Shipments rarely move in a nice clean block, no matter how much you wish they did. Trucks get reloaded, pallets are requested on different days, cross-docks split loads, or pallets get refused at the depot.
Keeping track of all these movements, capturing PODs, and billing customers can become messy and complicated. A single source of truth is needed to capture all this data. And with Qargo’s new parallel consignment stage feature, this is now possible.
In this blog, we look at the challenge of splitting pallets across consignments – and how Qargo can help unify this data in one platform.
The challenge: splitting pallets across consignments
Most transport management systems were built around a simple assumption: one consignment equals one uninterrupted movement from A to B. But the reality is that most systems just aren’t flexible enough to model any orders outside of the standard workflow.
For planners, this means convoluted and manual workarounds. Some duplicate the order and split it manually. Some track the split on paper or in a side spreadsheet. Some just force the exception into the existing record and hope that no ripples are felt downstream. With all of these “fixes”, still there’s no way of linking the split consignment back to the original order.
Let’s look at some common examples of where this can crop up for pallet network operators.
Example 1: The load that could run tighter. A planner books a consignment for 10 pallets – then realises the loading factor would improve by splitting it across two lorries, 6 pallets on one, 4 on the other. Today, that means creating a second order from scratch and losing the link back to the original booking.
Example 2: The delivery that doesn’t go to plan. A driver arrives with 10 pallets, but only 6 can be unloaded. The remaining 4 have to go back to the depot and get redelivered another day – with no clean way to record that against the original consignment. It ends up as a workaround bolted on after the fact.
Example 3: The cross-dock that runs out of room. A load hits a weight restriction at the warehouse, and the operator can’t fit everything onto one lorry. The remainder needs to become its own movement, planned separately – but there’s no way to keep it tied to the original order without extra manual work.
The Qargo solution: parallel consignment stages
At Qargo, we now offer the ability to split a single consignment into multiple, independent legs, without losing the thread back to the original order.
You can split the order upfront at planning, or later if execution doesn’t go according to plan. This creates a new parallel stage linked against the same consignment.
For each stage, you can specify the number of pallets, separate pickup and delivery stops, and unique assets that may be required.
Goods amounts are tracked per stage, so your paperwork reflects what actually moved on each leg rather than the order total.
Now, for all of the examples above, this more granular tracking gives your planners a clearer overview of exactly where every pallet is and how it’s being handled – whether one consignment is going out across two separate days, or some pallets are on their way back from the depot after plans change. And because billing and paperwork pull from that same reconciled record, your customers get accurate, consistent information without your team having to manually piece it together after the fact.
Where this fits for you
If you’re already running on Qargo, parallel stages slots into the planning and execution flow you use today – no new process to learn, just fewer exceptions to work around by hand.
If you’re evaluating a TMS, it’s worth asking any vendor a simple question: what happens in your system when a shipment doesn’t go exactly to plan? If the honest answer involves a workaround, a spreadsheet, or a support ticket, that’s worth knowing before you commit.
Want to see how it works in practice? Book a demo and we’ll walk you through it.
