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# Create and Assign an Order

## Before you start

Confirm the active organization, the shipper/customer and the provider responsible for the work. Gather the cargo, locations, timing, instructions and proof requirements. Driver execution also needs an eligible driver's linked profile; an invitation alone is insufficient.

## Create and review a draft

1. Open [Orders](https://chrt.com/orders) and click **Create Order**, or open [New Order](https://chrt.com/orders/new). Either one creates a draft and opens its workspace on **Timeline**.

2. Review the order name 1 and ownership in the header, including the selected shipper/provider 2. The name is the order ID until you add an external reference with the pencil icon (**Edit external order reference**).

   ![Header and tab row of a draft order, numbered 1 to 5: the order name with its Draft badge, the shipper selector, the Cargo tab, the Timeline and Tasks tabs, and the Bookings tab.](/_fern-files/_img/e02c2c3a02cec19c0181c0c7815735bb15b6cf2721bcedca4fed8c7008edba07.webp)

   *Order workspace header and tab row of a draft order. **1** Order name with its pencil and the **Draft** badge, **2** Shipper selector (**CHRT (shipper)** here), **3** **Cargo** tab, **4** **Timeline** and **Tasks** tabs, **5** **Bookings** tab.*

3. Use **Cargo** 3 to describe what is moving and review its associations.

4. Use **Timeline** and **Tasks** 4 to configure and review the route, stops, timing and proof. Ground tasks on these rows show a short ID chip after the task title.

5. For flight-linked cargo, review the relevant **Bookings** 5 and itinerary information. A flight or booking preview does not prove cargo acceptance.

6. Resolve the displayed readiness errors and review the whole draft before staging.

**Add cargo** creates a row immediately, and cargo grid edits submit automatically. Reopen **Cargo** to confirm the saved values; preparing a draft does not make these edits temporary.

## Stage and verify

Use **Stage order** when available. A provider draft needs a shipper selected, and a shipper's own draft needs a coordinator chosen with **Select coordinator…**. The service validates readiness; an error is not a reason to bypass the required data. If staging fails, CHRT shows **The order could not be staged** with the requirements that are not met, such as **Stops are missing cargo**, **No stop has a time window** or **The order has no coordinator**. Affected stops are named under each requirement, and **Go to Cargo** opens **Cargo**. Fix each item and stage again.

After staging, refresh/reopen the saved order and check its status, cargo, work and ownership. If staging succeeded but refresh failed, resolve the refresh before repeating the action. A draft reference or preview alone does not prove the work is staged.

## Assign and confirm

On the intended ground task group 1, review **Assign provider** first. Its available actions include **Assign to own org**, **Assign a provider** and **Bid to providers**. Choose the executor appropriate to the work and confirm the saved provider 2 before assigning a driver. Available actions depend on your role and the group. The **Accepted by** label 3 shows the saved response behind the executor, the **Awaiting driver assignment** row 4 shows that no driver is saved yet, and the **Pickup** and **Deliver** stops 5 are **Stop 1** and **Stop 2**.

![Timeline of a draft order, numbered 1 to 5: the Segment 1 — Ground header, the CHRT (courier) executor chip, the Accepted by label, the Awaiting driver assignment row, and the Pickup and Deliver stops.](/_fern-files/_img/c04937d0511babf6483c67a7769cf424d3e34df51d02c47b02bd1501e683d8b8.webp)

*Segment 1 on the **Timeline** tab of a draft order. **1** **Segment 1 — Ground** header, the ground task group, **2** **CHRT (courier)** executor chip, the saved provider, **3** **Accepted by** label, the saved response behind the executor, **4** **Awaiting driver assignment** row: no driver is saved yet, **5** **Pickup** and **Deliver** stops (**Stop 1** and **Stop 2**).*

Immediate **Assign** or **Reassign** works when the assignee has agreed to direct assignment: a W2 driver with auto-assignment enabled, or a partner courier whose connection has **Auto-assign** turned on by that organization's admin. Otherwise send the work as a listing: **Bid** asks for a response, and **Dispatch directly** asks a driver to accept or deny.

Before immediate driver assignment, have an authorized operator confirm the driver has the approved W2 profile with auto-assignment enabled and review both availability values. Reload the profile to confirm its saved classification. Follow [Driver setup](/staging/couriers/drivers#set-the-classification-for-dispatch). For a partner courier, check the **Auto-assign** setting in the connection's profile settings before assigning directly. A visible **Assign** button is not a substitute for eligibility.

For direct driver assignment, open **Assign** in the driver row (the control is labeled **Assign driver** for accessibility), then choose **Assign a driver**. Select the eligible driver for the executing organization and confirm the saved assignment, then ask the driver to refresh and open the same work in the mobile app. See [Dispatching](/staging/couriers/dispatching). Marks 1 to 4 show the **Staged** badge, the tab row, the ground task group and its executor chip, and mark 5 is the **Driver Assigned** row where the saved assignment appears.

![Timeline tab of a staged example order, with numbers pointing at the Staged badge (1), the tab row (2), the Segment 1 — Ground task group (3), the executor chip (4) and the Driver Assigned row (5), above the Stop 1 Pickup and Stop 2 Deliver rows](/_fern-files/_img/8d23e3a5a817ac2c779856b391339592aa844a04ab746a19ea61800829374719.webp)

*Order workspace, **Timeline** tab, of a staged example order, with the **Stop 1** **Pickup** and **Stop 2** **Deliver** rows below the driver. **1** **Staged** badge, **2** Section tabs, **Summary** through **Messages**; further tabs such as **Audit Log** sit to the right, outside the picture, **3** **Segment 1 — Ground** task group, **4** Executor chip, **5** **Driver Assigned** row with **Change**.*

For work that requires a response, **Bid to providers**, **Bid to drivers** and the roster's **Bid** action lead to [Bidding and assignment requests](/staging/docs/guides/bidding). The listing's **Dispatch directly** mode is an accept-or-deny request to a driver, separate from immediate **Assign**.

A saved order, offer response and driver assignment are different results. Resolve missing profiles, organization mismatches or permissions with dispatch rather than creating duplicates.

For financial setup, use the existing [billing reference](/staging/docs/concepts/billing-primitives). This guide covers the operational draft, stage and assignment flow.

See [Add a customer](/staging/help/getting-started/add-a-customer), [Add a member](/staging/help/getting-started/add-org-member) and [Driver app](/staging/app).