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LTL Freight QuotesTQL Edition for Shopify |
The TQL LTL Freight Quotes app retrieves your negotiated LTL rates, takes action on them according to the app settings, and displays the results as shipping options in the Shopify checkout process. TQL’s (tql.com ) headquarters is in Cincinnati, Ohio. and it has 57 offices in 26 states nationwide. In addition to offering LTL freight through more than two dozen carriers, TQL offers full truckload, intermodal, and other logistics services. To establish a TQL account call 1-800-580-3101 or email clientservices@tql.com.
Basic Plan $20/month
Retrieves your negotiated LTL freight rates.
Access to dozens of LTL carriers.
Offer the cheapest rate, an average rate, or a list of options.
Supported origins: United States.
Supported destinations: United States. Canada
Customize the text used to label quotes displayed to shoppers.
Elect to display the carrier’s transit time with the rate estimate.
Define multiple warehouse locations.
Identify products that drop ship from vendors.
Compatible with Shopify Locations.
Basic option for residential delivery.
Basic option for lift gate delivery.
Mark up quotes by a dollar amount or percentage.
Assign products and variants a shipping weight, freight class and optionally dimensions.
Access to a built in density calculator.
Pallet Packaging feature which is required for merchants with density-based tariffs and is optional for merchants with Freight Class/NMFC based tariffs. A step-by-step graphical illustration of the packaging solution is saved with the order.
Support for items that ship as multiple handling units (e.g. pallets). (Requires use of the optional Pallet Packaging feature)
Dynamic presentation of parcel and LTL freight rates with the installation of compatible apps from Eniture Technology
Standard Plan $25/month
Everything in the Basic Plan, plus…
Automatic detection of residential addresses allows the carrier’s residential delivery fee to be automatically included in quotes.
Option to require lift gate delivery when a residential address is detected.
Allow customers to choose between a standard option for LTL freight and one that includes lift gate delivery.
Do not display rates if a post office box is detected.
Support for products that ship hazardous material.
Advanced Plan $40/month
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.
Support for products that can be nested when shipped, such as garbage cans or drinking cups.
Current version: 2.0
Requirements
A Shopify account with the Real-Time Carrier Shipping feature enabled. The feature is standard on the Advanced Shopify subscription package. It can be added to other packages by contacting Shopify customer service. Learn more.
A TQL account relationship.
FAQ’S
How do I get this application?
This application can only be installed from this web page. Click the GET button adjacent to the app name.
Why isn’t the app available in the Shopify App Store?
This app has been submitted to the Shopify App Store and is under review. You don’t need to wait for the app to be available in the Shopify App Store to install and use the app. Installing the app from this web page will still initiate the Shopify installation wizard and Shopify will bill you for the app, just like the ones in the App Store.
How do I get a TQL account number?
Call 1-800-580-3101 or email clientservices@tql.com.
Where do I find my TQL username and password?
Usernames and passwords to TQL’s online shipping system, TQL Trax, are issued by TQL. Contact the TQL for assistance if you don’t have them.
Where do I get my TQL Client ID and Client Secret?
TQL will provide you with your Client ID and Client Secret. Contact the TQL for assistance if you don’t have them.
Why were the shipment charges I received on the invoice from TQL different than what was quoted by the plugin?
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 TQL 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 and Shopify does not perform this level of address validation.
Your shipment exceeded a constraining parameter of TQL’s website. For example, the shipment weight may have exceeded the maximum weight for which TQL will provide an online quote.
The TQL web service isn’t operational.
Your TQL account has been suspended or cancelled.
There is an issue with the Eniture Technology servers.
There is an issue Shopify’s servers.
How do I determine the freight class for my product(s)?
Look over the article in our knowledge base titled, “What is a freight class?” for helpful information about how you can identify your freight classes.
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. There are other attributes that can factor into determining a freight class. (Learn more). Whenever possible, you should use the freight class for your product that is recorded in the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) directory. 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 TQL representative for assistance.
User’s Guide
To use these instructions you must be logged into Shopify as the store’s administrator, or with a login that has administrative privileges.
Setting up the application to display LTL freight quotes consists of the following steps:
- Install the application.
- Prepare Shopify to use the application.
- Retrieve your TQL connection credentials.
- Choose the desired plan.
- Connect the application to TQL Trax.
- Select which carriers you wish to work with.
- Identify your warehouse and drop ship locations.
- Choose the desired quote settings.
- Identify pallet sizes.
- Enter the product shipping parameters.
Other information contained in this guide:
1. Install the application |
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You must be able to sign into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform this step.This app isn’t available in the Shopify App Store so you will need to install it from this web page. Click the GET button at the top of this page.
Enter your Shopify URL to identify what store the app will be installed on and click the Install button. The URL you enter should resemble your-store.myshopify.com.
If you aren’t currently logged into your store you will be prompted to enter your Shopify username and password. Click the Login button afterwards. You must login with the Store Owner credentials to install the app. If you are already logged in, you may be automatically directed to the next step in the installation process.
You’ll be presented with a page to notify you of the permissions the app needs to perform its function. It is prefaced by a warning that the app doesn’t appear in the app store. Don’t be concerned about this. We publish over a dozen LTL Freight Quotes apps in the Shopify App Store. This app receives the same level of support and commitment as our apps that available in the App Store. Even though the app doesn’t appear in the App Store, Shopify will still bill you for the app’s monthly subscription fee. Click on the Install unlisted app button to continue to the next step.
Review the fees for the app and then click the Approve charge button to complete the installation process.
2. Prepare Shopify to use the application |
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You must have the Third-party calculated shipping rates feature on your Shopify plan to have live carrier quotes displayed in the checkout process. It is standard on the Shopify Advanced plan and can be added to other Shopify plans by calling Shopify Customer Service at 888-746-7439. (Learn more)
Navigate to the Settings>Shipping page. Click on the Manage rates link for the General shipping rates in the Rates at checkout section.
In the General shipping profile, locate the shipping origin from which you want the app to provide quotes.
If the only shipping zone you have is Rest of world, click on the Create shipping zone link and then enter a zone name (i.e. “Domestic”).
Locate the shipping zone for which you want to app to provide quotes. Click the Add rate button.
Select the option Use carrier or app to calculate rates.
It may take a moment for Shopify to retrieve the list of apps capable of providing shipping quotes for your store. After it has, the appearance of the Add rate page will be similar to the image below. Perform the following actions:
- Select the app from the drop down list.
- Enable the Services are selected in the app preferences setting. If this setting isn’t available to enable, don’t be concerned. Click the Done button at the bottom of the page and continue on to the next step.
- Click the Done button at the bottom of the page.
Repeat the steps above to enable the app for any other shipping zone. You should only enable the app in shipping zones that the app is capable of returning quotes for. Check the Features tab for origins and destinations that the app supports.
3. Retrieve your TQL connection credentials |
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To connect the app to TQL Trax, you’ll need the following information:
- Client ID
- Client Secret
- TQL Trax Username
- TQL Trax Password
- Subscription Key
These credentials will be provided to you by TQL. If you don’t have this information, contact TQL by phone at 1-800-580-3101 or email at clientservices@tql.com.
4. Choose the desired plan. |
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Begin by selecting Apps from the Shopify menu. Locate the entry for the TQL LTL Freight Quotes app and click on the app name to access the app preferences.
The Plans page is used to confirm the plan you are currently subscribed to, see the features offered on each plan, and to perform upgrades or downgrades according to your needs. The plan you’re currently subscribed to will have This is your current plan above the monthly subscription rate. To change plans, click on the desired plan’s monthly subscription rate. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to change plans.
5. Connect to TQL |
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The Connection Settings page is used to establish the app’s connection to the TQL Trax web service. Enter the information prompted for, then click Save Settings. After the settings have been saved, click the Test Connection button. You will see a success message if your credentials validated. If not, correct them and try again.
| Client ID | Enter the Client ID provided by TQL. |
| Client Secret | Enter the Client Secret provided by TQL. |
| Username | Enter your username to TQL Trax. |
| Password | Enter your password to TQL Trax. |
| Subscription Key | Enter the Subscription Key provided by TQL. |
6. Select Carriers |
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Click on the Carriers tab. On this page you’ll identify which carriers you want to retrieve quotes for. Usually it’s best to retrieve quotes from all carriers. You’ll limit what your shopper sees in the next step. However, if there are particular carriers you have strong feelings against, this is where you’ll omit them. Make your selections and click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.
7. Identify Warehouse and Drop Ship Locations |
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You can choose to use the app’s warehouse and drop ship functionality, or Shopify’s Locations feature to determine the shipment origins for orders placed on your store. Make your selection using the drop-down field labeled, How will your shipment origins be identified?
If you ship from only one location, it doesn’t matter which option you choose. However, your decision will matter if you ship from more than one location.
The app’s functionality assumes than an unlimited amount of inventory is available from each stocking location. The app has two types of stocking locations: warehouses and drop ship locations. If multiple warehouses exist, the one closest to the ship-to address is used as the ship-from location. This approach minimizes the estimated shipping costs and, if you have the setting enabled, presents your shopper with quicker estimated delivery dates. When an item is assigned to a drop ship location, it always ships from there.
Shopify Locations introduces the ability to do inventory tracking at multiple locations. Shopify Locations may be a good option for you if:
- You have visibility to the inventory levels at all your shipping locations.
- You will maintain accurate inventory counts in Shopify.
- You have items that can ship from more than one location, but not all locations.
Be aware that Shopify’s selection of the ship-from location isn’t influenced by its proximity to the ship-to address. Instead, you’ll list your locations in the order in which you want Shopify to look for available inventory. Once Shopify finds it, that location (or locations) becomes the ship-from address even if the next one on your list is across the street from the ship-to address and has enough inventory to fulfill the order. To get a better understanding of how Shopify Locations identifies the ship-from location, look over the example in Shopify’s Help Center.
If you choose to use Shopify Locations, you’ll lose visibility to how the app built the shipping quote when Shopify determines that more than one location is needed to fulfill the order. This occurs because Shopify makes individual shipping rate requests for each location and doesn’t provide enough information to relate each of them back to the same order. The section in this document titled, What you see, has examples of the information normally captured with an order. This information will be missing when Shopify Locations is used, and more than one location is used to fulfill the order.
Click the Add button in the appropriate sections to add warehouse and drop ship locations. Warehouses should 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 shipping rate estimates.
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. An item can be assigned to only one drop ship location. Items not assigned to a drop ship location are assumed to ship from your warehouse(s).
When an order will ship from more than one stocking location (e.g. warehouse and drop ship locations or more than one drop ship location) a single figure will display for the shipping rate estimate labeled “Shipping”. The amount of the quote will be equal to the sum of the cheapest shipping option for each location.
A best practice is to define at least one warehouse, even if all your products are drop shipped. If all your products are drop shipped (you have no warehouses), make the highest volume drop ship location a warehouse. This ensures that shipping rate estimates will still be returned in the event a product was added to your catalog and its drop ship location wasn’t identified.
The locations you identified in Shopify will be displayed on the page when you select Shopify Locations from the How will your shipment origins be identified? drop down. Any changes to your locations will need to be made in Shopify. If you are on the app’s ADVANCED plan you can use the Edit link to enable and manage your in-store pickup and local delivery settings.
7a. 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.
Click on the text Advanced plan required to upgrade your plan and gain access to the feature. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
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. |
7b. 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.
Click on the text Advanced plan required to upgrade your plan and gain access to the feature. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
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. |
8. Quote Settings |
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On this page you will choose the settings that will affect every LTL Freight Quote your shopper sees. Enter the information prompted for, and then click on the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page. This will conclude the application setup. Next you will identify which of your products will ship via LTL Freight and enter the corresponding shipment parameters.
LTL Freight Service LevelsEnable Standard and/or Guaranteed services according to what you want to offer your customers.
| Rating Method | There are up to six options to choose from:
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| Label As | Cheapest and Average rating methods only. Identify how you want the quote labeled in the checkout process. The Cheapest method will display the carrier name if left blank. The Average method will display “Freight” if left blank. A common choice for this field is “LTL Freight”. |
| Number Of Options | Cheapest Options and Average rating methods only. Identify how many quotes to include. The selected quotes will include the cheapest and as many of the next least expensive options needed to reach the specified number. The Cheapest Options method will display each quote individually in a list of options from which the shopper can choose from. The Average method will display a single rate which will be the average of the number of chosen quotes. |
| Show Delivery Estimate | Check this box if you want the carriers’ delivery estimate to be displayed. Not available for the Average quote method. |
| Always include residential pick up | When checked, the quote will always include the carrier’s residential pick up fee. |
| Always quote residential delivery | When checked, the quote will always include the carrier’s residential delivery fee. |
| Automatically detect and quote residential delivery | 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. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
Each order’s shipping address is referenced against a USPS database to determine if it is a residential address. If it is, the freight quote will automatically include the carrier’s residential delivery fee. |
| Default unconfirmed address types to: | Displays only if the Automatically Detect and Quote Residential Delivery setting is enabled. Select Residential or Commercial. In rare cases the plugin my be unable to confirm the address type. This occurs when a match for the address can’t be found in the USPS database. Invalid addresses are the most common reason for this. In extremely rare cases an address may be valid, but the match found in the USPS database has a low confidence metric. Choose how you want addresses treated in these cases. |
| Always include lift gate pick up | When checked, every quote will include the carrier’s lift gate pick up fee. |
| Always quote lift gate delivery | When checked, every quote will include the carrier’s lift gate delivery fee. |
| Offer lift gate delivery as an option | 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. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
When checked, an additional option will be presented to the shopper that will include the lift gate delivery fee. The shopper will be able to choose between options that exclude or include lift gate delivery. |
| Include lift gate delivery when residential delivery is detected | 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. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
When checked, 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 Include lift gate delivery when residential delivery is detected setting allows commercial customers to choose whether or not lift gate service is needed while always requiring it for residential customers. |
| Weight of Handling Unit | Enter in pounds the weight of your pallet, skid, crate or other type of handling unit you use. The amount entered will be added to shipment weight prior to requesting a quote. |
| Maximum Weight per Handling Unit | Enter in pounds the maximum weight that can be placed on the handling unit. If the total weight of the cart exceeds this value, the weight of additional handling units will be added as needed. For example, if the maximum weight is 500 LBS, and the total weight of the cart is 1200 LBS, the weight of the handling units added to the shipment shall be 3 times the weight entered in the Weight of Handling Unit field. (=roundup(1200/500,0)*Weight of Handling Unit) |
| Handling Fee / Mark Up | Increases the amount of each returned quote by a specified amount prior to displaying it/them in the shopping cart. The number entered will be interpreted as dollars and cents unless it is followed by a % sign. For example, entering 5.00 will cause $5.00 to be added to the quotes. Entering 5.00% will cause each quote to be multiplied by 1.05 (= 1 + 5%). |
| Do not return rates if the ship to address appears to be a post office box | 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. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
When enabled the app will not return quotes when it detects that the address is a post office box. The identification of a post office box is performed by text string matches to “PO Box”, “P.O. Box” and a number of other probable representations. This method is not infallible or guaranteed. It will not interfere with the presentation of shipping methods by other apps. |
9. Identify Pallet Sizes |
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The Pallets tab will allow you to identify the sizes of pallets or handling units that you have on hand. You don’t need to enable this optional, usage-based feature if your pricing tariff is based exclusively on traditional freight classes. However, if your pricing tariff requires that your shipments be dimensionally rated then you will need to enable this feature.
Product dimensions are required for this feature to work. For more information on entering product dimensions, see the section on Product Shipping Parameters.
When enabled, the packaging algorithm will select the smallest pallet possible from your list of identified pallets. The selected pallet will be the one with a width or length greater but closest in size to the item in the cart with the largest dimension. If there is more than one possibility, the pallet with the smallest square area (length x width) will be chosen. This ensures the greatest edge-to-edge coverage on the pallet and therefore the lowest shipping costs when shipments will be dimensionally rated.
When the Pallet Packaging feature is enabled, the packaging solution is saved as a step-by-step graphical illustration which you can access from the Order Details page. Use the step-by-step instructions to pack the order exactly as it was quoted.
9a. Enable the pallet packaging feature. |
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The top of the Pallets page contains information to aid you in managing this usage-based feature. A charge of 3 cents is incurred each time the packaging algorithm executes.
| Enable checkbox | Check this box to enable the pallet packaging feature. While enabled a charge of 3 cents will be incurred for each calculated packaging solution unless the capped amount for the billing cycle has been reached. If the capped amount has been reached you can re-enable the feature by increasing the capped amount. |
| Current usage | Shows the usage of the feature at the time the page loads. |
| Capped amount | The amount entered into this field is the maximum you can be charged for the Pallet Packaging feature in a billing cycle. (Learn more about “Capped amounts” and how Shopify bills for usage charges.) |
| Notification email address | An email will be sent to the email address entered when the usage of the Pallet Packaging feature reaches 80% of the capped amount. Taking action to increase the capped amount immediately after receiving the email will mitigate the risk of the feature being disabled, which may prevent the retrieval of LTL freight quotes or, if they are retrieved, their accuracy. |
9b. Identify your pallets or handling units. |
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To add a pallet, click the Add Pallet button.
Follow the instructions below. Repeat for each pallet or handling unit that you stock.
| Nickname | Enter a nickname for the pallet. This will be used to identify the pallet in the graphical representation of the packaging solution that can be viewed on the Order Detail page. The nickname is not visible to shoppers. |
| Length | Enter the length of the pallet in inches. |
| Width | Enter the width of the pallet in inches. |
| Pallet Height | Enter the height of the pallet in inches. This is the height of the pallet without anything on it. |
| Pallet Weight | Enter the weight of the pallet in pounds. This is the weight of the pallet without anything on it. |
| Max Height | Enter in inches the maximum height that you are willing to allow the pallet to reach as items are placed on it. |
| Max Weight | Enter in pounds the maximum weight that you are willing to allow the pallet to reach as items are placed on it. |
| Available | Enable this checkbox to make the pallet available to the algorithm that determines the packaging solution. |
9c. Items that ship as multiple pallets or handling units |
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When you enable the Pallet Packaging feature, a setting is available on the Product Shipping Parameters page to allow you to specify that the item ships as multiple pallets or handling units.
When you enable the setting, the item will appear on the Pallets page in the Items that ship as multiple handling units section.
Click the Add a handling unit link. A popup will display to collect information about the handling unit.
Enter the handling unit shipping parameters.
| Quantity | Enter the number of handling units that are of this size. |
| Nickname | Enter a nickname for the handling unit. The nickname will be used to identify the handling unit in the graphical illustration of the packaging solution. The nickname is not visible to shoppers. |
| Freight Class | The Freight Class of the item. If you choose Density Based, dimensions are required. Dimensions aren’t required if you choose a Freight Class other than Density Based unless the handling unit will be subject to the overlength fee (a.k.a. excessive length fee). (Learn about Freight Classes) |
| Length | The length of the pallet or handling unit in inches. |
| Width | The width of the pallet or handling unit in inches. |
| Height | The height of the pallet or handling unit in inches. |
| Weight (Required) | The weight of the pallet or handling unit in pounds. |
10. Product Settings |
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Now that the application settings have been established, it’s time to populate the product settings. You can do this through the app’s user interface, which is described in this step. Using the app’s user interface is convenient if you have a limited number of products to populate. If you have a lot of products to populate, you’ll find using the Import CSV Utility described later in the User’s Guide much more efficient.
Repeat these instructions for every product that you want to ship LTL freight. Select Products from the Shopify menu. Locate the product on the list and choose it by clicking on it. You will be delivered to the product’s details page. Click the More actions button at the top of the page to reveal the installed apps and select the app from the list.
You’ll be delivered to a page on which you will enter the product’s freight class, weight and dimensions. Enter the information prompted for, and then click the Save & Return button at the bottom of the page to return to the product’s Shopify product details page.
| Quote as an parcel shipment | Eniture Technology also has several Small Package Quotes apps that can be used to obtain parcel quotes for carriers like FedEx and UPS. This setting will appear if one of the Small Package Quotes apps is installed. |
| Quote as an LTL shipment | Check this checkbox if you want this product to be quoted as shipping LTL freight. |
| Weight | Enter the weight of the product in pounds. Include the weight of any packaging materials that are used to ship the product. |
| Freight Class | Select the product’s freight class from the drop down list. You may also select Density Based from the list, which will calculate freight class on the fly using the product’s weight and dimensions. The density based calculation will return the correct freight class in most, but not all cases. You are solely responsible to identify the correct freight class of your product(s). If you need assistance, contact your LTL freight provider or refer to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) directory published by the National Motor Freight Transportation Agency (NMFTA.org). |
| NMFC | Usually an NMFC number is not required to get an LTL freight quote. However, in certain circumstances, an LTL freight provider may require it for individual accounts. If you are required to provide a commodity’s NMFC number to obtain an LTL freight quote, enter it here. |
| Length | Enter the length of the product in inches. It should include any incremental inches added by packaging materials that may be required to ship the product. The length must be between 1 and 636 inches. |
| Width | Enter the width of the product in inches. It should include any incremental inches added by packaging materials that may be required to ship the product. The width must be between 1 and 96 inches. |
| Height | Enter the height of the product in inches. It should include any incremental inches added by packaging materials that may be required to ship the product. The height must be between 1 and 102 inches. |
| Nested item | 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.
Enable this checkbox if the item can be stacked into another identical item when it is shipped. An example would be 13 gallon trashcans or plastic cups. When this setting is enabled, the Freight Class is always Density Based. |
| Nested dimension | This setting is only relevant if the Nested item setting is enabled.
Identify the dimension (length, width or height) on which the nesting occurs. |
| Nesting percentage | This setting is only relevant if the Nested item setting is enabled.
Enter the percent of the item that can be nested inside of another identical item. For example, if an item is 10 inches in height and after stacking two together the total height is 11 inches, the stacking percentage is 90%. (11 inches = 10 inches + (10 inches x 90%)) |
| Maximum nested items | This setting is only relevant if the Nested item setting is enabled.
Enter the maximum number of items you’ll allow in a single stack of nested items. |
| Stacking property | This setting is only relevant if the Nested item setting is enabled.
Select Maximized or Evenly. If your Maximum nested items is 6, and there are 7 items in the cart, then the Maximized option will result in one stack of 6 and one of 1. If the Stacking property is set to Evenly, it will result in one stack of 4 and one of 3. |
| Allow item to be rotated vertically when placing it on a pallet | Pallet Packaging Properties This setting requires the optional Pallet Packaging feature to be enabled. Enabling this setting allows the item to be rotated while identifying a packaging solution using the Pallet Packaging feature. This setting provides the most flexibility for arriving at a solution. |
| This item ships in its own handling unit | Pallet Packaging Properties This setting requires the optional Pallet Packaging feature to be enabled. Enabling this setting prevents the item from being combined with other items onto one of the standard pallets or handling units. The item will be included in the shipment as its own handling unit with the weight and dimensions specified. Items with this setting enabled are not fed to the Pallet Packaging algorithm and do not incur a usage charge. |
| This item ships as multiple handling units | Pallet Packaging Properties This setting requires the optional Pallet Packaging feature to be enabled. When this setting is enabled, the product will be added to the Items that ship as multiple handling units section of the Pallets page. The section appears below the list of pallet sizes. Locate the product there to record handling units that contain the materials and parts that the item is comprised of. Items with this setting enabled are not fed to the Pallet Packaging algorithm and do not incur a usage charge. |
| Markup | Use this field to modify the shipping quotes returned by app. Enter a dollar amount (e.g. 1.00 or -1.00) to increase or decrease the shipping quotes. The amount of the adjustment will be multiplied by the quantity of the item in the Cart. Enter a percentage (e.g. 1.0% or -1.0%) to have a percentage of the item’s price added to or subtracted from the shipping quotes. When a percentage is entered and there is more than one of the item in the Cart, the percentage will be applied to the extended price (quantity x price).
When present, the product level markup (this setting) is applied first, followed by the service level markup, then by the shipment level markup, and finally by the markup in the Shopify shipping settings. |
| 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. You must be signed into Shopify with the Store Owner credentials to perform the upgrade.
Check this checkbox if this item must be identified as hazardous material. When checked, the carrier’s hazardous materials fee will be included in the quote if this item is present in the cart. |
| Drop ship this product | Check this box if this item is drop shipped from a location other than your warehouse. |
| Drop ship location | Select the drop ship location from the drop down. These locations are defined on the Warehouses tab in the app settings that was described in step 3. |
What your customer sees |
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Once you’ve completed the four preceding steps, your Shopify store is ready to begin quoting LTL freight. Any time one or more products in the shopping cart are flagged as shipping LTL freight, all of the products are assumed to ship LTL freight as this will be more economical than splitting the shipment between two or more shipping methods. In the absence of a freight class, as may be the case for products not set up to ship LTL freight, the application will take advantage of any available information to ensure the return of an LTL freight quote if at all possible. To ensure the best possible outcome, it is highly recommended that the freight class, weight and dimensions be entered for every product you sell, even if they are not defaulted to ship LTL freight. When LTL rates are displayed, the exact presentation will depend on the options selected in the Quote Settings. The illustration below shows an example with the Cheapest Options rating method selected, and the Number Of Options set to three:
What you see. |
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The app populates shipping related information in the Additional details widget on the Order Details page. The content of the widget falls into two categories: 1) Shipment Origin & Services; and 2) Shipment Content.
Shipment Origin & Services
This information block will identify the shipment origin, the selected carrier service and a list of any additional services (such as residential delivery) associated with the shipment. A separate Shipment Origin & Services information block will appear for each shipping location that will participate in fulfilling the order. This is particularly useful for stores with multiple warehouses and drop ship locations.
Shipment Content
A Shipment Content information block is presented beneath each Shipment Origin & Services information block. It identifies the products that were quoted as shipping from the location.
Updating products with the Import CSV Utility. |
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You can use the app’s Import CSV utility to enter or update the product shipping parameters. This method can be more time efficient than navigating in and out of the app’s user interface, particularly if you have a lot of products. (View the 5 minute instructional video)
Navigate to the Import CSV tab in the app preferences.
You can’t use the Import CSV utility to create products in Shopify. The products must exist in Shopify prior to downloading the CSV template if they are to be updated.
Click the template link in the second paragraph of the on-screen instructions and provide your email address when prompted. You should receive an email containing the CSV file within a minute or two. The more products you have, the longer it takes to retrieve the data. If you don’t receive the email within 5 minutes, check your junk folder.
Open the CSV file in Excel or a similar application. Each row of the spreadsheet represents one of your products or product variants. Eniture Technology publishes apps that provide quotes for Small Package (parcel) and LTL Freight. The CSV file can be used for both categories of apps. If you have more than one of Eniture Technology’s quoting apps installed, you only need to import the file once
Save a copy of the CSV file as a backup, particularly if you have product shipping parameters already present. You can use the backup file to restore your product shipping parameters to their previous state in the event you make a mistake with your current update exercise.
Columns A and B contain unique identifiers from Shopify. Do not disturb these fields. Columns C through K are provided to help you identify the product/variant that is represented by the row in the file. They aren’t used in the CSV import process. Columns L through Y are relevant to the app and where your focus will be while populating data for use by the app.
We recommend that you delete the rows from the CSV file that relate to products or product variants that you don’t want updated. Doing so will prevent these products from being updated in the event you make a mistake. You can also delete columns that you don’t want updated. For example, if you only want to update product/variant weights, your final CSV file need only contain Column A (Product ID), Column B (Variant ID) and Column N (Weight).
Removing data from a field in columns L through Y has the same effect as removing the data when using the user interface. For example, columns R through V are used to assign a product to a drop ship location. If those columns were populated for a product when you received the CSV file, and you cleared the data from them prior to importing the updated file, the product will no longer be associated with a drop ship location.
| Column | Header | Instructions |
| A | Product id | This column is critical to the import process. Do not remove the column or modify its contents. |
| B | Variant id | This column is critical to the import process. Do not remove the column or modify its contents. |
| L | Quote Method | Required.The default shipping method for the item. If you only have the Small Package Quotes app installed, enter S. If you only have the LTL Freight Quotes app installed, enter L. If you have both apps installed, enter S or L depending on which shipping method would be used if the cart contained only one unit of the item and no other items were in the cart. If left blank, the apps will ignore the product.
S = Small Package (Parcel) |
| M | Freight Class | Required only if the LTL Freight Quotes app is installed. If so, you should enter a freight class on all products, even those that will ship small package (parcel) by default. Small package products can be quoted as part of an LTL shipment depending on the content of the cart. Permitted values are: 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 77.5, 85, 92.5, 100, 110, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 300, 400, 500, Density Based.
If you are unfamiliar with what freight classes and need to populate this column, the knowledge base article What is a freight class? is a good resource to start with. |
| N | Weight | Required. Enter the weight of the item in pounds. You can can enter a value to the thousandths of a pound. For example, enter 1.125 for an item that weighs 1 pound and 2 ounces or 1 1/8 pounds. Column J (Variant Grams) contains what you entered into Shopify to identify the weight of the product. Shopify stores this data in grams. If you’re comfortable with spreadsheet formulas, you can use the data in Column J (Variant Grams) to populate the data in Column N (Weight). The Excel formula for row 2 of the CSV file would be:
=ROUNDUP(J2*0.00220462,3) Once you have the formula entered into Row 2, Column J of your spreadsheet, you can copy it and paste it into all the remaining rows of the spreadsheet. Or use the spreadsheet’s drag-and-fill feature. The weight entered for use by the app does not have to equal the weight entered for Shopify. |
| O | Length | Enter the length of the item in inches. You can enter a value to the thousandths of an inch. For example, enter 1.125 for an item with a length of 1 1/8 inches. Length is always the longest dimension of the item.
Small Package Quotes LTL Freight Quotes
Refer to the section on how to use the user interface to populate the product shipping parameters to determine if you should enter dimensions for items that will ship LTL freight by default. It will indicate if dimensions are required for shipments to certain destinations or the excessive length fee. |
| P | Width | Enter the width of the item in inches. You can enter a value to the thousandths of an inch. For example, enter 1.125 for an item with a length of 1 1/8 inches.
Small Package Quotes LTL Freight Quotes
Refer to the section on how to use the user interface to populate the product shipping parameters to determine if you should enter dimensions for items that will ship LTL freight by default. It will indicate if dimensions are required for shipments to certain destinations. |
| Q | Height | Enter the height of the item in inches. You can enter a value to the thousandths of an inch. For example, enter 1.125 for an item with a length of 1 1/8 inches.
Small Package Quotes LTL Freight Quotes
Refer to the section on how to use the user interface to populate the product shipping parameters to determine if you should enter dimensions for items that will ship LTL freight by default. It will indicate if dimensions are required for shipments to certain destinations. |
| R | Dropship Nickname | If the item will ship from a drop ship location, enter its nickname. Leave it blank if the item ships from one of your warehouses. If the drop ship location wasn’t defined previously, it will be created. Read the knowledge base article Warehouses versus Drop Ship locations if you’re unclear about the difference. |
| S | Dropship ZIP | If the item will ship from a drop ship location, enter its 5 digit ZIP code (US) or 6 character postal code (Canada). If the ZIP code has a leading zero (0), preface it with an apostrophe (i.e. ‘02111). Leave it blank if the item ships from one of your warehouses. If the drop ship location wasn’t defined previously, it will be created. Read the knowledge base article Warehouses versus Drop Ship locations if you’re unclear about the difference. |
| T | Dropship City | If the item will ship from a drop ship location, enter its City. Leave it blank if the item ships from one of your warehouses. If the drop ship location wasn’t defined previously, it will be created. Read the knowledge base article Warehouses versus Drop Ship locations if you’re unclear about the difference. |
| U | Dropship State | If the item will ship from a drop ship location, enter the two character abbreviation for the state or province. Leave it blank if the item ships from one of your warehouses. If the drop ship location wasn’t defined previously, it will be created. Read the knowledge base article Warehouses versus Drop Ship locations if you’re unclear about the difference. |
| V | Dropship Country | If the item will ship from a drop ship location, enter the two character abbreviation for the country. Leave it blank if the item ships from one of your warehouses. If the drop ship location wasn’t defined previously, it will be created. Read the knowledge base article Warehouses versus Drop Ship locations if you’re unclear about the difference.
CA = Canada |
| W | Hazmat | This setting will be operational only if you are subscribed to a plan which includes the feature.
0 = The item isn’t hazardous material. An empty field is the equivalent of entering a 0. |
| X | Ships Alone | This setting will be operational only if you have the Standard Box Sizes feature enabled.
0 = The item can be placed in a box with other items when identifying the packaging solution. An empty field is the equivalent of entering a 0. |
| Y | Vertical Rotation | This setting will be operational only if you have the Standard Box Sizes feature enabled.
0 = The item may not be rotated when identifying the packaging solution for the order. An empty field is the equivalent of entering a 0. |
Save the file as a CSV or Comma Separated Value file. If you are using a Mac, you will need save the file as a Windows Comma Separated (.csv) or MS-DOS Comma Separated (.csv) file, or the import process will not be successful.
To import your populated CSV file, navigate to the Import CSV tab in the app preferences. Click the box to indicate that your file has a header row (if it still does), and then click the Choose File button. Select your file and click the Next button.
On the next page, use the drop down lists on the right to map the column headers in your file to the shipping parameters listed on the left. When the mapping is done, click Next.
You’ll be prompted to provide an email address which will receive an email once the import is done. The email will contain information about the outcome of the import process. The import process typically takes 5 minutes or less. If you don’t receive a notification email within 10 minutes, check your spam folder and make sure the notification email isn’t there. If it isn’t, download the CSV template again. Examine the new file you receive to see if your updates are reflected in the data. If they aren’t, email the CSV file that contains your updates to support@eniture.com.
Shipping with FreightDesk Online |
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- How capture the cost of shipping on orders placed online.
- How to ship the order, including how to create the shipping label (or Bill Of Lading in the case of LTL freight), schedule the carrier to pick up the shipment, and update the customer with the tracking number.
Quoting apps, like this one, provide a solution for the first challenge. What are your options for the second challenge?
Option 1 – The carrier’s website: You can log into the carrier’s website and manually enter all of the relevant information. Carrier websites are free to use since the carrier makes money when you use them to deliver an order. However, if you have more than a handful of orders each day this approach is time consuming and ripe for data entry errors which can be costly to correct.
Option 2 – Shopify Shipping: Shopify Shipping offers pretty competitive rates for postal companies like the US postal service, and parcel companies like UPS, and DHL. But if you ship with another provider or have more than a low-to-moderate number of daily orders, you’ll find Shopify Shipping clunky and woefully inefficient.
Option 3 – Cloud-based Shipping Platforms: The next step up in capability are cloud-based shipping systems that will connect to your online store and retrieve the details of your orders, thereby eliminating the need for much of the manual data entry. Many of these shipping systems have arrangements with postal and parcel carriers that are on par if not better than the options available through Shopify Shipping. Where these systems excel is in the efficiency of the fulfillment process. That translates in to a much higher volume of shipments per unit of time. These systems are relatively inexpensive and the reduction in the amount of labor and time it takes to ship your orders will pay dividends.
Option 4 – FreightDesk Online: FreightDesk Online (freightdesk.online) is also a cloud-based shipping system. It enjoys all of the benefits of other cloud-based offerings but expands the solution in two ways:
- It makes use of the detailed information collected by Eniture Technology’s quoting apps (like this one) such as the packaging solution and the additional services included in the shipping option chosen when the order was placed.
- It provideds merchants access to more than two dozen LTL freight providers in addition to the typical postal and parcel integrations offered by other cloud-based solutions.
These expanded capabilities deliver you closer to true “click-and-ship” shipping than any other alternative, whether you’re shipping with a postal carrier, a parcel carrier, or an LTL freight provider.
How to connect your Shopify store to FreightDesk Online |
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First, if you don’t already have one, register for a FreightDesk Online account (https://freightdesk.online/register). You can connect multiple online stores to FreightDesk Online, so you don’t have to create separate accounts for each one.
The pricing for FreightDesk Online is á la carte. You’ll be able to pick a separate plan for parcel (and postal) shipments, and for LTL freight shipments based on the anticipated volume for each type of shipping. Your monthly subscription rate will be comprised of these two selections. You can begin a 30-day trial of both types of shipping by selecting Trial in the corresponding dropdown fields on the registration form.
After you complete the registration process, log into FreightDesk Online. Click on your avatar located in the top right-hand corner of the browser window. Copy your FreightDesk Online ID which will be located below your company name.
Return to the app preferences and click on the FreightDesk Online tab. Enter your FreightDesk Online ID and click the Connect button.
Complete the connection by granting the permissions that Shopify prompts you for.
Now that you’ve connected FreightDesk Online, unfulfilled orders will automatically appear in FreightDesk Online. To view them, log into FreightDesk Online and click on Orders in the navigation menu. You’ll need to connect your shipping providers before you can start shipping. You can find a quick start guide in FreightDesk Online by navigating to Help > Getting Started.