Dynamics 365: The Load Workbenches Part 2 – Load Building

It is time for us to recognize the Load planning workbench and his other brother the Load building workbench; a couple of tools in D365 that are useful in creating and managing shipments. These two dudes are hanging out, among other places, in the Transportation management module just waiting to be happy little helpers.

This blog is focused on the Load building workbench (LBW). It can be located from the Navigation pane > Modules > Transportation management > Planning > Load building workbench. The LBW is slightly different than its brother, Load Planning, in that instead of choosing lines from a list, the system does this automagically based on a set of parameters. This tool can help the user avoid diminished loads and promote higher shipping efficiency.

Starting at the top of the form, the first thing that is assigned it the Load building strategy (LBS).

Notice you can assign a specific customer and scheduled route. Scheduled routes give the user the opportunity to view any shipping routes that occur on a regular basis to include in the Load building generation.

The only two required pieces of information that need to be added are the LBS and a Load template ID, located under the Load template sequence. The load Template can be set-up in a few places as well, you can start in Modules> Transportation management> Setup> Load building> Load templates.

This is a pre-requisite set-up and has parameters to tell the user how much can be shipped, like weight and volume.

Once the information is in place, click Propose loads at the top of the form to generate the potential loads. When the engine is done running, D365 will return some options. To accept these options, click Create loads.

If there are regular shipments using specific parameters, Load building templates can be set-up to save time and avoid having to build the same load repeatedly.

The templates include all the information shown on the LBW form. Click on Manage templates to open the template form. Fill out any pertinent info and click save. The templates can be applied anytime from the Manage templates tab on the Actions pane.

At this point, a load has been created and has been turned over to the Load planning workbench (LPW) and can viewed there. From the LPW, the load can be routed, shipped, etc.

Thank you for stopping by and learning a bit about Load building. Make sure you check out the twin blog for the Load Planning Workbench!

Dynamics 365: The Load Workbenches Part 1 – Load Planning