Batch Shipment Scheduling
Carriers pick up packages. But they don't always pick up one package at a time — they pick up a batch, and the batch needs to be booked in advance. For operations shipping dozens or hundreds of packages daily, managing those pickups efficiently is a real operational task.
Batch shipment scheduling handles this at scale.
Collect, Then Book
As orders are packed and labeled throughout the day, they're grouped into shipment batches. Each batch is destined for a specific carrier, with a pickup window requested for the end of the processing day.
When the batch is ready to close, a single booking request goes to the carrier covering all packages in the batch. The carrier receives the booking with the total package count, combined weight, and requested pickup window. One booking instead of one per package.
Carrier-Specific Batching
Different carriers have different booking formats and pickup windows. Batch scheduling is carrier-aware: packages destined for Carrier A are grouped separately from packages destined for Carrier B. Each carrier's batch follows that carrier's booking protocol.
Multiple batches can be open simultaneously — one per carrier, or one per carrier per pickup window if the operation ships in multiple daily waves.
Summary View for Dispatch
The batch summary view shows every open batch: the carrier, the number of packages, the total weight, the requested pickup window, and the booking confirmation number once the pickup is booked.
Dispatch coordinators use this view to confirm that all batches are booked before the end of the day. The view makes it immediately obvious if a batch was missed or if a booking failed.
End-of-Day Processing
For operations with a defined end-of-day processing cutoff, batches can be configured to close automatically at the cutoff time. Any packages that reach the "labeled" state before cutoff are included in that day's batches. Packages processed after cutoff go into the next day's batches.
The automation means end-of-day processing follows a consistent pattern without requiring manual batch management steps.