Pallet bookings for the Palletways network, without the spreadsheet
We build order platforms that record each pallet at packing, queue the booking until your Palletways depot will take it, then book it, print the labels and save the tracking.
- Palletways
- Unleashed
- PrintNode
Pallets don’t behave like parcels. With Palletways you contract with a local member depot, which collects your pallets and sends them through the network’s hubs to the member depot nearest your customer. Bookings tend to have their own timing rules, every pallet needs the right size, weight and label, and the deadline is set by your depot, not by a national carrier.
Zestcode Automation builds bespoke order platforms that capture pallet details at packing, hold each booking until your Palletways depot will accept it, then book it, print the pallet labels and write the tracking reference to your ERP. You own the platform once it is live, and it runs in your company’s own hosting accounts.
What makes pallet bookings harder to automate than parcels
Parcel carriers usually price and book in a single step. Pallet work has more moving parts. The order might be ready days before it is due, but the depot may not accept a booking that early. The service depends on the delivery date and the address, since a site with no forklift needs a tail-lift. Pallet type is chosen by size and weight, and choosing the wrong one means a surcharge or a refused collection. Most teams keep track of all this with a spreadsheet and a reminder, which works right up until someone is off sick.
How do bookings get into the Palletways network?
This depends on your depot. Bookings may be submitted through a Palletways integration or through the depot’s own system, and each depot decides which routes it supports for its customers. So we start by talking to your depot, confirm the route, the services on your account and any label requirements, and build to that. We don’t assume one standard connection, and if the depot has no route a system can use, you hear that during the specification rather than after the build.
Booking windows and queued pallets
Once a pallet order is packed, the platform looks at the delivery date:
- Due soon. If it falls inside your depot’s booking window, it is booked straight away.
- Due later. If not, the booking is queued, and it is shown as queued on the shipments screen with its planned booking date.
- Window opens. When the date comes into range, the booking is made automatically.
- Labels print. The pallet labels print on the day of booking, and the ship note printed at packing lets staff match each label to the right pallet in the bay.
- Tracking saved. The tracking reference, pallet count and weight are written to the order in your ERP and the order is completed.
The service, such as next day, economy or a timed delivery with a tail-lift, can be chosen from the delivery date and the customer’s address. Each change of state is on the order’s timeline.
Getting the pallet details right first time
On the rugged handheld, the packer adds each pallet rather than each parcel. What is recorded, and why:
| Recorded at packing | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Pallet type (full, half, quarter and so on) | Sets the price band and how the network handles it |
| Gross weight | Must fit the type’s weight limit on your rate card |
| Height | Over-height pallets are often charged differently |
| Photo of the wrapped pallet | Evidence if there is a dispute about damage or contents |
Pallet type names and limits follow your depot’s rate card, so we set them up from yours.
Prices that differ from the PO
Pallet delivery is often quoted to the customer when they order. When the price from the depot’s integration or your rate card differs from the delivery charge on the customer’s PO, the order is held. Someone in the office decides whether to absorb it or amend the order, before it is completed and invoiced. The shipping overview shows the same check for parcels.
What it costs, and what you keep
Pallet booking belongs to the dispatch phase of an order to dispatch platform. Typically that is £20k–£30k ex VAT for both phases, delivered in about 14 weeks, and the price is fixed once the written specification is agreed. Running costs are usually below £50 a month for a few hundred orders, before your depot’s charges.
There is no licence to renew. The hosting accounts sit in your company’s name, no one pays per user, and maintenance afterwards is something you choose rather than something you’re tied into.
If your pallets are tracked on a spreadsheet today, book a free discovery call and we will look at your depot’s setup together.
Common questions
Straight answers to what people ask us about this before a call.
Will it work if our depot uses its own booking system?
Possibly, and it is one of the first things we check. Some member depots accept bookings through a Palletways integration, others through their own system. If your depot offers a route that another system can submit bookings to, we build to it. If it doesn’t, we tell you that during the specification, before any quote is accepted.
Can we book tail-lift, timed or economy services?
Where your depot offers them on your account, yes. We map each service to a delivery method, and the platform can choose the service from the delivery date, for example economy when there is time and next day when there isn’t. Tail-lift and similar options can be set per customer delivery address.
What if a pallet’s weight changes after the booking is made?
If an order is re-packed after booking, the office can cancel or amend the shipment in line with what your depot allows, and the new weight is recorded against the order. Queued bookings are simpler: nothing has been sent yet, so the latest pallet details are used when the booking goes through.
Can Palletways sit alongside a parcel carrier?
Yes. The delivery method on the approved order decides whether the warehouse packs it as parcels or pallets. Parcels can go with a carrier such as DPD and pallets with Palletways, each booked on your own account. Mixed orders are discussed during the specification, as some businesses split them and others send everything on the pallet.
Do we need special printers for pallet labels?
A 4x6 inch label printer and an A4 printer are normally enough. We configure a small print PC with PrintNode so labels and ship notes print automatically. If your depot needs a different label format, that is confirmed during the specification and planned for before the build starts.