How do I import lanes to an RFP?

The lane template upload allows you to import multiple lanes at once. This system feature helps reduce the time spent adding individual lanes for a bid. You must fill out a template with the lane data to import to ShipperGuide.

Topics covered in this article:

• Download lanes template
• Format cells
• Upload lanes to RFP

To download the template file:

On a draft RFP, click >

The lane template file will download and save to your computer.

To format cells:

Open the lanes template file and reference the accepted formats and required/optional fields below while filling out the cells.

Important: In the Modes settings, set up to 5 additional fields for each truck mode which will automatically be added to the lane template file for new bids. Please do not change the column header names, as it will prevent the system from matching the correct fields to upload the lane data.

Column	Format	Examples	Required/Optional	Default
Lane Id	Free form text Up to 20 characters If the Lane ID is not specified, the system will auto-generate a lane ID value based on the origin and destination zip code and the equipment type for the lane.		Optional	Origin zip-destination zip-equipment type
Origin Facility Name			Optional
Origin Facility Address	Valid address		Optional
Origin City	Free form text US, Canadian, and Mexico lanes are supported	Chicago New York	Required
Origin State	Free form text US, Canadian, and Mexico lanes are supported	CA or California NH or New Hampshire	Required
Origin Zip	Free form text Up to 10 characters US, Canadian, and Mexico lanes are supported	60601 60601-0001	Required If city and state are specified, a zip code is not required. A zip code will be randomly selected based on the city and state combination.
Origin Country	Free form text Two or three letter abbreviation US, Canadian, and Mexico lanes are supported	US or USA CA or CAN MX or MEX	Required
Dest Facility Name			Optional
Dest Facility Address	Valid address		Optional
Dest City	Free form text US, Canadian, and Mexico lanes are supported	Chicago New York	Required
Dest State	Free form text US, Canadian, and Mexico lanes are supported	CA or California NH or New Hampshire	Required
Dest Zip	Free form text Up to 10 characters US, Canadian, and Mexico lanes are supported	60601 60601-0001	Required If city and state are specified, a zip code is not required. A zip code will be randomly selected based on the city and state combination.
Dest Country	Free form text Two or three letter abbreviation US, Canadian, and Mexico lanes are supported	US or USA CA or CAN MX or MEX	Required
Mileage	Whole numbers		The mileage calculator automatically calculates miles based on origin, additional stops, and destination zip codes. Otherwise, please enter the mileage. Mexico zip codes are not supported by PC Miler. Mileage will need to be manually entered for Mexico lanes.
Volume	A whole number that is greater than 0		Required
Equipment Type	No specific format The system is enabled to search patterns for matching characters within the string/text to match the equipment type. If the text is not matching, the equipment type will default as “DRV.”	rfr | reef | reefer will all map out to RFR	Optional	DRV
Notes	Free form text Up to 2,048 characters		Optional
Target Rate	Set as a flat-rate		Optional
stop_1_city	Free form text First additional stop between the origin and destination.	Chicago New York	Required (if zip code is not specified)
stop_1_state	Free form text First additional stop between the origin and destination.	CA or California NH or New Hampshire	Required (if zip code is not specified)
stop_1_zip	Free form text Up to 10 characters First additional stop between the origin and destination.	60601 60601-0001	Required (if city and state is not specified)

If you would like to add additional stops, please add up to two more column values for the city, state, and zip of the two additional stops after the column that contains “stop_1_zip”, as seen in the screenshot below. The maximum number of additional stops for each lane is 3.

To upload the template file:

1. After filling out the lane template, save the template as a .csv file. 

2. Navigate back to the RFP page. On the Import lanes pop-up window, drag and drop the updated template or click Browse File.

Important: The system only accepts .csv file types. An error message will trigger if the template is not a .csv file. In addition, an error message will also trigger if required fields/cells are empty or if cells contain incorrect formatting. If you have issues uploading the template, please send a copy of the lane template file to ShipperGuide support at [e-mail].

3. All lane details will be uploaded to the RFP. If mileage was not specified and the mileage calculator is enabled, please wait a minute and refresh your screen for the miles to be automatically calculated.

After adding the lanes, you can add and select carriers to bid.