Order Rates, Charges & Expenses¶

How UTX Freight prices an order (base rate, zone rates, customer custom rates, automatic Terminal Fee and fuel surcharge, additional charges) and how you record what the order costs you (Order Expenses).

Overview¶

Every order has two money sides:

Income -- what you bill the customer. This is the Base rate plus any Additional Charges. Their sum is the order total, and it is what ends up on the invoice.
Expenses -- what the order costs you (driver pay, broker fees, other costs). Expenses never change the order total. They feed the Expenses page, Checks and the Order Sales / Profit report.

Here is how the income side is built:

Zone rate lookup -- the delivery city's zone gives the base rate. If the customer has a custom rate for that zone, the custom rate wins.
Terminal Fee -- added automatically on Import and Export orders, from the terminal's default rate or the customer's custom terminal rate.
Fuel surcharge -- added automatically (when the fuel surcharge add-on is on) as a percentage of the base rate.
Additional Charges -- any other income charge type you add by hand.
Rate history -- one click shows the customer's zone rates and what you billed on similar invoiced orders.

Who sees rates

Only users who can manage rates (Admin, Manager, and Dispatch or Customer Service users with Can manage rates? checked) see the rate fields, charges and expenses. See Access & Permissions.

Quick Start¶

Already familiar with order pricing? Here is the fastest path:

Open the order's Edit, Dispatch or Complete form.
Expand the Order Income panel (called Order Income & Billing on the Edit form).
Check the Base rate. Click the green refresh icon to look up the zone rate again, or the icon to see rate history.
Under Additional Charges, click (+) Add another, pick a charge type and adjust the amount if needed.
Optionally expand Order Expenses and add what you pay the driver, broker or other payee.
Save the form. The total is recalculated and saved. On the Edit and Dispatch forms of an open order, the Terminal Fee and fuel surcharge are also recomputed (see Automatic Terminal Fee).

Access & Permissions¶

Pricing lives inside the order forms (Edit, Dispatch and Complete). What you see depends on your role:

Role	Customer section	Order Charges for Invoice Breakdown	Order Expenses
Admin	Yes	Yes	Yes
Manager	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dispatch / Customer Service with Can manage rates?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dispatch / Customer Service without Can manage rates?	Yes	No	No
All other roles	No	No	No

The Customer section holds the Place the order on behalf of field (shown inside the Order Income panel).
Users who cannot manage rates do not see the base rate, but the form still carries it as a hidden value, so saving the order normally keeps its existing rate. Exception: changing Place the order on behalf of runs the zone lookup and replaces that hidden base rate (see Zone Rate Lookup).
Can manage rates? is a checkbox on a Dispatch or Customer Service user's profile, and only an Admin can change it. See People & Invitations and User Roles.
In the Rate Update message (see below), users who cannot manage rates see only the zone name, never the dollar amount.

Order Charges for Invoice Breakdown¶

This section sits inside the Order Income panel (Order Income & Billing on the Edit form). It is only visible to users who can manage rates.

Element	What It Does
Base rate	The main price of the order. Filled automatically by the zone lookup, and you can type over it.
i icon (blue, tooltip "Check rate history")	Opens the Rate History window for this order's customer. See Rate History.
$ total (large green number)	Base rate plus every Additional Charge on the form. It updates as you type.
Refresh icon (green)	Runs the zone rate lookup again and replaces the Base rate with the result.
Auto compute fuel surcharges for this order	Yes / No. Only shown when the fuel surcharge add-on is on. Defaults to Yes. Set it to No to stop the fuel surcharge being computed for this order. A fuel charge already on the order stays until you remove it with (-) Remove.
Additional Charges	The list of income charges on this order, including the automatic Terminal Fee and fuel surcharge rows once they have been added.
(+) Add another	Adds a new Additional Charge row.
(-) Remove	Removes that charge row.

Additional Charges¶

Each Additional Charge row has a charge type dropdown and an amount.

The dropdown lists your Income charge types for the intermodal service, written as Name (rate$) -- for example Chassis (75.0$). Fuel surcharge charge types show a percent instead: Fuel Surcharge 15% (15.0%).
When you pick a charge type, its default rate is copied into the amount field. You can then change the amount for this order only.
Charge types are set up under Manage Charge Types. See Charge Types & Taxes.

Step-by-step: Add a charge to an order¶

Open the order's Edit, Dispatch or Complete form.
Expand Order Income (or Order Income & Billing).
Under Additional Charges, click (+) Add another.
Pick the charge type from the dropdown. The amount fills in from its default rate.
Change the amount if this order needs a different price.
Save the form.

How the total is calculated¶

Info

Total = Base rate + sum of all Additional Charges

The green total on screen is a live preview. When you save, the order total is recalculated on the server after the automatic Terminal Fee and fuel surcharge are refreshed, so the saved total can differ from what you saw before saving. The total is rounded to the cent.

Zone Rate Lookup¶

The zone rate lookup sets the Base rate from the order's delivery location.

What triggers it¶

In the Edit, Dispatch and Complete forms, the lookup runs when:

you change Place the order on behalf of (the customer), or
you click the green refresh icon.

How the rate is found¶

UTX Freight takes the shipper / receiver saved on the order and uses its city.
It finds the zone that city belongs to and takes the zone's rate.
If the order's customer has a custom rate for that zone, the custom rate is used instead.
The result replaces the Base rate and the total is recalculated.

Zones, cities and zone prices are set up in Zones & Cities. Customer custom rates are set on the customer (see Customer Custom Rates).

The "Rate Update" message¶

A Rate Update message appears at the top of the screen with the result:

Message	Meaning
`Zone N - Rate $x` (green)	The city is in zone Zone N and the zone's default rate $x was applied.
`Zone N - Custom Rate $x` (blue)	The city is in zone Zone N and this customer's custom rate $x was applied.
`No ZONE found for this city`	No zone could be found -- the shipper / receiver has no city, or the city has no zone.

"Zone N" is the name you gave the zone. Users who cannot manage rates see only the zone name (or No ZONE found for this city) without the rate.

No zone means a $0.00 base rate

When the lookup finds no zone, it still replaces the Base rate -- with 0. For rate managers the message reads No ZONE found for this city - Rate $ 0.00. If you see it, fix the city's zone (or the shipper / receiver's city) and click refresh again, or type the base rate by hand before saving.

Default Order Rate

When a new order is created without a base rate and the customer company has a Default Order Rate (shown read-only under Rate to apply for new orders on the customer), that rate is used as the starting base rate.

Rate History¶

Click the blue icon next to Base rate to open the Rate History window. Its title reads Rate History for Customer (invoiced imports only), using the order's customer company and order type (for example imports or exports).

Zone rate table¶

The top block, Rates for Customer, shows one column per active zone with the rate this customer pays there:

Display	Meaning
*Blue rate with ``**	Custom rate for this customer.
Green rate	The zone's default rate.
N/A (grey)	No rate set for this zone.

Comparable invoiced orders¶

Below the zone table is a list of past orders for comparison. An order is listed only if it:

belongs to the same customer company,
has the same order type (Import, Export, ...),
has the same pickup terminal,
is Completed, invoiced, and has a delivery date.

The list shows up to 10 of the most recent such orders delivered to the same shipper / receiver as this order, followed by up to 10 more delivered elsewhere, newest first.

Column	What It Shows
Order#	Order reference
Date	Delivery date
Terminal	Pickup terminal
Base Rate	Base rate billed
Total	Order total billed
Delivered To	Shipper / receiver
Charges	Each charge on the order (including automatic Terminal Fee and fuel rows) as Charge type: $ amount

Click Close to return to the order.

Automatic Terminal Fee¶

UTX Freight can add a terminal fee to each order automatically.

Requirements¶

A charge type with Use as default for set to Terminal Fee must exist (see Charge Types & Taxes). If several exist, only one is used, so keep a single Terminal Fee charge type.
The order must be an Import or Export order, and the terminal it uses (see below) must be filled in.
The order must not be Completed or invoiced.

Which terminal and which rate¶

Order type	Terminal used
Import	The pickup terminal
Export	The return terminal

The rate is the terminal's Default Rate (see Managing Terminals). If the customer has a custom rate for that terminal, the custom rate is used instead.

How it is applied¶

The fee is added when the order is created and refreshed every time the open order is saved from the Edit or Dispatch form. Saving the Complete form marks the order Completed first, so that save does not refresh it.
Each refresh removes the existing Terminal Fee charge and adds a new one, with the note Computed Terminal Fee. Editing the amount by hand therefore does not stick -- change the terminal's rate or the customer's custom rate instead.
Rates under $1 are ignored: no Terminal Fee is added.
Transfer and other order types never get an automatic Terminal Fee.

Automatic Fuel Surcharge¶

When the fuel surcharge add-on is on, a fuel surcharge charge is computed for the order. In short:

Applies to Import, Export and Transfer orders that are not Completed or invoiced.
Auto compute fuel surcharges for this order must be Yes.
The rate is the monthly fuel rate for the month of the order's delivery date. A customer-specific rate for that month wins over the general rate.
Amount = Base rate x fuel %, rounded to the cent, with the note Computed Fuel Surcharge N% (or Computed Fuel Surcharge N% (custom rate for Customer)).
The existing fuel charge is replaced on each save. A rate under 1% removes the fuel charge and adds nothing. If the order has no delivery date, or no fuel rate exists for that month, the existing fuel charge is left as it is.
Customers marked Exempt from Fuel Surcharge get no fuel charge, and any existing one is removed on save.

Full details, including how to set monthly rates and recalculate open orders: Fuel Surcharge.

Customer Custom Rates¶

On the customer's edit page, the Custom rates for this customer section lets you set prices that override defaults for this customer only. Each row has a Charge dropdown grouped by:

Group	Overrides
Zone	The zone rate used by the zone rate lookup. Shown in blue with `*` in Rate History.
Terminal	The terminal's Default Rate for the automatic Terminal Fee.

Enter the Rate, click (+) Add another for more rows, and save the customer. See Managing Customers.

Order Expenses¶

The Order Expenses panel records what the order costs you. It appears on the Edit, Dispatch and Complete forms, for users who can manage rates only.

Each expense row has:

Field	What It Does
Payee (first dropdown)	Who you pay. Grouped into Driver, Broker and Other Expense (your expense categories). Changing it clears the Rate, so pick the payee before the expense type.
Expense type (second dropdown)	Optional. Lists your Expense charge types as Name (rate$). Picking one copies its default rate into Rate.
Rate	The amount of the expense.
Comment	Free-text note.
(-) Remove	Removes the row.

Click (+) Add another to add a row, then save the form.

Where expenses go¶

Not the order total. Expenses never change the total or the invoice.
Expenses page -- every expense line is listed there.
Checks -- expenses on Completed orders that are not yet on a check can be added to a check.
Reports > Order Sales / Profit -- shows each order's Expenses and Profits (total minus expenses).

See Expenses & Checks and Reports.

FAQ / Troubleshooting¶

I can't see the base rate or charges on the order¶

Solution

Only Admin, Manager, and Dispatch or Customer Service users with Can manage rates? see Order Charges for Invoice Breakdown and Order Expenses. Ask an Admin to check Can manage rates? on your profile.

The message says "No ZONE found for this city"¶

Solution

The lookup uses the city of the order's shipper / receiver. Make sure the shipper / receiver has a city, and that the city is assigned to a zone with a price. Then click the green refresh icon. See Zones & Cities.

My base rate changed to a different amount (or 0) on its own¶

Solution

Changing Place the order on behalf of runs the zone lookup and replaces the base rate with the new customer's zone or custom rate -- or with 0 if no zone is found. Re-enter the rate before saving if you need a different amount.

No Terminal Fee was added¶

Solution

Check that: a charge type has Use as default for = Terminal Fee; the order is Import or Export; the right terminal is set (pickup for Import, return for Export); the terminal's Default Rate (or the customer's custom terminal rate) is at least $1; and the order is not Completed or invoiced.

I edited the Terminal Fee or fuel surcharge amount and it went back¶

Solution

Both are recomputed every time the open order is saved from the Edit or Dispatch form. Change the terminal rate, the customer's custom rate or the fuel rate instead. For fuel, you can set Auto compute fuel surcharges for this order to No.

Charges stopped updating after I completed the order¶

Solution

By design: once an order is Completed or invoiced, the Terminal Fee and fuel surcharge are no longer recomputed. This includes the save from the Complete form itself. Manual changes to Additional Charges are still saved.

I added expenses but the invoice total didn't change¶

Solution

Expenses are costs, not income. They show on the Expenses page, Checks and the Order Sales / Profit report, never on the invoice. To bill the customer for something, add it under Additional Charges.

Best Practices

Set zone prices and assign every delivery city to a zone before creating orders, so the base rate fills in by itself.
Use customer custom rates (zone or terminal) instead of editing each order by hand.
Keep exactly one charge type marked Terminal Fee.
Glance at Rate History before quoting a customer -- it shows what you billed on the same lane.
Record driver and broker pay in Order Expenses so the Order Sales / Profit report shows real margins.