Knowing how to post loads is key to your success as a Freight Forwarder on the Exchange. Posting a load and managing quotes is quick and easy. You can do it via the desktop platform or the CX Fleet app if you’re on the go or out of the office.
IN THIS ARTICLE
- How to post a load (desktop and CX Fleet app)
- How to search for available carriers before posting a load
- How quoting works
- Where to find and manage your quotes
- How to view a member’s feedback
- How to advertise loads to specific members (Premium feature)
- How to find loads as a Freight Forwarder (Premium feature)
How to post a load (desktop and CX Fleet app)
Posting loads on the desktop view
It couldn’t be easier to post a load on the desktop view. The option to post a load is available on 7 of the tabs from the top menu.
You can post a load via:
- ‘Directory’
- ‘Live Availability’
- ‘Return Journeys’
- ‘Loads’
- ‘Quotes’
- ‘Diary’
- ‘Freight Vision’
You’ll always find the ‘Post Load’ button on the top left side of the page as shown below.
Step 1) Click the ‘Post Load’ button to start. This will open the ‘Post Load’ form.
Step 2) In the ‘Pickup Details’ section, choose what type of load it is.
- ‘On Demand’ – Loads that are posted as and when they are needed.
- ‘Regular Load’ – Loads that have a regular posting schedule like every Monday to Friday, available on each of these days.
- ‘Daily Hire’ – Loads that require your services for a full day.
Step 3) Complete the ‘Pickup Details’ section. Fill in all fields on the form marked with an asterisk (*).
Step 4) Complete the ‘Delivery Details’ section. Only parts of the form with asterisk (*) are mandatory, although you may need to fill in some other parts of the form depending on your load requirements.
Step 5) Move onto the ‘Job Details’ section and choose the Job Description using the list of options provided.
- ‘Same Day – Timed’ – Delivery on the same day within a specified time
- ‘Same Day – Non-Timed’ – Delivery on the same day without a specified time
- ‘Next Day – Timed’ – Next day delivery within a specified time
- ‘Next Day – Non-Timed’ – Next day delivery not within a specified time.
- ‘3 – 5 Days’ – Delivery made within 3 – 5 days.
- ‘Multi-Drop’ – Delivery with multiple stops.
- ‘Deliver Direct’ – Delivery ASAP.
Choose a suggested vehicle for the transportation of the load using the drop-down list provided.
Choose the preferred body type for the vehicle transporting the load.
You can add a note for the driver, like whether you only accept eQuotes or if you have any other important requests or information to make the carrier aware of.
If you have no additional details to add to the form after selecting the vehicle body type, you can proceed to post your load. If you’d like to include more information about your load, continue with the steps below.
Click on ‘Open Additional Options’ if you’re looking to post a load needing a specialist service.
You can send ‘Smart Alerts’ also known as ‘Pro Alerts’, which are en-route updates, sent to a chosen email address. Choose the timeframe in which you’d like to receive these alerts (if you want to be notified when the vehicle is within 1 mile of pickup and 1 mile from the delivery location, for example).
You can also set the maximum distance from the pickup location of carriers you would want to be notified about your load posting. This feature is helpful in preventing you from getting quotes from carriers with vehicles in unsuitable locations if the delivery is time-sensitive.
You can add any additional documents your subcontractor may require if you need to here for example photographs of the load or paperwork.
Only you and your subcontractor will see these.
Step 5) When you’re happy with all the information on your form, click ‘Post Load’.
Posting loads on the CX Fleet app
With the CX Fleet app, you can post loads on the go.
The app isn’t typically included in a Freight Forwarder subscription, but it can be added as a bolt-on to your plan. Call us on 0208 896 6722 if you’d like to add it to your current plan.
The CX Fleet app is available on Android and iOS from Google Play and the App Store. Check the description of the app to see its system requirements.
Step 1) Tap on ‘Post Load’.
Step 2) Tap on ‘Post Load’ to post a load to the general Exchange.
Step 3) Tap on ‘Set Pickup’, complete the pickup information and tap on the ‘✔️’ to confirm.
Step 4) Tap on ‘Set Delivery’, complete the delivery information and tap on the ‘✔️’ to confirm.
Step 5) Tap on ‘Set Details’, here you can set the ‘Job Description’ and ‘Suggested Vehicle’ complete the form and tap on the ‘✔️’ to confirm.
Step 6) Tap ‘Submit’ to post the load to the Exchange.
How to search for available carriers before posting a load
The CX Fleet app can also help you find suitable vehicles for loads by using its ‘Search Live Capacity’ feature.
Tap on ‘Search Live Capacity’ from the main menu to begin.
Complete the form with your search criteria and tap ‘Search’.
Once you’ve tapped ‘Search’, the results will be displayed on a map showing all the carriers’ availability in that area.
The number displayed in blue circles represents the number of vehicles around that area.
By zooming in closer, you’ll be able to see more specific locations of the vehicles in your chosen area.
The location markers represent carriers and their vehicles.
- Green - ‘Available’.
- Amber - ‘Maybe Available’
- Red - ‘Unavailable’.
- Grey - Current status of the carrier is ‘Unknown’
There are two filters you can apply on a live capacity search:
- You can use the coloured filters provided to make your search for an available driver easier.
- Use the filters in the yellow menu bar above the to set which drivers you would like to view.
- ‘MY CARRIERS’ – Tap this to view your Carriers
- ‘PREFERRED’ – View the availability of your preferred sub-contractors.
- ‘OTHER’ - Tapping on this performs the same action as tapping ‘All’.
If you find a carrier with a vehicle you are interested in using, tap on the location marker. The app will then display the member's details and give you the option to call or email them directly.
How quoting works
Members quote on loads by finding them in their ‘Loads’ tab or by using their Driver app which sends them load notifications.
Carriers are only able to quote on a load if they have a relevant vehicle and a suitable location matching the load requirements.
Carriers, similarly, are also able to place quotes through their mobile app.
When quoting on a load, the carrier will take into the total mileage of the journey.
Where to find and manage your quotes
To review all quotes received on posted loads:
Step 1) Click ‘Quotes’ from the top menu bar.
Step 2) The page will display all the quotes received on active loads (recently posted) by default. To view old quotes (cancelled or completed), click ‘Archive’.
Step 3) Your quotes will appear alongside the load posting information so you can easily view quotes for several loads all at once.
Here’s what you’ll see:
- The name of the carriers that have quoted on your load;
- The vehicle size and type they Operate;
- The carriers feedback summary represented by:
- Positive
- Negative
- Neutral
- Complaint
- The date and time the quote was made;
- The carrier’s contact number;
- The amount the carrier quoted;
- An ETA (if one has been supplied);
- Distance (if the carrier is tracking);
Step 4) If you hover your mouse over an active load, you have the option to ‘Dismiss’ or ‘Book’ (accept) the carrier’s quote.
Click ‘Book’, if you accept their quote.
If you choose to dismiss their quote, it will change to grey, and you won’t be able to make any further actions on it.
Step 5) After tapping ‘Book’, the booking form will appear with the carrier’s information already completed.
Step 6) Click ‘Send Confirmation’ to complete the process and allocate that load to your chosen carrier. They will then receive your booking confirmation and it will be visible in their Diary.
How to view a member’s feedback
Trust and accountability are vital when subcontracting work. The Exchange’s feedback system is in place to help you find the best carrier for your load requirements.
When viewing quotes submitted by carriers, there is a small summary showing the number of positive, negative, neutral or complaint feedbacks a carrier has received, which are each represented by a different icon.
- Positive
- Negative
- Neutral
- Complaint
If you would like to see a more detailed overview of the feedback received by the carrier placing a quote, click on the carrier’s name to bring up their feedback overview.
You can choose to view all feedback received by the carrier or filter by positive or negative. As a Freight Forwarder, it’s important to pay attention to the delivery performance feedback. Checking carriers’ feedback is also an excellent way to find regular subcontractors with a trusted record.
How to advertise loads to specific members (Premium feature)
The premium Freight Forwarder subscription has exclusive features that other subscription types don’t have.
A key advantage of this subscription type is ‘Cascading loads’, providing you with the ability to advertise to specific carriers so your load will only be visible to those who you have previously added to a select group. Cascading loads is a great way to continue to build relationships made with preferred subcontractors on the Exchange.
To take advantage of cascading loads, you first need to create a group of carriers you want to advertise the load to.
Here’s how to create a group:
Step 1) Click on the drop-down icon in the top menu.
Step 2) Under settings, click ‘Other’. 
Step 3) Click on ‘Groups’ from the list of options.
Step 4) Create a name for your group so you can easily find it, then add the chosen carriers to your group by searching for their name or member ID in the box. Once you’ve found who you’re looking for, click ‘Add to Group’.
Step 5) Click ‘Save’ to confirm your group.
Carriers successfully added to your group will be visible to you in a list on the ‘Groups’ page.
To cascade loads to your created groups before the general Exchange:
Step 1) Head to the ‘Post Load’ form.
Step 2) Scroll down to or click ‘Who do you want to notify?’ on the form.
Step 3) Click the drop-down menu to select which group you wish to advertise the load to.
If your load isn’t sold to one of your preferred subcontractors by a certain time, you have the option to advertise to a chosen group. If the load isn’t sold to that group, you can advertise to the next group. If the load still isn’t sold, you can advertise to the general Exchange. Our system will do this all automatically for you, so you don’t have to worry about reposting a load if your preferred subcontractors are unavailable.
How to find loads as a Freight Forwarder (Premium feature)
An exclusive feature of Freight Forwarder premium subscription is the ability to add your own subcontractors, with this feature you can place quotes on loads yourself.
To find loads using the ‘List View’:
Step 1) Click on the ‘Loads’ tab.
This is where you’ll find all posted load opportunities.
Step 2) By using the ‘search loads’ filter to the left of the screen, it narrows down the suitable loads available to you. 
Step 3) To start searching for a load, enter your ‘From’ and ‘To’ location and adjust the radius you’re willing to pick up loads in. 
Step 4) Adjust the minimum and maximum filters using the drop-down list to match your vehicle, so the system doesn’t show you loads greater than what your vehicle can carry.
We suggest setting the minimum filter slider to a smaller vehicle size to keep your options open.
A good idea would be to click ‘Save as Default’ so you don’t have to re-key the same data when searching for loads. 
Step 5) Use the date filter to customize results based on your availability, freight preferences, and body type. Remember, the search results will reflect all filters applied. The more filters you add, the narrower your search results, meaning you’ll see fewer loads on the feed. 
Step 6) At the top of the ‘Search Load Results’ tab, you can view loads that are ‘on-demand’, ‘regular’, and ‘daily hire’. 
- On Demand – Loads that are posted as and when they are needed.
- Regular Load – Loads that have a regular posting schedule like every Monday to Friday, available on each of these days.
- Daily Hire – Loads that require your services for a full day.
To find loads using the Interactive Freight Radar Map:
With your premium subscription, you have access to the Freight Radar Map when searching for loads as well as the standard list view.
The map is fully interactive and is useful for quickly seeing where there is a demand for load transportation.
Step 1) From the top menu bar click ‘Loads’.
Step 2) If you aren’t immediately taken to the Freight Radar Map you may need to manually change the viewing option from list view by selecting ‘Interactive Freight Radar Map’ 
The Freight Radar Map will now be shown. 
Load postings on the map are represented by stars and arrows.
If you see a star icon, those are clusters of loads near to the location. The numbers within the stars are the number of available loads.
A single arrow represents a single load near that location.
The load postings are two different colours:
- Purple – the load is over 10 minutes old.
- Turquoise – the load has been posted recently.
By hovering your mouse over a star or arrow, you’ll be shown the direction the load or loads need to travel in. 
Step 3) Click on a load posting to view the details.
If the member has opted to receive eQuotes you can press ‘Quote Now’ on the load. If they don’t allow eQuotes, they would have included contact numbers you can use to submit your quotes.