shipping options provided by the app can be suppressed when local delivery is to be offered. The settings for Local delivery are visible on the page used to add or edit a warehouse or drop ship location.
| Enable local delivery | Check the box to enable the local delivery feature. |
| Offer if address is within (miles) | The distance in miles within which you’d like to offer local delivery. The distance is route miles (driving distance). Leave blank if you don’t want to use distance to determine if local delivery should be offered. If both distance and postal codes are used as evaluation criteria, local delivery will display if either is satisfied. |
| Offer if postal code matches | The postal codes to which you’d like to offer local delivery. Enter only the five digit ZIP Code for US addresses. Leave blank if you don’t want to use postal codes to determine if local delivery should be offered. If both distance and postal codes are used as evaluation criteria, local delivery will display if either is satisfied. |
| Checkout description | The description to use to identify the option in the checkout process. The most obvious candidate is Local delivery, but you can make it anything you’d like. |
| Local delivery fee | Enter the amount to charge for local delivery. Leave blank to offer local delivery for free. |
| Suppress other rates | Check the box to show only the option for local delivery when the criteria for doing so (distance or postal code) is met. Leave unchecked to have local delivery offered in addition to the shipping options normally displayed by the app. |
9. Quote settings |
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Click on the link for Quote Settings and make your selections.
| Label As | Identify how you want the quote labeled in the checkout process. A common choice for this field is “LTL Freight”. What you enter will display with the suffix “Economy” or “Priority” depending upon which services are enabled. |
| Quote Service Options | Select which services you want to be quoted to your shoppers. To make multiple selections hold down the Crtl key (PC) or Command key (Mac) and click on the service. Selected services will be displayed only if the service is available to the destination. Check the carrier’s service guide for a description of its services. |
| Show Delivery Estimate | When checked, the carrier’s estimated transit time will be displayed. |
| Always quote residential delivery | When checked, the quotes returned will always include the carrier’s residential delivery fee. |
| Auto-detect residential addresses | Through the use of an add-on extension titled Residential Address Detection, Ship To addresses are checked against database records from the USPS. When the address is identified as residential, the residential delivery fee is included in the rate estimates. If the message “Click here to add the Residential Address Detection module.” is present, then the add-on extension isn’t installed. Click on the link to install it if you’d like to use this feature. (Learn more) |
| Auto-renew | Displays only if the Residential Address Detection extension is installed. Choose a plan that best meets your needs. The credit card associated with the quote extension license will be billed immediately and the plan will become your current plan. Your choice will be retained for the auto-renew option. You can change your auto-renew selection at any time. Plans automatically renew at the end of every monthly billing cycle or upon the depletion of the current plan. To prevent a renewal, choose Disable from the list of options. |
| Current plan | Displays only if the Residential Address Detection extension is installed. Displays information about the current plan and the start and end dates of the current subscription period. |
| Current usage | Displays only if the Residential Address Detection plugin is installed. Displays information about the consumption of the current plan. The date shown is the UTC timestamp of the last time a residential address detection event occured. |
| Suspend use | Displays only if the Residential Address Detection extension is installed. Checking this box temporarily suspends the Residential Address Detection extension. It does not permanently disable it and if the current monthly billing cycle expires, a new plan will be activated. To disable the extension, deactivate it or choose Disable from the Auto-renew drop down. |
| Always quote lift gate delivery | When checked, the returned quotes will include each carrier’s lift gate delivery fee. |
| Offer lift gate delivery as an option | An additional option for LTL freight will be offered that includes the lift gate delivery fee. |
| Always include lift gate delivery when a residential address is detected | Displays only if the Residential Address Detection extension is installed. When enabled, if a residential delivery address is detected the lift gate delivery fee will be included in the shipping rate estimate. In such cases, the option to Offer lift gate delivery as an option will be suppressed, even if enabled. Enabling both the Offer lift gate delivery as an option setting and the Always include lift gate delivery when a residential address is detected setting allows commercial customers to choose whether or not lift gate service is needed while always requiring it for residential customers. |
| Hold At Terminal | The Advanced Plan is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Advanced Plan the words Advanced plan required will be displayed. Click on the Advanced plan required text to upgrade your plan and gain access to the feature.
When checked, an option to have the order held at the delivering terminal will be one of the shipping methods presented to the user. The quoted amount will be the same as a quote to the ship to address if it were a commercial address and would not require lift gate delivery (the “standard LTL rate“). This will be a more economical option for customers who would otherwise be subject to the residential address and/or lift gate delivery fee(s). |
| Handling Fee / Mark Up | Increases the amount of the returned quote by a specified amount prior to displaying it in the shopping cart. Enter an amount and use the field below to identify the unit of measure. A “5.0” entered with a unit of measure of “percent (%)” will mark up the rate by 5 percent . A “5.0” entered with a unit of measure of “flat rate” will mark the rate up by $5.00. |
| Discounts | Identify whether your LTL rates are calculated off of a negotiated or promotional discount. |
| Return LTL freight quotes when an order’s parcel shipment weight exceeds 150 LBS | When checked, the LTL Freight Quote plugin will return quotes when an order’s total weight exceeds 150 lbs, even if none of the products have settings to indicate that it will ship LTL. To increase the accuracy of the returned quote(s), all products should have accurate weights and dimensions. |
10. Product Settings |
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Now that the application settings have been established, it’s time enter the product settings. Repeat these instructions for every product that you want to ship via LTL freight. Select Catalog > Products from Magento Admin Panel menu. Locate the product on the list you’d like to update and click on it. You’ll be delivered to the Product Details Page.
Not all the settings on this page relate to the module. The instructions below pertain only to those fields that are relevant to the LTL Freight Quotes extension.
| Weight | Enter the weight of the product in pounds. It should include the weight of any packaging materials that may be required to ship the product, such as cardboard, bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts. |
| Ship Via LTL Freight | Select Yes to default the item’s shipping method to LTL freight. |
| Freight Class | Select the freight class for the product from the list of options. If you utilize both small package (parcel) and LTL freight shipping methods, you should identify the freight class for all products, even those that normally ship small package (parcel).
The last option in the list of freight classifications is Density Based. In most cases this is an industry accepted alternative for identifying the freight class of an item or shipment. Validate the returned quotes if using this setting. There are exceptions in the NMFC Freight Classification Directory that can render the density calculator results invalid for particular commodities. To be used successfully the product must have its weight and dimensions populated in the Shipping sub-panel. |
| Enable Drop Ship | Select Yes if the item will ship from a drop ship location. |
| Drop Ship Location | Select the drop ship location from which the item will ship. This setting is only active if the Enable Drop Ship location is set to Yes. |
| Hazardous Material | The Standard Plan or higher is required to use this feature. If you aren’t on the Standard Plan or higher the words Standard plan required will be displayed. Click on the Standard plan required text to upgrade your plan and gain access to the feature.
Select Yes if the item ships as hazardous material. |
What your shopper sees |
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Once you’ve completed the preceding steps, your Magento store is ready to begin retrieving LTL freight quotes. The exact presentation of the rates in the checkout process will depend on the options selected in the Quote Settings. The illustration below shows an example with multiple service options enabled.
What you see |
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When an order is placed, the quote details are available to you on the Order View page. The shipping method chosen by the customer is shown in the Payment & Shipping Method section of the Information page.
The Additional Order Details page will contain information related how the quote was obtained. Identified will be the shipment origin, the shipping method, any additional pertinent information, and a list of items shipping from that location. If more than one stocking location was required to obtain the quote, each location and its associated data will be listed in succession.
Managing Your License |
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You can manage your license by signing into eniture.com with the email address and password you entered when you registered for the extension. After you sign in, My Account will be added to the navigation menu. Click on it to access the Dashboard for your account.
Use the links below to navigate to documents in the knowledge base related to common topics of interest.