Setting a Target Rate floor and ceiling manually on every quote — and manually deciding which carriers to invite to bid — doesn't scale past a handful of lanes. ShipperGuide's Smart Rules let you automate both of these tasks: assign Target Rate ranges from Benchmark data automatically, and invite carriers to quote based on rules you set once. This article walks you through setting up both Smart Rule types in ShipperGuide.

This article covers:

• Setting up automated Target Rate assignment
• Setting up automated carrier invitations
• How the two work together

How to Access This Feature

1. In ShipperGuide, go to the Manage tab.
2. Select Automation.
3. Click Quote Rules.
   
   

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. From the Quote Rules screen, start a new automation and enter a Name that helps you identify it later.
   
2. Select the Action you want this automation to perform: Assign Target Rate or Invite Carriers.
   
3. If choosing the Target Rate type. Currently, Dynamic is the only available option.
4. Set the Bid deadline for how long carriers have to respond to quote requests.
5. Choose your Floor Source: select Manual to set your own floor rate, or Benchmark to let ShipperGuide calculate it automatically from Benchmark data.
6. Choose your Ceiling Source: select Manual or Benchmark, the same way you did for the floor.
   
7. Decide which carriers to invite:
   • Invite All Carriers – includes your full carrier network
   • By Tag – includes only carriers with a specific tag
   • Specific Carriers – includes only the carriers you select
8. Set your Conditions to define which shipments this automation applies to. Conditions can include:
   • Delivery City and State
   • Delivery Facility
   • Delivery State
   • Delivery Zipcode 3
   • Delivery Zipcode 5
   • Equipment Type
   • Mileage
   • Mode
   • Order Requires Temperature Control
   • Pickup Facility
   • Pickup State
   • Pickup Zipcode 3
   • Pickup Zipcode 5
   • Tags
9. Add sub-conditions if you need more specific rules. Available operators include Is equal to, Is different than, Contains, and a few others.
   
10. Once everything is set, click Create to save your automation.
    

Automation for Auto Carrier Invitation
You can also automatically invite carriers based on certain conditions by following the same steps above, but setting the Action to Invite Carriers instead of Assign Target Rate. This lets you automate which carriers get invited to a shipment based on the conditions you set.

How It Works
Once your automation is active, any new shipment that matches its conditions will automatically apply the Target Rate range you configured. On the Quotes page, you'll see a dedicated spot showing the carriers who meet your criteria and were invited to quote — no manual setup required for that shipment.

 

FAQ

Does this automation apply to shipments I already created, or just new ones?
It only applies to new shipments. After you activate your rule, it applies to shipments created after that activation — not to any shipments that already existed.

Can I use a Manual floor with a Benchmark ceiling?
Yes, you can mix your sources. Floor Source and Ceiling Source are set independently, so you can combine Manual and Benchmark as needed.