> This page is for version Staging. > For other versions, use one of these documentation indexes: > - Prod (default): https://docs.chrt.com/prod/llms.txt > - Staging: https://docs.chrt.com/staging/llms.txt > - Dev: https://docs.chrt.com/dev/llms.txt > For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.chrt.com/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.chrt.com/_mcp/server. # Creating Shipments > Create a shipment draft from Orders, choose a coordinator, stage the order, and review it in the shipper view. ## Create the shipment Open [Orders](https://chrt.com/orders) and click **Create Order**. CHRT creates a draft and opens it on **Timeline**. You can also open [New order](https://chrt.com/orders/new), which creates a new draft every time it opens. Keep the order reference so you can return to the same draft. **Orders** lists **In Progress** and **Staged** orders by default; include **Draft** in the **Status** filter to see drafts. Build the route in **Timeline** and enter the items in **Cargo**. Have the cargo description and measurements, pickup and delivery locations, required times, contacts, handling instructions, and proof requirements to hand. Creating and editing a draft needs an operator role or higher, and you can edit only drafts your organization created. Use [Orgs](https://chrt.com/orgs) to review the coordinators you are connected to. A saved connection does not by itself configure an order or prove that a provider has accepted the shipment. ## Choose the coordinator and stage the order In the order header, after **by**, use **Select coordinator…** to choose one of your connected coordinators. When the draft is ready, click **Stage order**. If staging fails, CHRT shows **The order could not be staged** with a list of the requirements that are not met, for example **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** takes you to **Cargo** when cargo is missing. Fix each item and click **Stage order** again. Once an order is staged, it belongs to the coordinator and your organization follows it from the shipper view. ## Review the order as a shipper Open the order from [Orders](https://chrt.com/orders) using the reference CHRT showed when you created it, or the reference supplied by your coordinator. The reference is the order's name in the header and the **Order ID** 1 column in the list. It is the generated order ID until the coordinator adds an external reference, and you can't edit it. In that order's row, the **Status** 2 column shows the order's status (**Completed** in the example below) and the **Coordinator** 3 column shows its coordinator. ![The Orders list in the shipper workspace, searched down to one order, numbered 1 to 3: the Order ID, Status and Coordinator columns](/_fern-files/_img/c65b4f8923eb7b2607e71cdb434248254df80715cbf78174779142d68c9a7c47.webp) *Orders list in the shipper workspace, searched down to one order. **1** **Order ID** column, **2** **Status** column (**Completed**), **3** **Coordinator** column.* The shipper order view offers **Summary**, **Timeline**, **Cargo**, and **Messages** 1. Use the information available in those sections to check the shipment. You can edit and stage a draft your organization created; provider editing and staging controls on other orders are separate. ![The Summary tab of a completed provider-created order in the shipper workspace, numbered 1 to 5: the Summary, Timeline, Cargo and Messages tabs, the Completed status with the coordinator, the Route card, the Cargo section, and the Progress and Live toggle on the map](/_fern-files/_img/3bcc663a49387b2564c9161dd26f3136cd5fbd5071bed5d316a1bd7be9d2049d.webp) *Order **Summary** tab in the shipper workspace, for a completed order created by the provider. **1** **Summary**, **Timeline**, **Cargo** and **Messages** tabs, **2** **Completed** status and the coordinator, shown as **by CHRT (forwarder)**, **3** **Route** card, **4** **Cargo** section, **5** **Progress** / **Live** toggle on the map.* * Review **Summary** for the status 2 and shipment information shown. Marks 3 to 5 show the **Route** card, the **Cargo** section and the **Progress** / **Live** toggle on the map. * Review **Timeline** for the configured journey, stop details, and reported events available to you. * Review **Cargo** for the recorded items and their shipment associations. * Review **Messages** for coordination updates. Confirm important changes in the saved shipment details as well. Ask your coordinator to correct missing or incorrect details and confirm the intended executor and progress. A route, booking preview, or status alone does not establish a physical handoff or cargo acceptance. ## Provider preparation and staging When your coordinator creates the order, the coordinating provider prepares cargo, route, stops, and proof requirements in its permitted provider workspace. It reviews readiness and stages the order when the controls and required setup are available. Ask that team to confirm the saved order status and details before treating the shipment as ready for execution. Provider staging, driver assignment, starting work, and completing shipment events are separate outcomes. Apart from drafts your organization created, your shipper view is for following the information shared with your organization; it does not confer provider controls. ## Review cargo and its associations Open **Cargo** 1 to review the recorded cargo type, description, quantity, and associated route and stops. On **Summary**, the cargo shows as a table with **Type**, **Description**, **Weight**, **Qty**, **Dims**, **AWB** and **SHCs** columns, and a footer that counts items and pieces, for example **2 items · 5 pieces**. Ask your coordinator to correct the saved items or associations when needed. For this order the **Cargo associations are read-only for this order** 2 notice appears under **Task associations**. ![The Cargo tab of an order in the shipper workspace with one cargo row, numbered 1, and the read-only cargo associations notice, numbered 2.](/_fern-files/_img/6955df654126b44136a789e95278f2072a433d2912714526d3e38e8428b9e639.webp) *Order **Cargo** tab in the shipper workspace, with the cargo row and the notice under **Task associations**. **1** **Cargo** row, **2** **Cargo associations are read-only for this order** notice.* ## Review reported proof Open the relevant stop in **Timeline** and inspect its task artifacts under **Attachments**. Read the artifact's status, recorded time, provider, recipient, and attachment separately from the task's completion fields. ![The Deliver detail of a stop in the shipper Timeline scrolled to Attachments, with number 1 on a completed Image artifact and 2 on its saved proof file.](/_fern-files/_img/a9e0767b54e0b16103f05c5d3d018b01c8dbcec6efd1caa401df4f858b747851.webp) *Stop **Deliver** detail in **Timeline** for the shipper, scrolled to **Attachments**. **1** **Image** artifact, **2** saved proof file.* In this example the **Image** 1 artifact has its own completion time and one saved proof file 2; the delivery task and order record their own completion times. These are separate recorded events, not evidence of a physical delivery. For billing workflows and rate configuration, see [Billing](/staging/shippers/billing). Provider teams can use [Bidding and assignment requests](/staging/docs/guides/bidding) to coordinate segment offers and responses. Follow your shipments from **Orders**. ## Related guides * [Getting Started](/staging/shippers) * [Connecting with Providers](/staging/shippers/connecting-providers) * [Tracking Shipments](/staging/shippers/tracking) * [Public Tracking Links](/staging/shippers/public-tracking)