Lane Qualification

A lane opportunity extends an opportunity with a quote basis. The Relationship Owner enters the origin and destination ZIP codes, weekly loads and rate validity date, then keeps the lane tied to both its parent opportunity and organization. The lane has its own status and revision. It can be Draft while the basis is prepared, Submitted for review, Approved or Rejected after a decision, and Completed when the lane’s qualification work is finished.

This gives a Sales Manager a narrow question to answer: is this lane basis ready to use for the shipper discussion? The answer should be based on the parent opportunity, the current lane revision and any supporting activity or attachment. The decision date can be recorded on the lane. The broader customer outcome remains on the opportunity, so approving a lane does not by itself declare the pursuit won.

• Quote basis. Origin, destination, weekly loads and validity date are kept on the lane record rather than buried in an opportunity subject.
• Review state. Draft and Submitted distinguish preparation from the point at which a reviewer needs to decide.
• Parent context. The parent opportunity supplies counterparty, owner and commercial stage for the lane being assessed.

For example, a shipper asks about regular movement from one ZIP code to another. The owner enters the pair of ZIP codes and expected weekly loads, then checks the validity date before submitting the lane. The Sales Manager reads the parent pursuit and supporting note, and records the decision. If the shipper later changes the volume, the owner can revisit the lane basis and its revision rather than silently treating the old approval as current.

Agree which party supplies weekly load estimates and how the team writes ZIP codes consistently. Decide when a rate basis is considered stale and who updates the validity date. Define the evidence a reviewer needs for Approve, Reject or Return, and how the reviewer records a reason. Make clear who may prepare a lane and who makes the independent decision. This avoids confusing a draft owner estimate with a reviewed quote basis.

If the organization uses dispatch or carrier systems, agree how an approved lane will be handed to them. The lane record is the commercial qualification context for that handoff. Reconcile external identifiers only when the connection is configured and a real external result exists.

Use a parent opportunity with a named counterparty and owner. Enter a lane from Draft with ZIP codes, weekly loads and a validity date. Have the owner submit it and ask a Sales Manager to inspect the current revision. Record an approved or rejected decision with its reason, then verify the lane appears in the appropriate view. Recheck the parent opportunity: its commercial status should still reflect the actual shipper conversation. Repeat with a changed quote basis to make sure reviewers see the new revision.

• Lane Qualification Board — Draft, submitted and reviewed lanes with their quote basis.
• Lane Review Inbox — Submitted lane bases waiting for a manager’s decision.
• Approved Lanes — Reviewed lanes with the decision date and rate validity context.

See lane review and the data model.