> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.chrt.com/prod/shippers/off-platform/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.chrt.com/_mcp/server.

# Off-Platform Providers

> Create, edit, and delete off-platform provider records in chrt — useful when you work with a logistics provider who hasn't signed up.

Not every provider you work with is on chrt. **Off-platform providers** are
records you maintain inside your shipper org for forwarders and couriers that
don't have a chrt account. You can reference them on draft orders, attach
addresses and contacts to them, and keep a clean directory — but they won't
see the order in the app, so you'll continue dispatching and tracking through
your existing channels with them.

## Before you start

* Off-platform providers don't have chrt sign-in access. They cannot accept
  orders, see the map, or upload artifacts inside chrt. Use them as
  bookkeeping records, not as a dispatch path.
* If the provider you're recording later joins chrt, you can connect to them
  normally — see [Connecting with providers](/shippers/connecting-providers).

## 1. Open the off-platform tab

Open [chrt.com/connections](https://chrt.com/connections). Switch to the
**Off-platform** section.

If you haven't added any off-platform providers yet, you'll see an empty
state with an **Add New Connection** button.

## 2. Create an off-platform provider record

1. Click **Add New Connection** (or the equivalent **Create** action).
2. Fill in the company information:
   * **Company name** (required).
   * **Industry** (optional).
   * **Street address** (optional; supports geocoding so saved addresses
     can be reused on stops).
3. Add a primary point of contact:
   * **First name** and **last name**.
   * **Job title**.
   * **Primary phone** and optional **secondary phone**.
   * **Primary email** and optional **secondary email**.
4. Add **notes** for anything the rest of your team should know about working
   with this provider (preferred lanes, equipment, special pricing notes).
5. Save.

## 3. Reference an off-platform provider on an order

Off-platform providers show up alongside connected on-platform providers in
the Order setup tab of the [draft builder](/shippers/creating-shipments). Pick
the off-platform record when you want the order to reference that provider —
the order is still built, validated, and tracked inside chrt by you, but the
provider field shows the off-platform name (instead of a clickable chrt org
link).

You can also pick an off-platform provider's saved contacts when adding
addresses on stops — click the **map pin** on a contact card to fill the stop
address from the contact's saved location.

## 4. Edit or remove a record

From the off-platform list, click the provider's card to open the edit form.
You can update any of the fields you set during create. To remove the
record, use the **Delete** action on the edit view.

> **Warning**
>
> Deleting an off-platform provider removes them from selection on new
> orders. Existing orders that referenced them keep the historical reference
> but you can't pick that provider again unless you recreate the record.

## How to know it worked

* The provider appears in the off-platform list on
  [Connections](https://chrt.com/connections).
* The provider is selectable in the Order setup tab of the draft builder.
* Their saved contacts appear in the contact picker when adding addresses to
  stops.

## If something looks different

* **You don't see the Off-platform section** — confirm you're signed into a
  shipper org (off-platform providers are a shipper-side concept; providers
  see off-platform shippers instead).
* **Saved addresses don't auto-fill stops** — confirm the off-platform
  record has a street address with coordinates. Records created without
  geocoding still work, but won't fill from a contact's map pin.
* **You see the wrong fields** — providers and shippers use the same form
  but with different labels. If labels say "Shipper" instead of "Provider,"
  you're in a different org type than expected; double-check the active org.
* Contact [hi@chrt.com](mailto:hi@chrt.com) if you have issues.

## Related guides

* [Connecting with providers](/shippers/connecting-providers) — connect with
  providers that *are* on chrt.
* [Creating shipments](/shippers/creating-shipments) — reference an
  off-platform provider on an order.

> Record forwarders and couriers that aren't on chrt so you can still build orders that reference them.