Auto-Generated Quotes with Cost Breakdown (How It Works)

Velocity can generate a complete freight quote automatically including a line-item cost breakdown by combining your rate sources with pricing logic. The outcome is consistent quoting at scale: no manual copying charges from spreadsheets, and fewer errors caused by outdated rates, missing surcharges, or incorrect validity dates.

This article explains what “auto-generated” means, which inputs drive the final total, what cost components are included, and how to troubleshoot mismatches when a quote looks wrong.

What “Auto-Generated” Means in Practice

In Velocity, an “auto-generated” quote is built by the system using predefined data and rules, rather than manual charge entry.

When you generate a quote, Velocity typically does this:

1. Interprets shipment details (mode/service, lane, scope, weight/volume basis)
2. Finds eligible rates (live rates and/or uploaded tariffs) based on matching logic
3. Builds a standardized cost structure (freight + surcharges + accessorials)
4. Applies pricing logic (markups/margins, customer rules, minimum sell rules if configured)
5. Outputs a customer-ready quote with totals, validity, and a clear breakdown

Inputs That Affect Totals

Most “why did the price change?” questions trace back to one of these inputs.

Mode and service type

• FCL vs LCL vs Air vs Road vs Courier
• Port-to-port vs door-to-door scope (pickup/delivery changes the charge set)

Impact: Changes which rate tables, charge groups, and rules apply.

Lane and routing (origin/destination)

• Country/city/port pairs
• Zones (when carriers price by zone rather than exact city)

Impact: Determines rate eligibility and which local charges apply.

Customer (or customer segment)

• Contracted rates by account
• Pricing rules by customer/segment (different margins or markups)

Impact: Same shipment can legitimately price differently for different customers.

Validity and effective dates

• Rate validity window (contract dates)
• Quote expiry date (commercial validity you set)

Impact: If the date changes, Velocity may select a different rate version or apply different surcharges.

Surcharge logic and accessorial selection

• Fuel/security/peak season/currency adjustments
• Pickup, delivery, customs, insurance, special handling

Impact: Often the largest cause of unexpected differences, especially when scope changes.

Shipment characteristics (when applicable)

Depending on your configuration, totals may also be influenced by:

• Weight, volume, chargeable weight rules
• Container type/equipment (20GP/40HC, etc.)
• Commodity constraints or special service requirements

Cost Components Included (Freight + Surcharges + Margins)

A standard Velocity cost breakdown typically includes:

1) Base freight

The primary linehaul charge (ocean/air/road/courier) that comes from the selected rate source.

2) Origin and destination charges (scope-dependent)

Examples include handling/terminal/warehouse processing, or local service fees.
If you switch from port-to-port to door-to-door, these often change.

3) Surcharges and accessorials

• Fuel and security surcharges
• Peak season surcharges
• Currency adjustments
• Agent fees (if configured)
• Optional services based on scope (pickup/delivery/customs/insurance)

4) Commercial layer (your sell strategy)

• Markups or margins applied per rule set
• Customer-specific exceptions or overrides (if allowed)

Data Sources: Live Rates vs Uploaded/Fixed Tariffs

Velocity can generate a quote using different pricing sources. Understanding which one was used is essential for troubleshooting.

Live rates (carrier APIs / integrations)

Best for: market-accurate pricing, time-sensitive spot quoting, capacity-aware results.
What to expect: rates may change frequently; some charges may return as partial depending on carrier coverage.

Uploaded or fixed tariffs (Excel/CSV contracts, internal tariffs)

Best for: stable contracted pricing, repeatable quoting, and controlled commercial policies.
What to expect: consistency—until a new upload/version becomes effective.

Mixed strategy (recommended operationally)

Many teams use:

• Uploaded contracts as the baseline, plus
• Live rates for spot/lane exceptions, with
• Fallback logic when live returns no results

Common Mismatch Scenarios and How to Diagnose Them

Use the checklist below to pinpoint the cause quickly.

Scenario 1: “The total changed, but I didn’t change anything”

Likely causes

• Rate validity window crossed into a new period
• A newer rate version became active
• Live rate refreshed (market moved)
• Exchange rate updated (if conversion is applied)

Diagnose

• Check quote creation time and validity settings
• Confirm whether the quote used live rates or uploaded tariffs
• Verify which rate version is active for the lane

Scenario 2: “The customer total is higher than expected”

Likely causes

• A markup/margin rule applied (customer, lane, service)
• An accessorial (pickup/delivery/customs) is included due to scope
• A minimum sell / margin protection rule triggered

Diagnose

• Confirm customer selection and applied pricing rules
• Verify scope (door vs port) and included services
• Review the cost breakdown for added charge groups

Scenario 3: “Charges are missing or the breakdown looks incomplete”

Likely causes

• Live rate returned partial charges
• Surcharge rules not mapped/normalized to the expected charge types
• Certain local charges not configured for that lane/service

Diagnose

• Compare live vs uploaded pricing for the same lane
• Review surcharge mapping/normalization for missing charge names
• Check whether the quote is port-to-port vs door-to-door

Scenario 4: “No rates returned”

Likely causes

• Lane/service inputs don’t match the rate structure
• Validity dates outside the available rate windows
• Carrier/API coverage constraints (for live rates)

Diagnose

• Simplify inputs (verify ports/zones/service type)
• Confirm validity date overlaps existing rate validity
• Test with uploaded fallback rates to isolate API issues

Scenario 5: “Two users get different totals for the same shipment”

Likely causes

• Different customer selection
• Different scope or service type defaults
• Different rule permissions (one user applies an override)

Diagnose

• Compare customer, scope, and service settings
• Check applied pricing rules and overrides
• Confirm both quotes are using the same rate source and validity dates

Practical Best Practices (To Reduce Surprises)

• Standardize a “default scope” per mode (e.g., port-to-port vs door-to-door)
• Use naming conventions and charge normalization so line items compare cleanly
• Enforce validity policies (expiry + renewal) to avoid stale pricing
• Define fallback behavior when live rates return partial/no results
• Audit rule hierarchy (global → customer → lane/service → override)

Quick FAQ

Why did my quote change after I resent it?

Most commonly: live rates refreshed, validity windows changed, or a new rate version became effective.

What should I check first when totals look wrong?

Check these in order:

1. Customer
2. Scope (door/port)
3. Lane (origin/destination)
4. Validity dates
5. Rate source (live vs uploaded)
6. Surcharges and pricing rules