Builder for PLS 3.0

Last updated: October 23, 2026

Build a PLS 3.0 load from a tender email: open the email, review the form, click Build Load. Nothing is created in PLS 3.0 until you click Build Load.

Before you start

Your PLS 3.0 admin and your Drumkit admin set these up once. If Builder isn't showing for you, it's usually one of these.

  • Load Building is turned on for you in Drumkit. Ask your Drumkit admin if you don't see the Load Building tab.
  • Drumkit is connected to PLS 3.0, and your customers have synced.
  • Locations need to exist in PLS 3.0 already. The PLS form can't create a new location.

Here's the kind of email we mean

From: Sarah Johnson, Global Logistics
Subject: Load Tender - PO-88912 - Atlanta GA to Miami FL
Attachment: 📎 PO-88912.pdf

Hi team,

Please book the load below. Details are also on the attached PO.

PO: PO-88912
Our ref: LT-2026-4421
Pickup: Acme Warehouse, 123 Industrial Blvd, Atlanta, GA 30301, Sat 3/14 (contact Mike, 404-555-1234)
Deliver: Global Distribution Center, 456 Commerce Dr, Miami, FL 33101, Sun 3/15
24 pallets, electronics
Rate: $2,150 all in

Thanks,
Sarah

1. Open the email and go to Load Building

Open the email and the Drumkit sidebar. In the New view, click the Load Building tab. If Kit found a load in the email, click its suggestion and the form fills in from the email and its attachments. Fields Kit filled in carry a small sparkle icon.

The Load Building tab with the PLS 3.0 form filled in. The customer Location is still empty and marked Required.

Click Expand all at the top of the form to open every section at once, or tick Auto-expand to always start that way.

2. Check each section

Work top to bottom. Start with the customer, because the rest of the load hangs off it. The PLS 3.0 form has these sections:

Customer

  • Customer: search by customer name, email or domain
  • Location: search the customer's locations

Bill To

Pick the customer first, then Search bill-to. The bill-to decides which Customer Reference Fields load further down. Watch for customers with similar names: the customer and the bill-to aren't always the same record.

Specs

  • Load Size: TL or LTL
  • Equipment: search the PLS equipment catalog by name, code or class
  • Service Type: the PLS service
The Specs section. Equipment is marked in red until you pick one

The example email doesn't say what equipment to send, so Kit leaves Equipment empty and the form marks it in red. Pick it before you build.

Items

Click Add Item for each commodity. At least one complete item is required.

  • Name: what's shipping. For hazmat, put the UN number in the name text
  • Weight (lbs), Total Pieces, Pallets: per item
  • Length, Width, Height, Unit of Measurement: dimensions
  • Hazmat and Over-dimensional: tick when they apply
An item filled in with its name, weight, pieces, pallets and dimensions

Route

Pickup and Consignee, plus any stops you add.

  • Name and address: pick the PLS location for the stop
  • Contact, Phone: the stop contact
  • Appointment Type: By appointment or FCFS
  • Earliest Date/Time (Appointment Date/Time for an appointment), Latest Date/Time: the stop's window. The latest time must be on or after the earliest
  • Add Stop (beta): add stops in between by hand. Each one is labeled Stop N · Pickup or Stop N · Dropoff, set by Stop Action. Multi-stop is in beta and Kit doesn't fill extra stops yet
The Route section with the pickup, FCFS appointment type and time window, plus the beta tooltip on Add Stop

Customer Reference Fields

The reference fields this bill-to requires in PLS 3.0. They load after you pick a bill-to; if they don't, pick the bill-to again.

Optional

  • Load Reference Fields: click Add reference field, pick the field, enter the value

3. Check your locations

Drumkit matches each stop to a location already in PLS 3.0. When it finds one, it selects it and fills the address from that record, so the load points at your real location.

The PLS form can't create a new location. If a stop doesn't match, search by address; if it isn't in PLS 3.0, add it there first and come back.

4. Click Build Load

Click Build Load at the bottom of the form. If a required field is empty, Drumkit shows Invalid fields: with a list of what's missing and opens those sections for you. Fill them in and click Build Load again.

When the load is created you'll see Load Created 🎉 with Load ID #: and a copy button. Paste the number wherever you track the load, or look it up in PLS 3.0.

Load Created, with the PLS 3.0 load number ready to copy

That's it. The load is in PLS 3.0 and you can work it there like any other load.

What's different in PLS 3.0

  • There's no Rates or Carrier section. Price and cover the load in PLS 3.0.
  • Customer Reference Fields depend on the bill-to you pick.
  • Add Stop (beta) lets you add stops in between by hand.
  • New locations can't be created from Drumkit.
  • Hazmat isn't flagged from the email. Tick Hazmat on the item and put the UN number in the item name.

Errors you might see

MessageWhat it meansWhat to do
The origin pickup window starts in the pastThe pickup date or time is earlier than now, often from an old email or a missing time.Set the pickup's earliest and latest date and time to the future, then build again.
Saving failed - please contact supportPLS 3.0 couldn't save the load.Check PLS 3.0 in case the load saved anyway, then send the email to support@drumkit.ai.
Please provide at least a pickup and a consignee.The Route is missing a stop.Fill in both stops.
Latest pickup time must be on or after the earliest time. / Latest delivery time must be on or after the earliest time.The window ends before it starts.Fix the stop's times.
At least one complete commodity is required.No item has all its required fields.Complete at least one item in Items.
Customer reference fields could not be loaded. Please retry.The bill-to's reference fields didn't load.Pick the bill-to again.
Error building load.PLS 3.0 didn't accept the load.Send the email and a screenshot to support@drumkit.ai.
Invalid fields: (then a list)One or more required fields are empty or in the wrong format.Fill in each field listed. Drumkit opens those sections for you.
Transport type is required. Select the equipment, then create the load.The equipment field is empty.Pick the equipment (or transport type) in the form and build again.

For every message Builder can show, see Builder error messages, explained.

FAQs

Why does it say the pickup window starts in the past?

PLS 3.0 won't take a pickup time that's already passed. This happens with older emails or when only a date was given. Set a future time on the pickup and build again.

Customer or bill-to: which is which?

The Customer is who the load is for. The Bill To is who's invoiced, and it decides which reference fields PLS 3.0 asks for. If a customer has duplicate records, pick the one your team bills.

The email was forwarded inside our team. Does that matter?

No. Builder reads a forwarded email, including the original message in it. See When the customer sends an update.

How do I mark a load hazmat?

Tick Hazmat on the item and put the UN number in the item name.

Does Drumkit create loads in PLS 3.0 on its own?

No. Drumkit fills in the form and you click Build Load. It reads your customer and location records to fill the form and writes only the load (plus a new location when you choose to create one).

Kit got a field wrong. Will it keep doing that?

Fix the field before you build, then send us the email so we can tune Builder for that customer. See Report a Builder miss.

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