Transport Quotes

Transport Quotes

Transport Quotes

Use this article to create, search for, and convert transport quotes into consignments.

Overview

A transport quote provides customers with pricing for freight services before booking. You can create quotes manually, search existing quotes, and convert accepted quotes into consignments.

Important: Quotes in Transvirtual are intended for internal staff use only. Do not grant customers direct access to the quoting system. The system allows custom pricing adjustments (including $0 quotes) that are not appropriate for customer self-service.

Use this when:

  • A customer requests pricing for freight services
  • You need to provide a formal quote before booking
  • You want to convert an accepted quote into a consignment

Do not use this when:

  • You are creating a consignment directly without a quote
  • You are using automated pricing tools

Before You Begin

Ensure the following prerequisites are met:

  • You have permission to create and manage quotes
  • Customer and freight details are available
  • Levy charges (if applicable) are defined

Important: If you do not have the required permissions, you will not be able to create or convert quotes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Create a Quote

Step 1: Open the Quote Creation Screen

Navigate to the quote creation screen using either:

  • Finance → Operational Tasks → Transport Quotes → Create New
  • Transport → Administration → Transport Quote → Create New

Step 2: Enter Freight Details

Complete the following sections:

  • Sender Information – enter pickup details
  • Receiver Information – enter delivery details
  • Customer Details – select or enter customer
  • Other Information – add reference numbers or notes
  • Levies – add manual charges (see below)
  • Customer Price – confirm pricing
  • Quote Items – specify freight items

Step 3: Add Levies

You can apply levies in two ways:

Option 1: Use Automatic Levies
If the customer is linked to automatic levies, these will populate automatically based on the customer configuration.

Option 2: Add Manual Levies
To add a manual levy specific to this quote only:

  1. Click Add Levy Charge
  2. Enter the description and price
  3. Click Add

The levy price will automatically populate in the Customer Price tab.

Note: Manual levies apply to this quote only and are not saved for future use.

Step 4: Save the Quote

Click Save to create the quote.

Send the Quote to the Customer

After creating a quote, you can email it directly to the customer.

Step 1: Open the Quote

Locate and open the saved quote.

Step 2: Print and Share

  1. Click Print Share
  2. Select Email PDF as the action
  3. Choose Email to Quote Customer
  4. Confirm and send

The quote will be emailed as a PDF to the customer contact on file.

Search for a Quote

Step 1: Open the Quote Filter

Navigate to the quote filter using either:

  • Finance → Operational Tasks → Transport Quotes → Create New
  • Transport → Administration → Transport Quote

Note: Ensure the date range selector covers the quote creation date.

Step 2: Filter Results

Use the inline filters to narrow results. You can add additional columns using the Column Selector.

Important: Make sure that the date range selector is set to cover the date of the quote creation.

Step 3: Open the Quote

Double-click the relevant quote line to view the quote details.

Convert a Quote to a Consignment

When a customer accepts a quote, you can convert it into a consignment.

Step 1: Locate the Quote

Search for the quote using the steps above.

Step 2: Open the History Tab

Click the History tab in the quote details view.

Step 3: Create the Consignment

  1. In the Consignment section, click Create Consignment
  3. A confirmation popup will appear, click Yes

Step 4: Update Consignment Details

You will be redirected to the consignment detail page. Update the consignment.

Note: If you want to edit the consignment detail, see the Consignment Detail article.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Issue: Quote does not appear in search results
Cause: Date range does not include the quote creation date
Resolution:

  • Expand the date range in the filter
  • Confirm the quote was successfully saved

Issue: Cannot create consignment from quote
Cause: Missing permissions or incomplete quote details
Resolution:

  • Verify you have permission to create consignments
  • Ensure all required fields in the quote are complete

Issue: Customer did not receive the quote email
Cause: Incorrect email address on customer record
Resolution:

  • Verify the customer contact email address is correct
  • Resend the quote using Print Share, Email PDF

Issue: Additional services are not being automatically added.
Cause: The pricing on the quote was manually adjusted instead of selecting the system-calculated price.
Resolution:

  1. When creating a quote, ensure that all required consignment details have been entered, then click Calculate System Price. Once the pricing has been calculated, you must select the system-calculated price. This step is essential because the selected system price includes any applicable additional services. If the price is manually edited or an alternative price is used instead of the calculated system price, the system will not automatically apply the additional services to the quote.

FAQs

Can I edit a quote after it has been created?
Yes. Open the quote from the quote filter and update the details.

What happens to the original quote after conversion?
The quote remains in the system for reference. The consignment is created as a new record.

Can I add levies after saving a quote?
Yes. Reopen the quote and add manual levies or adjust automatic levies before converting to a consignment.

Why can't I give my customers access to create quotes?
The quoting system allows internal pricing adjustments (including $0 quotes) that should not be available to customers. Quotes should be created by staff and sent to customers by email.