There are so many different charges and rates for various services that go into the total price of a Load or Order. It is so easy sometimes to just attach one general number as a Flat Rate to the Order or Load and be done with it instead of itemizing them all out.
This practice may seem easier during the moment but can lead to more work down the road for both accounting and for data analysis tasks. Therefore, getting into the habit now of itemizing these charges out is good practice and saves hours of time down the road.
So with all the types of charges available that we could add to a Load or Order, how do we know what to use?
Currently there are 2 places to put rates in the ARCUS system, one is at the Order level and one at the Stop level.
Charges that apply to an entire Load would be added into the Rate Information block of the Order Entry screen. These types of charges may be a Fuel Surcharge or a Team Driver charge.
Charges that only apply to one stop of an Order will go in at the Stop level. These may be the rates for the commodity itself, such as a charge for 3 pallets of Apples, or may include a Pickup rate or Lay-Over charge. The Stop level rates are entered into the individual Stop Information block when entering a new Order into the Order Entry screen.
When entering Stop level commodities, a dollar rate does not need to be added to still be able to enter the information about what that pickup or drop-off entails. You can still enter that the stop has a pickup of 3 pallets of Apples without putting a dollar amount to it. This saves the Instruction area for more relevant information that does not have a designated area, such as “Park to the left of the building upon arrival.”