Load planning¶

Decide which LPNs go on a truck, track weight and cube as you add them, and turn the finished plan into pick lists for the floor.

A load plan links to a shipment and defines which License Plate Numbers (LPNs) — containers — should be picked, staged, and loaded onto a truck or trailer. The platform tracks weight and cube utilization as you add LPNs, so you can get the most out of the trailer without going over.

Load plan lifecycle¶

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> DRAFT: Create
    DRAFT --> PLANNING: Begin Planning
    PLANNING --> READY: Finalize Selection
    READY --> PICKING: Generate PickList
    PICKING --> STAGING: Picks Complete
    PICKING --> LOADING: Skip Staging
    STAGING --> LOADING: LPNs Staged
    LOADING --> COMPLETED: All Loaded
    PLANNING --> CANCELLED: Cancel
    READY --> CANCELLED: Cancel
    DRAFT --> CANCELLED: Cancel

Creating a load plan¶

Starting the load plan¶

1. Go to Shipments and select the shipment.
2. Choose Create Load Plan.

The platform creates a load plan in DRAFT status, linked to that shipment.

Setting capacity limits¶

Selecting LPNs¶

Browsing available LPNs¶

The LPN selection panel shows every available container with status IN_INVENTORY or AT_STAGING. Each LPN card shows:

Adding LPNs to the load¶

1. Choose Add to Load on any available LPN card.
2. Check the updated weight and cube utilization.

The capacity progress bars update immediately.

Partial LPN selection¶

For multi-SKU LPNs, you can select only part of the container's contents:

1. Choose Partial Select on the LPN card.
2. Adjust the quantity for each product in the LPN.
3. Confirm the partial selection.

The platform calculates weight and volume for the partial selection and stops the same stock being over-allocated across multiple load plans.

Warning badges¶

LPN cards show visual indicators for special handling:

Capacity tracking¶

The load plan shows weight and cube as progress bars, each with a percentage utilization number. The bars change color as capacity fills up:

Generating pick lists¶

Once LPN selection is finalized:

1. Move the load plan to READY status.
2. Choose Generate PickList.

The platform creates a pick list of type LOAD with items for every selected LPN, and the load plan moves to PICKING.

Each pick list item includes the source location for the LPN, its target destination (staging area or direct to shipment), the LPN barcode for scanning, and the quantity for any partial selection.

Staging workflow¶

By default, picked LPNs route through a staging area before loading:

1. The picker scans the LPN at the source location.
2. Moves it to the designated staging area.
3. Staging verification confirms it arrived.

The load plan moves to STAGING status once every pick is complete.

Skip staging¶

For time-sensitive loads, turn on Skip Staging to route LPNs straight from the pick location to the shipment:

1. Toggle Skip Staging when you create or edit the load plan.
2. Picked LPNs go directly to LOADING status.

Barcode scanning is still required for verification.

Loading and verification¶

1. Open the load plan's Loading view.
2. Scan each LPN barcode as it's loaded onto the truck.
3. The platform checks the LPN belongs to this load plan.
4. Watch the progress tracker for loaded vs. remaining LPNs.
5. Once every LPN is verified, the load plan moves to COMPLETED.

Load sequence management¶

To set the order LPNs get loaded in:

1. Open the Load Sequence panel.
2. Drag and drop LPNs to reorder them.
3. Put the LPNs that should be loaded last — first off the truck — at the top of the list.

This matters most on multi-stop deliveries, where unloading order matters.

Working across warehouses¶

Load plans respect the warehouse you're currently working in. Available LPNs are filtered to that warehouse, and staging areas are routed accordingly.

Getting it right¶

Plan before picking. Finalize LPN selections before you generate pick lists, to avoid rework.

Watch capacity. Keep weight utilization under 95% to leave room for packaging materials.

Split LPNs only when you need to. A partial selection adds handling — use it when it's genuinely necessary, not by default.

Check the load sequence for multi-stop routes before you generate picks.

Use staging for a quality check before loading, unless a real time constraint means you need to skip it.

Troubleshooting¶

Related guides¶

• Order processing - Where load planning fits into fulfillment
• Pick lists - Working the pick lists a load plan generates
• LPN container management - Building and managing LPNs
• Packing and shipping - What happens after a load ships

Need more help? Email support@zoratech.io, or check the FAQ and troubleshooting guide.