Itinerary: Parameters

This page is accessed via Shipment Management > Itinerary Management > Itinerary Manager.

A part of shipment planning, itineraries determine what route a shipment takes by specifying the requirements for destinations on shipping legs. For example, itineraries can define the sequencing priority, rates, mode of transportation, arrive time ranges, equipment, service provider, and commodity requirements for a destination location. In addition, itineraries can model cross-dock and pool activity.

When planning a shipment, Oracle Transportation Management lists all the itineraries that are valid for the shipment, based on the details of the order, and then chooses the least expensive option. If a valid itinerary cannot be identified, the shipment cannot be created.

Note: When creating an order base or an order release, you can assign a fixed itinerary that must always be used when building shipments from that order.

When assigning an itinerary to a shipment, Oracle Transportation Management matches the information on the order to the following information on the itinerary:

• Geography: If the source and destination do not match, the itinerary is disregarded when attempting to build shipments.
• Weight/Volume: Order bundles with a weight and/or volume outside that allowed by the itinerary, must select another itinerary.
• Corporation Profiles: Corporation profiles are a list of corporations that can use a particular itinerary. When selecting itineraries for shipments, Oracle Transportation Management can match the corporation profile on the itinerary to the order owner.
• Calendar: Calendars can be set up to activate or deactivate an itinerary during particular periods. For example, an itinerary may be set up to be active in the spring/summer months, and be inactive in the fall/winter months. Oracle Transportation Management determines if there is an active calendar, and if it is valid to build a shipment for the order.
• Mode Profile: You can define an itinerary that is valid only for certain transportation modes.
• Service Provider Profile: You can define an itinerary leg that is valid for one or more service providers.
• Cost: You can define an itinerary leg that must use certain rating or cost information.
• Equipment Group Profile ID: You can define itineraries that are valid for particular equipment group profiles only.
• Commodities: You can define itineraries that are valid for particular commodities only. Commodities are a classification of the actual items being shipped.

Itinerary profiles associate one or more itineraries and are entered on shipment group rules. During shipment planning, Oracle Transportation Management uses the itinerary profiles to select shipments that can be included in a shipment group.

Creating an Itinerary

• Step 1: Parameters define basic attributes for itineraries such as an ID and name, buy or sell perspective, and basic geographic elements.
• Step 2: Lane Definitions define the details for the geography that the itinerary services.
• Step 3: Leg Details define attributes associated with a particular destination. For example, define the location, rate, service provider, and transportation mode profile for a destination. An itinerary contains at least one leg.

Identification

Shipments that do not meet the requirements established by the parameters on an itinerary cannot use the itinerary.

1. The first step in creating an itinerary is to provide a unique Itinerary ID.
2. You can also enter an Itinerary Name that further describes the itinerary.
3. You must select a Perspective from the drop-down list. The perspective determines whether the itinerary is used for buy or sell shipment services.
4. By default, the Itinerary Type field displays Active which means that the itinerary can be used in shipment planning. Choose Inactive if you do not want this itinerary to be considered when building shipments. You can also choose Manual which means the itinerary should not be considered when running the Create Shipment - Bulk Plan, Direct, or Calculate Best Direct Cost actions. However, the itinerary is considered when running the Direct - Show Routing Options action.
5. Define a lane by entering a Source Geo Hierarchy and Destination Geo Hierarchy.
   
   OR
   
   Enter a source region and destination region.
   
   A lane consists of a Source and Destination Geo Hierarchy that define the start and end points based on geographic boundaries such as country, state/province, city, zip/postal code, or location. You can mix and match your geo hierarchy choices to model the itinerary that you want. For example, define a source of city and a destination of country to ship from a specific city to any location in the country.
6. Use the Minimum Weight constraint to identify the minimum weight that an order bundle must have before it can use this itinerary.

   Note: Oracle Transportation Management determines weight and volume values from the ship units and line items of orders on the shipment.

7. Use the Maximum Weight constraint to identify the maximum weight that an order bundle must have to use this itinerary.
8. Use the Minimum Volume constraint to identify the minimum volume that an order bundle must have to use this itinerary.
9. Use the Maximum Volume constraint to identify the maximum volume that an order bundle must have to use this itinerary.
10. The Pool-Crossdock Itinerary check box enables use of legacy Pool Cross-dock logic. (This is the same check box that used to be labelled Multi-Stop Itinerary, and the functionality is the same.)
11. A Corporation Profile identifies groups of corporations that are related. Enter a corporation profile to stipulate that the itinerary only applies for shipments with an involved party of the corporation profile you enter.
12. A Calendar ID defines dates and times when an itinerary is valid. Use a calendar to establish working hours. Shipments must have delivery dates that fall within the working hours established by the calendar to use the itinerary.

    Note: Calendars used on itineraries must have an Activity of ACTIVATE.

13. Enter a Hazardous Mode ID to associate the itinerary with the transportation of hazardous material. For hazardous material, you must define the primary mode for the journey even though the total journey may include more than one mode. Oracle Transportation Management uses the hazardous mode when determining whether shipments that use the itinerary are within the rules established for carrying hazardous material.
14. Enter a Payment Method Profile ID if you want to specify the compatible set of payment methods for the itinerary.
15. The Incoterm Profile ID can be used to constrain the itinerary as a valid choice for shipment planning for any order that has the same Incoterm attributes as the profile.

    Note: If you use this field, you can also specify a Payment Method code on each leg of the itinerary which is then copied to the shipment that is built for that leg (overriding any Payment Method code defined on the order base).

16. Use the Depot Profile ID to assign a depot profile to plan depot stops on a shipment. The depot profile defines the lane and Source and/or Destination Locations that are added as stops on a shipment. The depot profile on an order movement leg overrides the one specified on the itinerary. The depot profile on the itinerary leg overrides the one on the itinerary.
17. Enter a Description for the itinerary.

Details

Define when and how the itinerary uses a cross-dock or pool location.

• Cross-Docks function as distribution centers. Orders arrive at the cross-dock, are removed from their current shipment, and re-planned with other orders on new shipments created at the cross-dock.
• Pools act as deconsolidation centers for orders with destination locations in the region associated with the pool.

  Note: You cannot design an itinerary that uses more than one cross-dock; however, you can design an itinerary that includes a cross-dock and a deconsolidation pool.

1. Select the Deconsolidation Pool or Consolidation Pool check box to indicate that you want to plan shipments through a deconsolidation pool or a consolidation pool.
   
   Deconsolidation pools are matched based on orders' destinations. Deconsolidation pool inbound shipment can be multi-stop shipments, but outbound shipments can only be direct shipments.
   
   Note: The region defined in the "Region ID" field on the pool location determines how a pool will match to an order location.  (The "Region ID" is found on the Location Manager for the pool location.)  For example, if the pool location has a region that includes France, and the order location is Paris, then the order location matches to the pool, and the order is a candidate to plan through that pool.
2. If you select the Match Deconsol Pool to Dest check box the pool logic matches orders to deconsolidation pools based on order's destination locations. If this is not selected, Oracle Transportation Management matches orders to deconsolidation pools according to the order's source location.
3. You can also configure similar logic to the consolidation pool using the Match Consol Pool to Src check box. If it is selected pool logic matches orders to consolidation pools based on order's source locations. If the check box is cleared, Oracle Transportation Management matches orders to consolidation pools according to the order's destination locations.
4. If a shipment qualifies for both a deconsolidation pool and a cross-dock, the shipment is sent to the pool unless you select the Destination Bundle Preferred check box which gives priority to the cross-dock.
5. Enter a number in the Maximum Stops Allowed field to limit the stops a shipment can have when using this itinerary. There is a similar Multistop logic configuration parameter for multistop stop constraints "Maximum Stops Allowed" that affects itinerary legs. When OTM is gathering the various constraints and parameters, it will look at both constraints. If the Itinerary constraint parameters exist, then the multi-stop logic will adhere to both parameters.
   
   For example, if the itinerary has Pickup Stops Constraints = 5, and the logic parameter MAXIMUM PICKUP STOPS ALLOWED = 10, then OTM will ensure that there are at most 5 pickup stops when forming a multi-stop shipment.
6. You can also limit stops by pickup or delivery using the Pickup Stops Constraints and Delivery Stops Constraints fields. There are similar Multistop logic configuration parameter for multistop stop constraints "Maximum Pickup Stops Allowed" and "Maximum Delivery Stops Allowed" that affect itinerary legs. When OTM is gathering the various constraints and parameters, it will look at both sets of constraints. If the Itinerary constraint parameters exist, then the multi-stop logic will adhere to both parameters.
   
   For example, if the itinerary has Pickup Stops Constraints = 5, and the logic parameter MAXIMUM PICKUP STOPS ALLOWED = 10, then OTM will ensure that there are at most 5 pickup stops when forming a multi-stop shipment.
7. In some cases, it is more expensive to ship to a cross-dock than to ship direct because of the distance from the source to the cross-dock. To limit the distance you want shipments to travel to a cross-dock, enter a numeric value in the Maximum Distance between Pickups/Deliveries fields. If the distance between two pickup or delivery stops exceed this value, orders are not paired.
8. Enter the Max Radius Between Pickups. The distance from any pickup stop to the bundle's source location cannot exceed this distance.
9. Enter the Max Radius Between Deliveries. The distance from any delivery stop to the bundle's destination location cannot exceed this distance.
10. Enter the Max Radius Percentage for Pickups. The distance from any pickup stop to the source location divided by the distance cannot exceed this percentage.

    Note: If both the Max Radius between Pickups and Max Radius Percentage for Pickups fields are set, the smaller radius is used. To see the logic behind the radius fields, click here.

11. Enter the Max Radius Percentage for Deliveries. The distance from any delivery stop to the destination divided by the distance cannot exceed this percentage.

    Note: If both the Max Radius between Deliveries and Max Radius Percentage for Deliveries fields are set, the bigger radius will be used. To see the logic behind the radius fields, click here.

12. Use the Minimum Stopoff Weight/Volume fields to identify the minimum weight to be passed into multi-stop algorithm. This field is used on the context of Pool and Cross Dock planning.
    • If both of the fields above are populated and the order meets either the weight or volume specified, it will be tried for direct multi-stop and pool swapping to stop off.
    • If one field is populated, the order needs to meet the populated field to be tried for direct multi-stop or pool swapping to stop off.
    • If both fields are NULL, all orders qualify.
13. Use the Maximum Pool Weight/Volume fields to identify the highest weight for shipments that use the pool.
    • If both of the fields above are populated, the order needs to be less than these two values in order to be routed to a pool.
    • If one field is populated, the order needs to be less than this value in order to be routed to a pool.
    • If both are NULL, all orders qualify to be routed to a pool.
14. Use the Maximum XDock Weight/Volume fields to identify the highest weight for shipments that use the cross dock.
    • If both of the fields above are populated, the order needs to be less than these two values in order to be routed to a cross-dock.
    • If one field is populated, the order needs to be less than this value to be routed to a cross-dock.
    • If both are NULL, all orders qualify to be routed to a cross-dock.
15. The Max Small Direct Weight/Volume fields can be used together to set boundaries for each type of shipment that can be built.  For example, you can have weight and volume constraints in all the itinerary fields mentioned above so that Oracle Transportation Management will plan shipments based on these constraints. This is relevant for a multistop itinerary: A bundle that does not exceed the Max Small Direct Weight/Volume will automatically be shipped on a direct shipment, and will not go through a pool or cross-dock. A bundle that exceeds this weight/volume will be considered for direct or pool or cross-dock.
    • If both of the fields above are populated, an order needs to be less than these two values in order not to be sent to the multi-stop, pool and cross-dock algorithms.
    • If one field is populated, an order needs to be less than this value in order not to be sent to the multi-stop, pool and cross-dock algorithms.
    • If both are NULL, all orders will be sent to the multi-stop, pool and cross-dock algorithms.
16. Use the Minimum Total Weight or Min TL Volume fields to identify the highest weight/volume shipment that you want to use the cross-dock or pool. Orders that are bundled into shipments above this weight/volume are not sent to the cross-dock or pool. The Min TL Usage Percentage represents the minimum percentage of the truck that needs to be full to be considered for a truckload move.
    • If all of the above are populated, the order needs to be more than these three values in order to be a multi-stop shipment and not sent to a pool.
    • If one or two fields are populated, the order needs to be more than the values in order to be a multi-stop shipment and not sent to a pool.
    • If all are NULL, all orders qualify to be a multi-stop shipment.