Concepts

Connections

How chrt orgs find each other, link up, and exchange orders.

A connection is the link between two organizations on chrt. You can only assign an order to a provider you’re connected with — connections are the gate. This page covers how connections are made, what a connect handle is, how default rate sheets attach to a connection, and the difference between on-platform and off-platform partners.

Org modes: shipper and provider

Every chrt organization is created in one of two modes, picked during onboarding:

ModeRoleExample
ShipperPlaces orders and pays for them.A pharma manufacturer placing same-day delivery orders.
ProviderRuns orders and gets paid. Covers both forwarders (who broker the work to others) and couriers (who execute it).A regional courier company; an international freight forwarder.

A connection always links a shipper to a provider, or a provider to another provider (e.g. a forwarder connecting to a courier in another city). Shippers do not connect to other shippers.

The directory and the connect handle

Every chrt org has a public handle — a short, unique identifier picked at setup. The handle drives the public profile URL:

https://chrt.com/@your-handle

The directory at chrt.com/directory is the searchable index of every public profile. Anyone with a chrt account can search the directory by handle, name, or service area, open a profile, and click Connect to send a connection request.

Two ways to connect:

  • From the directory — search, open the profile, click Connect.
  • From a shared link — the provider sends you their https://chrt.com/@their-handle URL. If you don’t yet have a chrt account, the link offers a Sign Up and Connect flow that creates your org and lands it already connected to theirs.

See Connecting with providers for the shipper-side walkthrough.

Connection states

StatusMeaning
PendingOne side has sent a request; the other side hasn’t accepted yet.
ActiveBoth sides have accepted. Orders can be assigned across the connection.
ArchivedThe connection has been retired. Existing orders aren’t affected but new orders can’t be assigned to it.

Default rate sheet

Every active connection has a default rate sheet slot. The default rate sheet is the pricing template that auto-applies to every new order assigned across that connection — you don’t have to pick one each time.

Defaults are kept per connection direction:

  • A forwarder ↔ shipper connection has the forwarder’s shipper-pay-provider default — what the forwarder charges that shipper.
  • A forwarder ↔ courier connection has the forwarder’s provider-pay-provider default — what the forwarder pays that courier.
  • A courier ↔ driver pairing (not a connection per se, but stored similarly) has the courier’s provider-pay-driver default — what the courier pays that driver.

You can override the default on any individual order or task group. See Billing primitives for how rate sheets attach to task groups.

On-platform vs off-platform

Some of the providers and shippers you work with may not have chrt accounts. chrt models them as off-platform records:

Connection kindWhat it doesWhat it doesn’t do
On-platformBoth orgs are on chrt. Orders, messages, and statements are visible to both sides in-app. Tracking, artifacts, and Stripe Connect work end-to-end.—
Off-platformYou maintain a local record of the partner inside your org. Orders can reference them as the shipper or as a provider.The partner cannot sign in, see the order, accept assignments, or upload artifacts. You dispatch and track through your existing channels with them.

Off-platform records live under chrt.com/connections on the Off-platform tab. If the off-platform partner later signs up for chrt, you can connect to them normally and migrate forward.

See Off-platform providers for the shipper-side workflow.