You can upload one or more documents to consignments and shipments via the TradeLens Shipment Manager.
In this article
Bulk upload
If you have permission to upload certain documents to a consignment or shipment, you can upload more than one document at a time through Shipment Manager. Bulk upload for transport equipment documents isn’t currently possible.
If the shipment doesn’t exist and the user is uploading a shipment document, the following rules apply:
- The organization uploading the shipment document must be eligible for creating a shipment. Shipments can be created by the following types:
- Cargo Interest
- 3PL Agent
- Certificate Issuer
- You’ll need to provide at least one shipmentReference. The combination of shipmentRef and shipmentRefType must be unique within the scope of a given reference owner.
- You’ll also need to provide the callersPartyRole, to indicate the caller’s role on this shipment. Supported Roles:
- Seller
- Buyer
- Exporter
- Importer
- Origin 3PL Agent
- Destination 3PL Agent
- Certificate Issuer
If the shipment already exists for the given consignment, you can add more shipment references and parties to it.
The organization uploading a document must have permission for the Document Type based on their role in the consignment or shipment.
Example upload
In this example, we’ll upload a shipment document. The shipment doesn’t exist yet, so we’ll create it using the shipmentReference that we provide on the upload.
If you want to upload a shipment document to an already existing shipment, navigate to the documents section of the shipment and complete the upload from there.
Upload to a consignment
From the Consignments page, click the Documents button on the consignment you’d like to upload a document to. Then click Bulk Document Upload.
We’ll now upload a Packing List document for a shipment; we’ll create the shipment as part of this process since it doesn’t exist yet.
Click the Click to Upload Documents link, or drag and drop files into that area – either will let you upload the files.
Select the consignment or shipment document type from the drop-down boxes. Add a document reference, if you like, then click the blue tick box on the far right-hand side.
As the packing list in our example is a shipment document, scroll down and you’ll see Additional Shipment Details to fill in. In this example we’ve:
- Selected Seller as the Party Role
- Added a unique reference under Shipment References – remember to check the blue box after you’ve added this
- Provided a Goods Description (optional)
- Added Planned Delivery and Completion Dates
- Added an additional Shipment Party – an Ocean Carrier – as a Destination 3PL Agent
After you’ve clicked the checkbox below the Shipment References at the top of the page, you can check the reference by clicking the eye icon.
Click the orange Add Document button to start the document upload, and in this case shipment creation. Click OK on the Document Upload Started box that pops up.
Check the results
Go to the Notifications Inbox, then select the System tab. You’ll see the new notification listed. If you have email notifications or a webhook set up for system notifications, you’ll receive the additional details on the file/s you’ve uploaded.
Click More Details on the same line as the document you’ve uploaded to see document information and transaction details.
Read more about notifications here: Notifications
From Shipments, you’ll see the shipment was created and the shipment document was uploaded. Click the Consignments button, then the documents tab.
Alternatively, go to Consignments, find the relevant consignment, then click the Documents button. Or, click on the consignment, then the Documents tab.
You can upload (or add) additional files to shipments and consignments from their respective documents sections.
