Broker Guide
Learn how freight brokers use FTM to manage customers, quotes, loads, carriers, dispatch, documents, billing, and reporting inside Salesforce. The permanent replacement for the legacy Broker Guide PDF.
This guide covers
Customer Management
Quoting & Pricing
Carrier Procurement
Load Execution
Billing & Financial Close
Reporting & Dashboards
Overview
What You’ll Learn
This guide covers the full brokerage workflow inside FTM, from customer request through financial reporting.
Customer Management
Create and maintain customer accounts, contacts, and shipping requirements inside Salesforce CRM.
Quoting & Pricing
Generate customer quotes using tariff tables, lane history, and margin targets directly inside FTM.
Carrier Procurement
Source, onboard, and manage carrier relationships through the Private Loadboard and carrier network inside FTM.
Load Execution
Dispatch loads, track shipment progress, manage milestones, and communicate with carriers from the load record.
Billing & Financial Close
Generate customer invoices, confirm carrier settlements, and close loads financially from the Salesforce record.
Reporting & Dashboards
Monitor margin, on-time performance, carrier utilization, and revenue using native Salesforce dashboards.
Load lifecycle
A Typical Load in FTM
The full brokerage workflow from customer request to financial close. Every stage lives on the same Salesforce record.
Customer Request
Freight need received
Create Quote
Tariff rate calculated
Customer Approval
Quote accepted
Create Load
Load record opened
Source Carrier
Carrier bid and awarded
Dispatch
Rate confirmation sent
Track Shipment
In-transit visibility
Delivery
Delivered, milestone set
Proof of Delivery
POD attached to record
Invoice Customer
Invoice generated from load
Financial Reporting
Margin confirmed, load closed
Core documentation
Core Workflows
Detailed guidance for each major area of freight broker operations in FTM.
Customer Management
Maintain customer accounts, contacts, credit terms, and lane preferences inside Salesforce CRM. Customer records link to every quote and load.
Keep customer contact records current so they appear correctly in the Contact Person field on loads.
Add lane preferences and rate notes to the customer account record so brokers have context at quoting time.
Use Account Status to flag customers on credit hold before a quote is created.
Figure 1 Customer Account record in FTM showing linked contacts and load activity.
Quoting System
Generate quotes using tariff tables, zone pricing, lane history, and margin targets. Approved quotes convert directly into load records without re-entering data.
Always generate quotes inside FTM, not externally. Only quotes created in FTM can be converted to loads automatically.
Review the margin field before submitting. Margin is locked at the quoting stage and flows directly to the invoice.
Add accessorial line items (fuel surcharge, liftgate, detention) at quoting time to avoid disputed invoices at delivery.
Figure 2 Creating a new quote in FTM. Tariff rate is calculated automatically from the customer and lane.
Load Management
Create, edit, and manage load records through the complete lifecycle. All load details, carriers, documents, milestones, and billing records connect to the central load record in Salesforce.
Complete all required fields at load creation. Incomplete loads cause exceptions in dispatch and billing that are slower to fix than to prevent.
Attach the BOL at pickup confirmation. Do not defer document attachment to batch processing at end of day.
Use load reference numbers consistently. Inconsistent naming makes search and customer reporting unreliable.
Figure 3 FTM Load record showing all related information in a single Salesforce record.
Carrier Procurement
Post loads to the Private Loadboard, receive and compare carrier bids, award loads, and issue rate confirmations. Carrier selection stays within FTM.
Post to the Private Loadboard first to prioritize your approved carrier network before going to the open market.
Use the bid comparison panel to evaluate carrier cost against the customer rate before awarding. Confirm margin holds.
The rate confirmation is auto-generated when you award a load. Verify the rate is correct before the carrier accepts.
Figure 4 Carrier bid comparison in FTM. Award load to the selected carrier to auto-generate the rate confirmation.
Dispatch Console
Manage all active loads from a real-time board. Monitor status, update milestones, flag exceptions, and communicate with carriers from one central screen.
Use the Dispatch Console as the primary view during operating hours. Avoid opening individual load records unless a detailed edit is needed.
Update milestones as events occur, not at end of shift. Delayed updates make dashboards inaccurate and reduce customer portal visibility.
Figure 5 Dispatch Console showing real-time load status across all active shipments.
Document Management
Attach BOLs, rate confirmations, PODs, customs documents, and carrier agreements to the Salesforce load record for instant retrieval and customer sharing.
Tag every document with the correct document type when uploading. Untagged files cannot be filtered in reports or shared through the portal correctly.
Required documents per load: BOL at pickup, rate confirmation at dispatch, POD at delivery. Do not close a load without all three.
Figure 6 Uploading a Proof of Delivery to the load record Files section. Tag document type before saving.
Billing & Reporting
Generate customer invoices from the load record using the rate locked at quoting. Confirm carrier settlements and review margin through native Salesforce reports.
Generate the customer invoice within one business day of POD confirmation. Delayed invoicing extends the cash cycle and increases dispute risk.
Confirm all accessorials are captured on the load record before generating the invoice. Accessorials added after invoice creation require a credit/rebill process.
Figure 7 Generating a customer invoice from the delivered load record. Rate, accessorials, and margin are pre-populated.
Dashboards
Monitor load volume, margin by lane, carrier performance, and on-time delivery using native Salesforce dashboards that update in real time from live load records.
Replace any external tracking spreadsheets with the FTM Brokerage Dashboard. Dashboard data reflects the live Salesforce record and requires no manual updates.
Salesforce sends an email with a daily dashboard snapshot if configured. Ask your administrator to schedule a morning delivery.
Figure 8 FTM Brokerage Dashboard in Salesforce showing live operational KPIs. No export required.
Day-to-day reference
Common Daily Activities
Expand each task for step-by-step instructions, best practices, and related documentation. Click any task to open it.
1
Create a Customer Quote
Generate a freight quote for a customer using FTM’s tariff-based pricing. Margin is calculated and locked at this stage.
1
Navigate to the Quotes tab in FTM and click New2
Select the customer account from the Customer lookup field3
Enter the origin and destination addresses, commodity type, and equipment required4
FTM calculates the customer rate from the applicable tariff table. Verify the rate and margin before saving5
Add any applicable accessorials (fuel surcharge, liftgate, detention) as line items on the quote6
Save the quote. Status is set to Draft. Update to Submitted when sent to the customerOnly quotes created in FTM can be converted to loads automatically. Quotes created outside the system require manual re-entry and do not retain margin data.
2
Convert a Quote into a Load
Turn an approved customer quote into a load record. No data re-entry required. The customer rate and lane details carry over automatically.
1
Open the approved quote record2
Verify the quote status is set to Approved or Accepted3
Click Convert to Load in the quote record action menu4
FTM creates a new load record pre-populated with the customer, lane, equipment, and quoted rate5
Complete the pickup and delivery appointment fields and any additional load details6
Save the load. The quote record links to the load for reference and audit trailThe customer rate from the quote is protected. It flows to the invoice at billing and cannot be changed without creating a new quote.
3
Source and Assign a Carrier
Post the load to the Private Loadboard, receive bids from approved carriers, compare against the customer rate, and award the load.
1
Open the load record and click Post to Loadboard2
Set visibility to Private (your approved carrier network only) or select specific carriers to notify3
Wait for carrier bids to arrive. Open the Bid Comparison panel to review submissions4
Compare carrier cost against the customer rate. Verify margin holds on the selected bid5
Click Award Load on the selected carrier. FTM generates the rate confirmation automatically6
Verify the rate confirmation is correct before the carrier acceptsUse the Private Loadboard first to prioritize your existing carrier relationships. Going to the open market on every load undermines network development and typically increases cost.
4
Dispatch a Shipment
Confirm all load details and update the load status to Dispatched. The carrier receives pickup instructions and the load becomes visible on the Dispatch Console.
1
Open the load record. Confirm carrier, equipment, pickup address, and appointment are all complete2
Verify the rate confirmation has been issued and accepted by the carrier3
Update the Status field to Dispatched and save4
The load appears on the Dispatch Console in real-time status view5
Contact the carrier with pickup details if not already communicated through FTMA load in Dispatched status is visible to the customer through the Customer Portal. Ensure pickup details are accurate before updating the status.
5
Track Shipment Progress
Monitor active loads through the Dispatch Console. Update milestones as events occur to maintain Customer Portal accuracy and on-time reporting integrity.
1
Open the Dispatch Console from the FTM app. The board shows all active loads in current status2
Click any load card to open the detail view and see carrier contact, last update, and milestone history3
When pickup is confirmed, update the Actual Pickup Date/Time field and change status to In Transit4
Update status to Delivered and enter the Actual Delivery Date/Time when delivery is confirmed5
Flag exceptions (delays, appointment changes) in the load record notes as they occurMilestone updates affect on-time performance reports retroactively. Update at the time of each event, not at end of shift. Batch updates at end of day produce inaccurate daily reporting.
6
Upload Proof of Delivery
Attach the signed POD document to the load record immediately after delivery confirmation. POD becomes available to the customer through the Customer Portal and triggers the invoice workflow.
1
Open the delivered load record2
Scroll to the Files section and click Upload Files3
Select the signed POD document from your local drive or email4
Tag the document as Proof of Delivery in the document type field5
Save. The document is immediately visible to the customer in the Customer Portal6
Proceed to invoice generation once POD is confirmed and attachedPODs held for batch upload are frequently missing when billing runs. Attach at delivery. Do not accumulate documents for end-of-day processing.
7
Generate a Customer Invoice
Create the customer invoice from the delivered load record. The quoted rate, accessorials, and customer details are pre-populated from the load.
1
Open the delivered load record and confirm POD is attached2
Navigate to the Billing section on the load record3
Verify all accessorial line items are captured (fuel surcharge, detention, liftgate)4
Click Generate Invoice. FTM creates the invoice using the locked rate plus any accessorials5
Review the invoice total. Confirm margin against the carrier cost before finalizing6
Send the invoice through your connected accounting system or export as neededInvoice within one business day of POD confirmation. Delayed invoicing extends the cash cycle and increases the chance that accessorials will be disputed by customers who no longer recall the delivery event.
8
Review Dashboards and Reports
Open the FTM Brokerage Dashboard to review daily load volume, margin by lane, carrier performance, and outstanding invoices. No export required.
1
Click the App Launcher (grid icon) in Salesforce and search for FTM Dashboard2
Review load volume, on-time rate, and margin charts for the current period3
Apply date filters or carrier/customer filters to narrow the view as needed4
Navigate to Salesforce Reports to run lane-level or carrier-level detail reports5
Export reports to Excel if needed for external review or meetingsDashboard data reflects live Salesforce records. If a metric looks wrong, the underlying data is the issue, not the dashboard. Check the source records before assuming a reporting error.
Operational guidance
Recommended Operational Practices
Practices that protect margin, reduce exceptions, and keep the brokerage operation running cleanly inside FTM.
01
Maintain complete customer and carrier records before creating loads
Customer credit terms, carrier compliance status, and contact records should be current before a quote or load is created. Incomplete records cause exceptions at billing and carrier onboarding that are slower to resolve than to prevent.
02
Generate all quotes directly within FTM, not externally
Quotes created outside FTM cannot be converted to loads automatically, cannot reference tariff tables, and do not produce the lane history data that improves future pricing accuracy. Route all quoting activity through the FTM Quoting System.
03
Update shipment milestones at the time of each event
Pickup confirmed, in-transit, and delivered should be updated as events occur. Batch milestone updates at end of shift create inaccurate dashboards, delay customer visibility in the portal, and produce on-time reporting that cannot be reconciled after the fact.
04
Attach supporting documents to every load before closing
BOL at pickup, rate confirmation at dispatch, and POD at delivery should each be attached to the load record immediately. Loads closed without complete documentation create disputes at billing and cannot be audited accurately when customers request documentation later.
05
Invoice customers promptly after POD is confirmed
Generate the customer invoice within one business day of POD confirmation. Delayed invoicing extends the cash cycle and increases the likelihood that accessorials will be disputed by customers who no longer have the event in context.
06
Use FTM dashboards instead of spreadsheets for operational tracking
The FTM Brokerage Dashboard reflects live Salesforce data and requires no manual export or update. Spreadsheets maintained in parallel with FTM introduce version drift, require reconciliation, and frequently disagree with the system of record at the moment decisions are made.
How do I create a quote?
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Navigate to Quotes in the FTM app and click New. Select the customer account, enter the origin and destination, commodity details, and equipment type. FTM calculates the rate from the applicable tariff table for that customer and lane. Review the margin, add any accessorials, and save to create the quote record.
How do I convert a quote into a load?
+
Open the approved quote record and click the Convert to Load button. FTM creates a new load record pre-populated with the customer, lane, equipment type, and quoted rate. The quote record links to the load for reference. No data re-entry is required.
How do I assign a carrier?
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From the load record, click Post to Loadboard to post the load to your Private Loadboard. Review carrier bids in the comparison panel, select the preferred carrier, and click Award Load. The rate confirmation is generated automatically from the awarded bid.
Where do I upload Proof of Delivery?
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Open the load record and navigate to the Files section. Click Upload Files, select the POD document, and tag it as Proof of Delivery. The document attaches to the record immediately and becomes visible to the customer through the Customer Portal.
How do I generate invoices?
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Open the delivered load record and navigate to the Billing section. Verify that POD is attached and all accessorials are captured. Click Generate Invoice to create the customer invoice using the rate locked at quoting plus any accessorials added during execution.
Where can I find reports and dashboards?
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FTM dashboards are accessible from the Salesforce App Launcher. Search for FTM Dashboard or navigate to the Dashboards tab within the FTM app. Pre-built reports for load volume, margin by lane, carrier performance, and aging invoices are available in the FTM Reports folder in Salesforce.
Who do I contact for support?
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Contact the FTM support team at [email protected] or call +1 (949) 800-7197. For implementation planning, workflow design, and platform architecture discussions, book an executive session. Response within one business day.
Support
Need Assistance?
Contact Support
For quoting workflow questions, load management guidance, carrier procurement help, billing configuration, and technical issues. Response within one business day.
Book an Executive Session
For brokerage workflow design, tariff configuration strategy, carrier network planning, and advanced reporting discussions. Not for day-to-day operational support.
Schedule a Session →
