LivestockWay — Shipper User Manual

1Sign Up

1. Visit tms.livestockways.com and click "Sign Up"
2. Select "Shipper" as your role
3. Enter: Name, Email, Password (strong)
4. Click "Create Account"

2Verify Your Email

1. Check your inbox for a verification email from LivestockWay
2. Click the verification link or enter the OTP code
3. Your account is now active ✓

Left Sidebar Navigation

• Dashboard — Home / stats
• My Loads — All your posted loads
• Truck Board — Available trucks to book
• Offers Received — Hauler bids + negotiation threads
• My Contracts — Formal agreements with haulers
• Active Shipments — Trips currently in progress
• Shipment History — Completed shipments
• Messages — All conversations
• Payments — Payment history & records
• Profile Settings — Account info, documents

1Start Posting a Load

1. Click "+ Post a Load" button (dashboard or top right)
2. A multi-step form opens

2Step 1: Basic Load Info

Fill in the essentials:

• Pickup Location: Where animals will be loaded (search & confirm address)
• Dropoff Location: Destination (search & confirm address)
• Pickup Date & Time: When you want the hauler to arrive
• Expected Delivery Date: When you need animals to arrive
• Animal Species: Cattle, pigs, sheep, poultry, horses, etc.
• Head Count: How many animals
• Total Weight (optional): In pounds or kilograms

3Step 2: Pricing

• Asking Price: What you're willing to pay
• Price Type:
  • Flat rate per trip (e.g., $2,000)
  • Per head (e.g., $15 per animal)
  • Per mile (e.g., $3 per mile)

4Step 3: Payment Method

Choose how you'll pay the hauler:

5Step 4: Animal Welfare & Compliance

Specify care requirements:

• Temperature Requirements: Max/min temp during transport
• Rest Stop Frequency: Hours between rest stops
• Ventilation: Minimum air flow needs
• Special Notes: Pregnant animals, injured, premium bloodstock, etc.
• Insurance Requirements: Liability coverage needed

6Review & Post

1. Review all details you've entered
2. Click "Confirm & Post Load"
3. Load appears on the Loadboard immediately ✓
4. Haulers can now see and bid on your load

1Check Your Offers

1. Go to "Offers Received" tab (or check the Loadboard page)
2. You'll see a list of all haulers who've bid on your load
3. Each offer shows:
   • Hauler name & ratings
   • Their offered price (may be higher/lower than your asking)
   • Truck type they're proposing
   • Any message they included

2Review Hauler Profiles

Click on a hauler to see:

• Ratings & reviews — From past shippers
• Completion rate — Percentage of successful trips
• Average delivery time — How reliable they are
• Fleet details — Trucks available, capacity
• Certifications — insurance, compliance documents

3Negotiate

1. Click an offer to open a message thread with the hauler
2. You can:
   • Accept their offer as-is
   • Counter offer with a different price/date
   • Ask questions about their experience, truck, route, etc.
   • Request changes (e.g., earlier pickup, special care requirements)
3. Negotiation happens in real-time. Hauler responds with counter-offers or answers
4. Once both agree on terms, you can proceed to create a contract

4Browse Available Trucks (Alternative)

Instead of waiting for offers, you can proactively find haulers:

1. Go to "Truck Board" tab
2. See all available trucks (haulers posting capacity)
3. Search by: Route, capacity, date availability
4. Click on a truck → "Book This Truck"
5. Make an offer to the hauler directly

1Create a Contract

1. From an offer message thread, click "Create Contract"
2. A multi-step contract wizard opens

2Step 1: Payment Terms

Confirm or adjust:

• Total Price: What you'll pay the hauler
• Payment Mode: ESCROW or DIRECT (your choice from original load posting)
• Due Date: When payment is due

3Step 2: Trip Details

• Pickup location & time — Confirmed address, date, time
• Dropoff location & time — Confirmed address, date, time
• Species & quantity — Animal type, head count
• Special instructions — Any last-minute notes

4Step 3: Animal Welfare & Insurance

Confirm care requirements and compliance:

• Temperature control — Max/min temps during transport
• Rest stops — Frequency and duration
• Animal welfare notes — Special care (pregnant, sick, high-value bloodstock)
• Insurance verification — Hauler must have liability coverage
• Health certificates — If required by destination state/country

5Step 4: Review & Send

1. Review all contract details carefully
2. If ESCROW mode: You'll see a fee breakdown:
   • Total you pay (contract amount)
   • ×3% platform fee (deducted from hauler's payout)
   • What hauler receives after fee
3. Click "Send Contract to Hauler"
4. Contract is sent as a formal proposal (awaiting hauler acceptance)

6Hauler Accepts Contract

1. Hauler receives notification: "Contract awaiting review"
2. They review terms and click "Accept"
3. Contract status changes to "ACCEPTED" ✓
4. A trip is automatically created
5. You'll receive a notification — time to pay (if ESCROW mode)

1Payment Notification

After hauler accepts the contract:

1. You'll see a notification: "Contract accepted. Ready to pay & confirm shipment"
2. Go to My Contracts tab
3. Find the accepted contract, click on it
4. Click "Proceed to Payment" button

2Payment Breakdown

You'll see a summary:

Note: The 3% fee is charged to the hauler, not you. You pay the full contract amount.

3Enter Payment Details

1. Click "Pay & Confirm Shipment"
2. You'll be redirected to Stripe Checkout (secure payment page)
3. Enter or select card details
4. Review amount
5. Click "Pay"

4Confirm Payment

1. Stripe processes your card payment
2. You receive an email receipt ✓
3. Contract status changes to "PAID"
4. Funds are now held in escrow by LivestockWay
5. Hauler is notified: "Payment received. Trip ready to start."
6. You can now track the shipment in real-time

1View Active Shipments

1. Go to "Active Shipments" or "Trips" tab
2. See all your in-transit shipments
3. Click on a trip to see full details

2Live Map Tracking

On the trip detail page, you'll see:

• Map showing: Pickup location (red pin) → Dropoff location (green pin)
• Hauler's current location — Real-time GPS tracking (blue dot)
• Optimized route — Planned path and waypoints
• ETA — Estimated time to arrive at dropoff

3Trip Status

Track the progress:

4Message the Hauler

On the trip page, there's a "Chat" or "Message" button:

• Ask about ETA, road conditions, any issues
• Share last-minute instructions (gate codes, contact info for receiver)
• Hauler can ask you questions during the journey

1You Receive Delivery Notification

When hauler marks the trip delivered:

1. You get an in-app notification: "Your shipment has been delivered!"
2. You also receive an email
3. Go to the trip to review delivery details

2Review Delivery Proof (ePOD)

On the trip detail page, you'll see:

• Pickup Photos: Animals being loaded at origin
• Delivery Photos: Animals being unloaded at destination
• Receiver Name & Signature: Who received your animals
• Delivery Date & Time: Exact timestamp of completion
• Hauler Notes: Any notes about the delivery (condition of animals, incidents, etc.)

3Confirm Delivery

After reviewing all proof:

1. Click "Confirm Delivery" (green button at top)
2. This confirms you've received the animals in good condition
3. Trip status changes to "Completed" ✓

When to Raise a Dispute

• Animals deceased or missing upon delivery
• Visible injury or trauma from transport
• Hauler violated care requirements (temperature, rest stops, etc.)
• Late delivery causing animal suffering
• Lack of delivery proof (missing photos, receiver signature)

1Open a Dispute

1. Go to the trip that has an issue
2. Click "Raise a Dispute" button (instead of "Confirm Delivery")
3. A dispute form opens

2Provide Evidence

Upload/enter:

• Description: What went wrong (e.g., "3 animals DOA upon arrival")
• Photos: Your own photos of the damage/loss
• Veterinary Report (optional): If you had a vet inspect the animals
• Loss Amount: What you're claiming in refund (per animal, per total, etc.)

3Dispute Submitted

1. Dispute is sent to the hauler
2. Payout is paused — funds remain in escrow
3. Hauler can respond with their own evidence/explanation
4. You can reply to their response, add more photos/evidence

4Resolution

• Admin Review: LivestockWay admin reviews both sides' evidence
• Decision: Admin decides which party is right (full refund to you, partial refund, or full payout to hauler)
• Notification: Both you and hauler are notified of the decision
• Payment Released: Funds transfer based on decision

Support Channels

• In-App Support: Click "Support" in sidebar → submit ticket with photos and details
• Email: support@livestockways.com
• Phone: (if available — check your account settings)

Common Questions & Answers