Overview

This article shows how you can use the Rates action in Descartes Pacejet to tune rate shopping for different types of orders. You can control how Pacejet chooses between parcel, less than truckload (LTL) and third-party logistics (3PL) options so each order type gets the right service.

The Rates action in Automations lets you:

• Decide which carriers or carrier groups to shop

• Filter and prioritize specific services

• Control how the final rate is selected, for example the lowest cost that meets delivery needs

You can combine this with triggers and conditions so different order types use different rate shopping strategies.

Common Order Types to Tune

You can create separate automations for each major order type, each with its own Rates action settings.

Small Parcel Orders

For small parcel orders, you often care most about hitting a promise date at a reasonable cost.

Use Automations to:

• Trigger on orders under a weight or cube threshold

• Add the Rates action that:

  • Shops only parcel carriers

  • Picks the lowest cost option that meets requirements

LTL Shipments

For LTL, accessorials and minimums can matter more than base rate.

Use Automations to:

• Trigger on orders above your parcel thresholds

• Add the Rates action that:

  • Shops your LTL carrier group

  • Selects the best total cost option, not just the lowest base rate

Simple Automation Outline

You can reuse a simple outline whenever you build an automation that uses the Rates action.

• Name: Briefly describe the goal, such as "Parcel rates for promise-date orders".

• Trigger: When the order or shipment is created or reaches a certain stage

• Conditions: Identify the order type, for example:

  • Weight or cube range

  • Customer or shipping account

  • Region or country

  • Order type, such as ecommerce or wholesale

• Rates action:

  • Carriers or carrier groups to shop

  • Services to include or exclude

  • Rule for which result to select

• Follow up actions:

  • Assign the chosen service

  • Save rate details for reporting

  • Tag shipments for later review if needed

Video Demo

You can see this in action in the use-case demo, which walks through tuning rate shopping for different order types using the Rates action in Automations.

Watch the video demo: Find the best rate for every shipping use case

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