Dynamic Load Assignment Based on Capacity

Warehouse operations often have more than one truckload or less-than-truckload load available for packed outbound LPNs. A load may leave earlier, use a specific dock, follow a route, or have limited trailer capacity. With dynamic load assignment, you can configure rules that help Warehouse Management select the right load without manual review each time.

How to does this benefit the operations:

Dynamic load assignment helps you:

• Assign packed LPNs to eligible loads based on your warehouse rules.
• Sort available loads by key values such as departure time, delivery time, dock, route, and carrier.
• Prevent load assignment when the trailer doesn’t have enough capacity.
• Use a default trailer type when Warehouse Management creates a load during close.
• Keep current load assignment behavior when you don’t configure a load assignment rule.

Configuring Dynamic Load Assignment

The Load Assignment Configuration is used to control how Warehouse Management assigns packed outbound LPNs to TL and LTL loads. You can define which loads qualify, how the system should sort eligible loads, and whether the system should check trailer capacity before assigning an LPN.

Note: This feature applies to TL and LTL load assignment. It doesn’t apply to Parcel Flow.

Load Assignment Configuration

Use the Load Assignment Configuration screen to create and maintain load assignment rules for a facility and company by defining the following values:

• Facility
• Company
• Load Assignment Rule Name
• Method
• Capacity Check Flag

Ordering Criteria

Use Ordering Criteria to tell Warehouse Management how to sort eligible loads before it assigns an LPN. For example, if two loads go to the same destination and one leaves earlier, you can sort by scheduled delivery date and time in ascending order, so Warehouse Management selects the earlier load first based on the sequence Nbr set. You can order eligible loads by:

• Load Estimated Departure Date Time
• Load Scheduled Delivery Date Time
• Appointment Dock Type
• Load Route Number
• Appointment Create Timestamp
• Load Dock Number
• Load Carrier

Selection Criteria

Use Selection Criteria to limit which loads qualify for assignment. For example, if an LPN must go to a freezer dock, you can use dock type as a selection value, so Warehouse Management only considers matching loads. You can define selection criteria using these fields:

Load Fields	Stop Fields	Appointment Fields
Load Number	Stop BOL Number	Appointment Dock Number
Load Route	Stop Ship to Name	Appointment Number
Load Trailer Number	Stop Ship to Address	Appointment Dock Type
Load Driver
Load Seal Number
Load Trailer Type
Load Carrier
Load Status

Trailer Capacity Check

Use Capacity Check Flag when Warehouse Management must confirm that the selected trailer has enough capacity before assigning an LPN. Capacity Check uses the trailer type on the load. Configure the trailer type with accurate values for:

• Max Weight
• Max Volume
• Max LPNs

Note: System doesn’t use Max Units for this capacity check.

When the selected load reaches one of the configured capacity limits, Warehouse Management skips that load and checks the next eligible load.

Default Trailer Type

The DEFAULT_TRAILER_TYPE facility parameter is used to create a load during close. If ASSIGN_NEW_LOAD_AT_CLOSE is set to Yes and Warehouse Management doesn’t find an eligible load, it can create a load. When DEFAULT_TRAILER_TYPE has a valid trailer type, Warehouse Management assigns that trailer type to the load.

If the default trailer type doesn’t have enough capacity for the containers, Warehouse Management doesn’t create the load and displays this message: Assign to load failed Containers exceed the default trailer capacity. Please assign them to a load manually.

How Warehouse Management Assigns the Load

When you pack or close an outbound LPN, Warehouse Management checks the configured facility parameters.

If a valid load assignment rule exists and ASSIGN_LOAD_WHEN_PACKED is set to Yes, Warehouse Management:

1. Finds TL and LTL loads that match the selection criteria.
2. Applies route handling behavior:
   • If route is present and ROUTE_HANDLING_MODE isn’t 2, Warehouse Management matches the route first.
   • If ROUTE_HANDLING_MODE is 2, Warehouse Management uses the destination at the order header level to identify matching loads.
3. Sorts the eligible loads using the ordering criteria.
4. Checks trailer capacity when Capacity Check is selected.
5. Assigns the LPN to the first eligible load with enough capacity.
6. Checks the next eligible load when the first load doesn’t have enough capacity.
7. Creates a load when no eligible load exists and ASSIGN_NEW_LOAD_AT_CLOSE is set to Yes.
8. Applies DEFAULT_TRAILER_TYPE to the created load when the parameter contains a valid trailer type.

To Enable Dynamic Load Assignment, do the following:

1. Go to the Trailer Type screen.
2. Define the trailer type for load assignment. Trailer Type, Description and accurate capacity values:
   • Max Weight
   • Max Volume
   • Max LPNs
   • Max Units
   • Length
   • Width
   • Height
3. Save the trailer type.
4. Go to the Load Assignment Configuration screen.
5. Create a load assignment rule.
   1. Enter the Load Assignment Configuration Rule Name.
   2. Check Capacity Check flag, if operation must validate trailer capacity before assigning LPNs.
   3. Keep the Method field set to Rule Based.
6. Open the rule details.
   1. Define the Selection Criteria that eligible loads must match.
   2. Define the Ordering Criteria that Warehouse Management should use to sort eligible loads.
   3. Save the load assignment rule.

Facility Parameter for Load Assignment Rules

Use the LOAD_ASSIGNMENT_RULE_NAME facility parameter to activate a load assignment rule.

To provision Load Assignment Rules

1. Go to Facility Parameters.
2. Set LOAD_ASSIGNMENT_RULE_NAME to the exact Load Assignment Rule Name.
3. Set ASSIGN_LOAD_WHEN_PACKED to Yes.
   1. If Warehouse Management should create a load when no eligible load exists, set ASSIGN_NEW_LOAD_AT_CLOSE to Yes.
   2. If Warehouse Management should apply a trailer type to loads it creates, set DEFAULT_TRAILER_TYPE to a valid trailer type.
   3. Save the facility parameter changes.

Notes and Considerations

• This feature applies only to TL and LTL load assignment.
• Parcel Flow doesn’t use this rule.
• Capacity Check works only with automatic load assignment through Load Assignment Configuration.
• Keep trailer type capacity values accurate when you use Capacity Check.
• Pre-create loads with stops when you need operations to honor stop sequence.
• If a default trailer type capacity can’t hold the containers, assign the load manually.