Summary
In short
- A carrier onboarding and qualification is a checklist used in KnowLogistics that qualifies a new haulier or courier before they carry anything, covering operator licence, insurance, vehicle standards, temperature capability, driver vetting and the service levels agreed. It is built against FMCSA 385 and forms part of the Customer and Carrier Onboarding programme.
- Raised before the first load. Owned by transport with quality.
- The template holds 56 fields across 6 sections.
- Scoring is qualified before first load, where high is good.
- FMCSA 385 is safety fitness and ratings. How carrier safety is rated and what triggers intervention.
- It connects to the rest of the library: feeds Vendor Register, Load Tender, Carrier Scorecard.
What it is
What it is
What is a carrier onboarding and qualification?
A carrier onboarding and qualification is a checklist used in KnowLogistics that qualifies a new haulier or courier before they carry anything, covering operator licence, insurance, vehicle standards, temperature capability, driver vetting and the service levels agreed. It is built against FMCSA 385 and forms part of the Customer and Carrier Onboarding programme.
When is a carrier onboarding and qualification completed?
A carrier onboarding and qualification is completed at the point in the process the check protects, every time that process runs. Raised before the first load.
When to use it
When to use it, and when not to
This checklist is one step in a larger programme. Using it for work that belongs to a neighbouring template produces records that are hard to report on later.
Use it for
- The event or activity this checklist covers has occurred, or is about to
- The workspace is being set up, or the register needs an entry added or retired
- You are running the Customer and Carrier Onboarding programme and this is one of its steps
- A linked record needs this one to exist: feeds vendor register, load tender, carrier scorecard
Not for
- Customer Onboarding Record, which takes a new customer from won to able to receive product, covering credit, terms, specifications, delivery constraints, labelling requirements and system setup.
- Customer Master Data and Terms Setup, which creates the customer record covering codes, credit limit, payment terms, delivery addresses, ordering method and any specific requirements accepted.
- Anything outside KnowLogistics, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Standards
What it is built against
FMCSA 385Safety fitness and ratings
How carrier safety is rated and what triggers intervention.
FMCSAFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The United States commercial road transport regulator.
CSACanadian Standards Association
Canadian consensus standards. Frequently referenced into provincial regulation, which makes them enforceable.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the carrier onboarding and qualification template based on?+
It is built against FMCSA 385. FMCSA 385 is safety fitness and ratings. How carrier safety is rated and what triggers intervention. FMCSA is federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The United States commercial road transport regulator.
What sections does the carrier onboarding and qualification contain?+
There are 6 sections: header, licensing and compliance, insurance and liability, capability, people and ways of working, outcome. Together they hold 56 fields, 49 of which are required.
How many carrier onboarding and qualification records should we have?+
This is a singleton. One record per workspace, set up once and maintained, rather than one per event. Other templates refer back to it.
Which programme does the carrier onboarding and qualification belong to?+
It is part of Customer and Carrier Onboarding. Requirements accepted in a tender reaching the despatch bay rather than staying in the tender.
How is a carrier onboarding and qualification scored?+
Scoring is qualified before first load. High is good. Scores exist to make the form tell you something, not to produce a percentage for its own sake.
Can the carrier onboarding and qualification template be changed?+
Yes. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it. Most teams install it as it is, run it for a cycle, then adjust.
The agents
What the agents do with it
The form is the easy part. Keeping it current, routing it to the right owner and holding the evidence together is the work that actually slips.
Holds the carrier onboarding and qualification library against your registers, routes each record to its owner, and keeps the evidence trail together.
Coordinates the crew, rolls completion and exceptions into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowLogistics — supply chain execution. Inbound, outbound, inventory, yard, claims, supplier lifecycle and customs.
Meet KnowLogistics→Sources
Sources
- FMCSA 385 — Safety fitness and ratings
- FMCSA — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- CSA — Canadian Standards Association