A Skeleton Route is a setup entity representing the definition of a load and the specific sequence of stops (modeled as Skeleton Location) that a planner has decided is best to service frequently recurring freight.
Skeleton Routes and the associated Skeleton Locations are available for viewing and maintenance by authorized users only through the Transportation Smartbench (TSB). Access permission is managed through UIs available in the Web UI under Environment > UI Customization > Screen Element.
Skeleton routes must be transformed into an operational entity capable of supporting attached shipment legs. The Create Skeleton Load operation in TSB provides this service. The result of this operation is a Skeleton Load .
Skeleton loads must honor the same fundamental definition of a load as any other load in order to be filled and rated successfully; the trailer must remain the same throughout, and it may not move empty between the first pick and last drop. Because all Skeleton Stop are empty when first created (that is, no shipment legs attached), the optimizer as well as Routing, Rating and Scheduling (RR&S) will apply “dummy shipments” to temporarily fill the empty stops based on stops types defined on associated skeleton locations. These dummy shipments serve two purposes: they satisfy the basic need for a load to not move empty between stops, and in certain cases, assist in computing a baseline freight cost.
Skeleton loads cannot be advanced beyond the Open operational status until all empty stops have been handled; either by adding available shipment legs to fill the stop, or by removing the empty stop. If the application is configured to support Pre-booked Capacity, skeleton loads may have empty stops in the Tendered, Tender Rejected, or Tender Accepted operational status. Many operations support the existence of empty stops on a load, but others will be blocked if the load selection includes and empty stop.
API services support the maintenance of skeleton routes as well as generating skeleton loads and removing of empty stops.