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Receiving

OS&D receiving for LTL freight

OS&D receiving is catching a shipment that arrives Over, Short or Damaged before it gets shelved as though nothing was wrong. LanePilot captures the discrepancy at the dock on the same check-in screen used for every receipt, ties it to the purchase order and the vendor, and drafts the chargeback letter you review and send to recover the cost. Built for small to mid-sized shippers who run their own inbound dock, not a public claims network or a freight broker standing between you and the vendor.

Before, during, after

The same three steps every time, so a discrepancy is a normal part of receiving rather than a special process someone has to remember.

Before

The PO and the carrier are on record

The purchase order is created or CSV imported, with vendor, item, quantity and unit cost attached. If a preferred carrier is set for that vendor in the Receiving Guide, an inbound shipment that shows up on a different carrier gets flagged automatically before anyone opens a box.

During

The discrepancy gets captured, not guessed at

The receiver checks the shipment in against the PO line by line, on the same screen used for every normal receipt. Any line that is over, short or damaged gets marked as such, with a required reason that goes on the record. Nothing about this depends on remembering to fill out a separate claim form later.

After

Stock is honest, and the chargeback is drafted

Damaged or held units post to inventory in that status and stop counting as available stock, with the reason on the movement history. LanePilot drafts the vendor chargeback letter from the discrepancy, showing the PO, the expected quantity, and what actually arrived. You review it and send it to the vendor yourself.

A packaging-supply PO, worked end to end

A purchase order for 40 cartons of packaging supplies arrives on the dock. The receiver checks it in against the PO: 35 cartons are good, 3 are crushed, and 2 never showed up on the truck. The 3 damaged cartons are marked Damaged with a reason, the 2 missing cartons are marked as a shortage, and both post to the movement history against that PO. The 3 damaged cartons stay in inventory but stop counting as available stock. LanePilot drafts a vendor chargeback letter itemizing the 2 short and 3 damaged units against the PO's unit cost, ready to review and send to the vendor.

What is built, what needs Warehouse, what is not built

A capability list is only useful if it says where the line actually is. Here is the line.

Built today

  • OS&D capture at the point of receiving: overage, shortage and damage, each with a required reason
  • Receiving tied to the purchase order, with full receive, undo, and a printable receiving sheet
  • Vendor chargeback letters drafted from the discrepancy for you to review and send yourself
  • Receiving Guide: preferred carriers per vendor, with inbound carrier-mismatch flagging (rule based)
  • Damaged and held stock excluded from available inventory automatically, with reason-coded movement history
  • Pending carrier ratings on inbound shipments, held for coordinator approval before they count on the scorecard

Needs Warehouse

  • The entire receiving workspace, PO receiving, OS&D capture, dock queue, inventory and vendor chargebacks, sits behind LanePilot Warehouse, $119 a month, its own line item, additive to any plan including Free and never a replacement for one
  • Bin-level putaway and the visual warehouse map for slotting the good stock once it is checked in

Not built, do not assume it

  • LanePilot does not audit inbound freight invoices automatically today. The audit engine runs on outbound freight; on inbound, cost is entered manually and recovery runs through the discrepancy you capture at receiving, not an automated line-by-line invoice comparison
  • LanePilot does not send, file or negotiate the chargeback with the vendor. It drafts the letter; you send it
  • No serial-level tracking of the specific damaged units

See the rest of the platform

LTL TMS + WMS for small shippers sees the whole platform, quoting and booking outbound freight in the same system that receives inbound freight at the dock.

How LanePilot works covers outbound invoice auditing, dispute letters and freight claims management for freight you ship.

Pricing has the full breakdown of LanePilot Warehouse, dock seats, and what receiving and inventory include at each level.

LanePilot vs a traditional TMS compares the whole product to a booking-only setup, including where a traditional TMS still wins.

Common questions

What does OS&D mean in freight receiving?

Over, Short and Damaged: the three ways a shipment can arrive not matching what was ordered. Over means more arrived than the PO called for, short means some never showed up, and damaged means it arrived broken or unusable. Catching which one happened, and on which line, is what makes a vendor chargeback or carrier claim possible in the first place.

Do I need LanePilot Warehouse to use OS&D receiving?

Yes. Receiving, OS&D capture and the vendor chargeback letters are part of LanePilot Warehouse, a standalone product at $119 a month that is additive to any plan, including the free plan (5 quote credits and 7 invoice audits a month on two separate meters). It is never sold instead of a plan.

Do I need to buy a dock seat to receive freight?

No. Any role in your organization can check in a shipment once Warehouse is active. Dock seats, $25 a month each, only govern how many dock-only workers you can invite to log in on their own account; they are not a requirement to receive.

Does LanePilot file the vendor chargeback for me?

No. LanePilot drafts the chargeback letter from the discrepancy it captured, itemized against the PO. You review it and send it to the vendor. LanePilot does not contact, negotiate with, or act on your behalf with a vendor or a carrier.

See LanePilot catch a billing error

Send a real outbound freight invoice and the original quote for that shipment, and LanePilot shows you what it finds. Free, no account needed. Warehouse and receiving open up when sign-ups reopen at launch.

Run a free invoice audit

Want the receiving workflow first? See how it works or see LanePilot Warehouse pricing.