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

Quick Overview

Auto-generated quotes in Velocity build a complete freight quote with a line-item cost breakdown by combining rate sources with pricing logic, removing manual charge copying from spreadsheets. Final totals are driven by inputs such as mode and service type, lane and routing, customer segment, validity dates, surcharge logic, and shipment characteristics.

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)