3PL billing: create a rate sheet with the 5-step wizard
Last updated 2026-10-20
Pick billing items from the 4-module catalog, set prices and tiers, configure free time, e-sign with your client — then let monthly settlement turn usage events into invoices.
A rate sheet is the price list you agree with a client: which services you charge for, at what price, and under what free-time rules. Once both sides e-sign it, the sheet becomes active and the monthly settlement engine uses it to turn recorded usage events (receiving, picking, drayage, deliveries…) into invoice drafts — no more Excel price lists and hand-typed bills.
The 5-step wizard#
Open Accounting → Billing → Rate Sheets → New Rate Sheet (desktop). The wizard saves a draft at every step — you can leave and come back.
- Step 1 — Basics: pick the client, name the sheet, set currency (USD default), billing cycle (monthly / weekly) and effective dates.
- Step 2 — Pick billing items: check items from the built-in catalog grouped by module (WMS / TMS / Drayage / LastMile) — 69 items out of the box in six languages. Need something custom? Add your own item with its own code, names and unit.
- Step 3 — Pricing: enter a unit price per line (required). Add tiered pricing where volume earns a discount — e.g. $2.50 for the first 1,000 units, $2.20 beyond. Set a monthly minimum and a management fee if your contract has them.
- Step 4 — Free time (optional): only shows if you picked drayage items — per diem free days and rate (default 4 days / $100/day), demurrage free days and rate (default 3 days / $250/day). Add per-lane overrides (e.g. LAX-Port) when one lane plays by different rules.
- Step 5 — Review & send to sign: preview the full sheet exactly as the PDF will look, then Submit for signature. The sheet locks — no more edits — and moves to “pending signature”.
[Screenshot placeholder: wizard steps 1–3 — basics form, module-grouped item picker, pricing with an expanded tier row. Full-page screenshots to be added once the UI ships.]
E-signature: what makes it binding#
After you submit, enter the client signer’s name, title and email — the system emails them a one-time signing link (valid 7 days). They review the PDF preview, tick “I have read and agree”, and sign with mouse or finger on the canvas.
- The moment signing completes, the sheet goes active: a signed PDF is generated (prices + tiers + free-time rules + signature image, signer name, timestamp and IP) and archived automatically. The previous active version for that client is archived — only one active version at a time.
- Active and archived sheets are read-only. Any price change means a new version (version number auto-increments) that goes through signing again — the signed PDF is the legal snapshot of that version.
[Screenshot placeholder: the signing page — PDF preview on the left, canvas signature pad on the right. Real screenshot once the UI ships.]
The sheet lifecycle at a glance#
From usage events to the invoice#
Every completed task writes a billing event automatically (receiving, putaway, picking, packing, delivered loads, drayage containers…). Storage is snapshotted daily; per diem and demurrage accrue day by day once free time runs out. Items with no automatic capture (labeling, detention, lumper…) can be added by hand or CSV import before settlement.
On settlement day (monthly or weekly, per the sheet), the engine pulls every uninvoiced event in the period, prices each line against the client’s active sheet — tiered prices included — applies the monthly minimum if you set one, and produces an invoice draft numbered MINV-000001, MINV-000002… Each line shows the formula (qty × price = amount) so anyone can re-check the math by hand.
Settlement never double-bills: the same billing period for the same client can only be invoiced once — rerunning settlement for that period is rejected, so a cron hiccup can’t create duplicates.
The built-in catalog: every item and what it is for#
The picker in step 2 of the wizard is fed by one built-in catalog, shared by every tenant and maintained with the platform: 69 items across WMS, TMS, Drayage and LastMile. The tables below list every item in the same grouping as the picker — its unit, when it is charged, and in plain words what the money is for. Remember: an item only bills if it is on the client's signed rate sheet. The catalog is the menu; the sheet is the order.
How to read the “when” column: Automatic items record themselves as the work happens — you do nothing. Manual-entry items have no automatic capture, so you add them by hand or by CSV before settlement. Two monthly items are not usage at all: the settlement engine adds them as fixed lines.
WMS — Storage
| Item (code) | Unit | When it is charged | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pallet Storage (WMS-STORAGE-PALLET) | per pallet / day | Automatic — a snapshot of what is in storage is taken every day. | The basic rent for pallet space: every pallet of a client's goods sitting in your racks that day counts. |
| Bin Location Storage (WMS-STORAGE-BIN) | per bin / day | Automatic — a snapshot of what is in storage is taken every day. | Rent for shelf and bin locations that hold small items and eaches — counted per occupied bin, per day. |
| Floor Storage (WMS-STORAGE-FLOOR) | per sq ft / month | Automatic — occupied floor area is measured in the daily snapshot and billed monthly. | Ground-stacking space for goods that never go on racks — oversized or bulk freight — charged by occupied square footage. |
| Temperature-Controlled Surcharge (WMS-STORAGE-TEMP) | per pallet / day | Automatic — a snapshot of what is in storage is taken every day. | The premium on top of normal pallet storage for space inside temperature-controlled zones (chilled or frozen) — it pays for the energy and equipment. |
| Hazmat Storage Surcharge (WMS-HAZMAT-STORAGE) | per pallet / day | Automatic — daily snapshot, counted only for pallets flagged as dangerous goods. | Surcharge for pallets of regulated dangerous goods (lithium batteries and the like) kept in dedicated hazmat areas with their extra separation and compliance rules. |
WMS — Inbound (receiving & putaway)
| Item (code) | Unit | When it is charged | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receiving - Pallet (WMS-RECEIVE-PALLET) | per pallet | Automatic — when a receiving task is completed. | Checking a full pallet in at the dock: counting it, a condition check, and booking it into stock — per pallet received. |
| Receiving - Carton (WMS-RECEIVE-CARTON) | per carton | Automatic — when a receiving task is completed. | Receiving charged per carton — for suppliers who ship loose cartons instead of full pallets. |
| Receiving - Unit (WMS-RECEIVE-UNIT) | per unit | Automatic — when a receiving task is completed. | Receiving charged per individual unit — for small, high-count goods that are counted piece by piece at the dock. |
| Container Unloading (WMS-UNLOAD-CONTAINER) | per container | Automatic — when a receiving task is completed. | Physically unloading a shipping container — floor-loaded boxes carried out of a 20/40ft box — per container. It is the heavy dock work before receiving even starts. |
| Putaway (WMS-PUTAWAY) | per pallet | Automatic — when a putaway task is completed. | Moving received pallets from the dock to their storage locations and confirming the spot — per pallet put away. |
WMS — Outbound (picking, packing, shipping)
| Item (code) | Unit | When it is charged | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picking - Unit (WMS-PICK-UNIT) | per unit | Automatic — when a picking task is completed. | Picking charged per unit picked — fits each-picking, where pickers handle individual items. |
| Picking - Order (WMS-PICK-ORDER) | per order | Automatic — when a picking task is completed. | Picking charged per order instead of per unit — simpler when a client's orders are all of similar size. |
| Packing (WMS-PACK) | per order | Automatic — when packing is finished at the packing station. | Packing the picked goods into shipping cartons at the packing bench, with dunnage and sealing — per order packed. |
| Packing Material (WMS-PACK-MATERIAL) | per piece | Automatic — recorded at shipping when chargeable packing materials are used. | The packing materials the warehouse supplies — cartons, tape, void fill — charged per piece actually consumed on the shipment. |
| Zone Picking (per task) (WMS-ZONE-PICK) | per task | Automatic — when a zone picking task is completed. | Picking done the zone way — each picker works only their own zone — charged per completed zone task. |
| Zone Consolidation (per order) (WMS-ZONE-CONSOLIDATION) | per order | Automatic — when the parts of one order are merged at the consolidation area. | Bringing the zone-picked parts of one order together at the consolidation area and checking them into a single shipment — per order merged. |
| Labeling (WMS-LABEL) | per unit | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Sticking labels — client, platform or compliance labels — onto individual units, per label applied. |
| Outbound - Parcel (WMS-SHIP-PARCEL) | per parcel | Automatic — when a shipment is completed and handed over. | Outbound processing for a parcel handed to a carrier — label check, sortation and hand-over — per parcel shipped. The carrier's freight itself is billed separately. |
| Outbound - Pallet (WMS-SHIP-PALLET) | per pallet | Automatic — when a shipment is completed and handed over. | Shipping full pallets out — to stores, to FBA, or transferred to another warehouse — including staging and load confirmation, per pallet. |
WMS — Value-added services
| Item (code) | Unit | When it is charged | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitting / Assembly (WMS-KITTING) | per unit | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Combining several SKUs into one sellable kit or set — gift sets, bundles, light assembly — per kit built. |
| Shrink Wrapping (WMS-SHRINKWRAP) | per pallet | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Wrapping a pallet in shrink film so the load stays stable in storage or transit — per pallet wrapped. |
| Returns Processing (WMS-RETURN) | per unit | Automatic — when a return (RMA) is processed to completion. | Processing a returned unit: receiving it back, inspecting it, and routing it to stock, repair or disposal — per unit handled. |
| Cycle Counting (WMS-COUNT) | per location | Automatic — when a counting task is completed. | Cycle counting or a client-requested stock take — charged per location actually counted. |
| Cross-Dock (WMS-CROSSDOCK) | per pallet | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | The general cross-dock fee: freight comes in and goes straight back out without storage, handled per pallet. Four items further down split the same work by handling-unit type. |
| Gift Wrapping (WMS-GIFT-WRAP) | per order | Automatic — recorded at shipping for orders with the gift option. | Wrapping the whole order as a gift — standard paper and finish — per gift order. |
| Greeting Card (WMS-GIFT-CARD) | per piece | Recorded when a greeting card is included with a gift order. | A greeting card printed or written and enclosed with the gift — per card. |
| Seasonal Gift Wrapping (WMS-GIFT-SEASONAL) | per order | Automatic — recorded at shipping for orders with the gift option. | The seasonal edition of gift wrapping — holiday paper, ribbon and decoration during gift peaks — per gift order. |
| DG Declaration Fee (WMS-DG-DECLARATION) | per shipment | Recorded when a dangerous-goods (DG) declaration is created for a shipment. | Preparing the dangerous-goods declaration a carrier requires for shipments with regulated goods such as lithium batteries — per shipment. |
| Cross-Dock Handling (Pallet) (CROSS-DOCK-HU-PALLET) | per pallet | Automatic — when a cross-dock task is closed, counted per handling unit. | Cross-dock handling for palletised units: unload, sort by destination, reload — no storage in between. |
| Cross-Dock Handling (Carton) (CROSS-DOCK-HU-CARTON) | per carton | Automatic — when a cross-dock task is closed, counted per handling unit. | The same cross-dock handling counted per carton — for loose-carton flows. |
| Cross-Dock Handling (Crate) (CROSS-DOCK-HU-CRATE) | per crate | Automatic — when a cross-dock task is closed, counted per handling unit. | Cross-dock handling for wooden crates — heavy units that need forklift care — per crate. |
| Cross-Dock Ticket Fee (CROSS-DOCK-TICKET) | per ticket | Automatic — when a cross-dock task is closed, counted per handling unit. | A flat paperwork-and-system fee for each cross-dock ticket, on top of the per-unit handling above. |
WMS — Accessorial & monthly items
| Item (code) | Unit | When it is charged | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order Packing Material Fee (WMS-PACK-ORDER) | per order | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Packing materials charged as one flat fee per order instead of counting pieces — for clients on a simple all-in packing rate. Not the same as Packing Material above, which counts what was actually used. |
| Extra Labor (WMS-EXTRA-LABOR) | per hour | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Extra hands for work outside the standard flow — repalletising, relabelling a whole batch, sorting a messy container — billed per labor hour. |
| Special Handling (WMS-SPECIAL-HANDLING) | per ticket | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | One-off handling that no standard item fits — fragile, oversized or awkward freight that needs extra care — per ticket. |
| Rush Fee (WMS-RUSH-FEE) | per order | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Jumping an urgent order ahead of the queue — picked and shipped before the normal cut-off — per rushed order. |
| Labeling Fee (WMS-LABELING) | per label | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Labelling as a standalone service — e.g. applying FBA or retail compliance labels to a whole batch that needs no other processing — per label. |
| Depackaging Fee (WMS-DEPACK) | per carton | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Opening supplier cartons and taking the units out — depackaging for each-pick storage or for inspection — per carton opened. |
| Shrink Wrap Fee (WMS-SHRINK) | per pallet | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Shrink-wrapping billed as an order accessorial — the same film-wrapping work as the value-added Shrink Wrapping item, used when it is booked as an extra on an order rather than a standing service (do not tick both). |
| Reboxing Fee (WMS-REBOX) | per carton | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Moving goods into a fresh carton — the old box is damaged, or the client wants their own packaging standard — per carton reboxed. |
| Monthly Minimum Charge (WMS-MINIMUM) | per month | Not a usage event — the settlement engine adds it as a fixed monthly line. | The monthly floor: if a client's usage charges for the month add up to less than this amount, they pay this amount instead — it keeps slow months viable for the warehouse. |
| Management Fee (WMS-MGMT-FEE) | per month | Not a usage event — the settlement engine adds it as a fixed monthly line. | A fixed monthly fee for running the account — client communication, reporting and day-to-day support — added to every monthly invoice. |
TMS — Linehaul & accessorials
| Item (code) | Unit | When it is charged | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTL Linehaul - Per Mile (TMS-FTL-MILE) | per mile | Automatic — when a TMS load is delivered. | Full-truckload linehaul priced by distance: the whole truck is the client's for the trip, paid per mile driven. |
| FTL Linehaul - Per Trip (TMS-FTL-TRIP) | per trip | Automatic — when a TMS load is delivered. | Full-truckload linehaul at one flat price per trip — for fixed lanes where both sides prefer a single number per run. |
| LTL - Per Hundredweight (TMS-LTL-CWT) | per 100 lb (cwt) | Automatic — when a TMS load is delivered. | Less-than-truckload priced per hundredweight (100 lb): the client pays for the share of the truck their freight takes up, by weight. |
| Fuel Surcharge (TMS-FSC) | percent | Calculated at settlement as an agreed percentage of the linehaul charges. | Fuel surcharge: diesel swings are passed through as an agreed percentage on top of linehaul, so the base rate does not need renegotiating at every price spike. |
| Detention (TMS-DETENTION) | per hour | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | The truck and driver wait at the dock beyond the free loading/unloading window — charged per waiting hour. (For container moves, see Drayage Detention below.) |
| Truck Ordered Not Used (TONU) (TMS-TONU) | per trip | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Truck Ordered Not Used: a truck was dispatched but the load was not there or was cancelled — the empty run is charged once per incident. |
| Lumper Fee (TMS-LUMPOER) | per ticket | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Third-party dock workers (lumpers) who unload at the receiver charge this fee — the warehouse pays them and passes it through per receipt. |
| Liftgate Service (TMS-LIFTGATE) | per ticket | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Delivery where there is no dock and the truck's liftgate has to lower the freight to ground level — per delivery. |
| Inside Delivery (TMS-INSIDE) | per ticket | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Carrying the freight inside the building — past the door, to a specific room or floor — instead of leaving it at the dock or curb, per delivery. |
| Redelivery (TMS-REDELIVERY) | per ticket | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | The first delivery attempt failed — nobody there, refused, missed window — and the truck has to come back: the second trip, per attempt. |
| Appointment Fee (TMS-APPOINTMENT) | per ticket | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Booking and keeping a fixed dock-appointment slot at a strict receiver — big-box distribution centres and the like — per appointment. |
| Layover (TMS-LAYOVER) | per day | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | A truck and driver held over an extra day or overnight because the schedule slipped — charged per day held. |
Drayage — Container haulage & port charges
| Item (code) | Unit | When it is charged | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drayage - 20ft Container (DRAYAGE-20) | per container | Automatic — when a drayage move is completed. | Hauling a 20ft container between the port or rail ramp and the warehouse — the base drayage rate for the smaller box, per container. |
| Drayage - 40ft Container (DRAYAGE-40) | per container | Automatic — when a drayage move is completed. | The same port-to-warehouse haul for a 40ft container, per container. |
| Drayage - 45ft Container (DRAYAGE-45) | per container | Automatic — when a drayage move is completed. | The same haul for a 45ft high-cube container, per container. |
| Chassis Fee (DRAYAGE-CHASSIS) | per day | Counted per day the chassis is out; recorded with the drayage paperwork (no automatic task trigger). | Renting the chassis — the wheeled frame the container rides on — charged per day it is out. |
| Per Diem (Container Overstay) (DRAYAGE-PERDIEM) | per day | Automatic — accrues day by day once the container's free days are used up. | The shipping line's charge for keeping its container out beyond the free days after pickup — passed through per extra day. |
| Demurrage (DRAYAGE-DEMURRAGE) | per day | Automatic — accrues day by day while a loaded container sits at the terminal past its free days. | The terminal/shipping-line charge for a loaded container sitting at the port beyond its free days — per day. |
| Pre-pull (DRAYAGE-PREPULL) | per container | Automatic — when a drayage move is completed. | Pulling the container out of the port a night (or a shift) early and staging it, so it can make an early delivery appointment — per container. |
| Detention (Driver Wait Time) (DRAYAGE-DETENTION) | per hour | Automatic — accrues once the driver waits past the free window at pickup or delivery. | Driver wait time on container moves: the truck sits at the warehouse or terminal past the free window during loading/unloading — per hour waited. (TMS Detention above is the general-freight version.) |
| Drop & Pick (DRAYAGE-DROPPICK) | per container | Automatic — when a drayage move is completed. | Drop & pick: the truck drops a loaded container and picks up an empty (or another load) on the same trip instead of leaving empty — per container. |
| Street Turn (DRAYAGE-STREETTURN) | per container | Automatic — when a drayage move is completed. | Reusing an emptied import container directly for an export booking instead of returning it to the port first — it saves a round trip, and this is the fee for arranging it, per container. |
LastMile — Delivery
| Item (code) | Unit | When it is charged | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery - Per Stop (LM-DELIVERY) | per stop | Automatic — when a delivery stop is completed. | The basic last-mile delivery fee — per stop successfully delivered. |
| Mileage (LM-MILE) | per mile | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | A distance add-on for delivery routes — per mile driven — for spread-out areas where a flat per-stop rate would not cover the driving. |
| Failed Delivery Attempt (LM-FAILED) | per attempt | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | The driver reached the address but could not hand over the goods — no answer, no access, no safe place — the trip still happened, so the attempt is charged. |
| Oversize Surcharge (LM-OVERSIZE) | per order | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Surcharge for bulky or heavy orders — furniture, appliances — that need two people or extra van space, per oversized order. |
| COD Collection (LM-COD) | per order | Manual entry — no automatic capture; add it by hand or CSV before settlement. | Cash-on-delivery collection: the driver collects the payment at the door and the money is settled back to the seller — a handling fee per COD order. |
Missing a charge of your own? The catalog is a starting point, not a cage: step 2 of the wizard also lets you add custom items with your own code, names in six languages and unit — they settle exactly like the built-in ones.
What v1 does not cover#
- Currency conversion: the sheet carries the currency but v1 does not convert — one currency per sheet.
- DocuSign-level digital certificates: v1 uses canvas hand-signing with timestamp, IP and device evidence. Enterprise digital certificates come in phase 2.
- Automatic posting to AR: invoice drafts stay in Billing until sent and paid; posting into accounting receivables is on the roadmap.
Agree the price once, sign it once — then every month the numbers just add up. Start with one client, one sheet, and let the wizard carry the paperwork.