Systems and records
Switching TMS: keeping load, rate and claims history
By SourceX Editorial · Updated
Short answer
When switching TMS, carry only what the new system needs to run: open loads, rates in force, active carrier and customer records, and open claims. Archive closed loads, rate history, tenders, accessorials and closed claims in storage you control, keeping the load number as the key that ties rates, invoices, claims and documents together.
Key takeaways
- Carry what the new TMS needs to plan, execute and bill current freight; archive everything that explains past freight.
- Rate history is only useful with effective dates, because old invoices are audited against the rate in force on the ship date.
- Claims evidence often lives in inboxes and shared drives, so pull it together by load number before cutover.
- Export an old-to-new ID crosswalk for every converted record so history and new activity can be matched.
- Shipper contracts may treat rates, lanes and volumes as confidential, which limits reuse beyond operations.
Carry or archive: the rule for TMS records#
The rule for TMS records is to carry what the new system needs to plan, execute and bill current freight, and archive everything that explains past freight. Conversion projects slow down when teams try to load years of closed shipments into a system designed around today's network, carriers and customers.
| Record | Carry into new TMS | Archive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open and in-transit loads | Yes | Snapshot at cutover | Freight in motion must stay workable |
| Closed loads | Rarely | Yes, with stops, events and documents | Service history, disputes, lane analysis |
| Customer rates and tariffs in force | Yes | Yes, with effective dates | Billing continues on day one |
| Expired rates and past bid rounds | No | Yes, every version | Re-auditing old invoices and pricing history |
| Carrier records, insurance and authority documents | Active carriers only | Yes, including inactive carriers | Compliance history and claims |
| Tenders, spot quotes and rejections | No | Yes | Shows how capacity was actually bought |
| Accessorials and detention | Open items only | Yes, with approvals | Recurring disputes with customers and carriers |
| Freight invoices and audit results | Open payables and receivables | Yes | Audit trail for paid and billed freight |
| Open claims | Yes, or keep in the old system until closed | Yes | Deadlines and correspondence continue |
| Closed claims | No | Yes, with photos and settlement | Patterns by lane, carrier and packaging |
Claims history needs its own plan#
Claims history needs its own plan because claims rarely live in one place: the claim record may sit in the TMS, while photos, inspection reports, carrier responses and settlement emails sit in inboxes and shared drives. A TMS switch that moves only the claim header leaves the evidence behind.
Open claims should keep running without a break. Either convert them with every attachment and note, or leave them in the old system with a named owner until they close. Filing and response deadlines vary by mode, contract and jurisdiction, so check them with counsel before deciding where open claims live.
Closed claims are the other half. Overage, shortage and damage records, with the carrier, lane, commodity, packaging and settlement outcome, show where freight gets hurt and why. If any claim is in litigation or under a legal hold, preserve everything tied to it regardless of the archive plan.
Rate history: keep every version, not just the latest#
Rate history is only useful if every version keeps its effective dates, because a freight invoice can be re-audited only against the rate that applied on the ship date. Many TMS exports return the current rate table and quietly drop the versions that came before it.
Keep quotes, tenders, loads and invoices linked. The path from a spot quote to an accepted tender to the delivered load and the invoice is the clearest record of how your team priced and bought capacity, and it is the first thing lost when rate tables are exported on their own.
- Customer contract rates and tariff versions, each with start and end dates.
- Carrier rate agreements and amendments.
- Fuel surcharge tables and the index values they referenced.
- Accessorial schedules and the approvals behind exceptions.
- Bid rounds: lanes offered, carrier responses and awards.
- Spot quotes with the load they priced, accepted or not.
Keys that hold load history together#
Load history holds together through a small set of identifiers, and losing any one of them turns a connected archive into separate piles of records.
If the new TMS issues new IDs, export a crosswalk from old to new for every converted record. Without one, nobody can tell whether a load in the new system is the same freight that appears in a claim from the old one.
| Key | What it connects |
|---|---|
| Load or shipment ID | Stops, events, rates, invoices, claims and documents |
| PRO and BOL numbers | Carrier paperwork and freight bills to the load |
| Customer order or PO number | Shipments to the customer's own records and disputes |
| Carrier ID and SCAC | Loads, rates and claims to the carrier, across mergers and renames |
| Invoice and claim numbers | Billing and claims back to the load |
| Location and lane IDs | Shipments to facilities, appointments and lane history |
TMS switch checklist for historical data#
A TMS switch checklist for history should be owned by operations, with finance and the claims lead signing off, because those groups feel the gaps first when a customer or carrier disputes an old load.
- List every record family in the old TMS, plus the inboxes, drives and portals that hold related documents.
- Mark each family carry, archive or both, using the table above.
- Export rate history with effective dates before anyone cleans up rate tables.
- Export closed loads with stops, tracking events, check-call notes and documents.
- Decide where open claims live until they close, and name an owner.
- Build and store the old-to-new ID crosswalk.
- Reconcile load counts and billed totals by month between the old system and the archive.
- Confirm what the old vendor keeps, returns and deletes after the contract ends.
- File the export log, crosswalk and finance sign-off in the same folder as the archive.
Illustrative: a regional refrigerated carrier changes TMS#
Illustrative: a fictional regional refrigerated carrier with a small brokerage arm moves from a long-used on-premises TMS to a cloud platform. The new vendor's conversion scope covers customers, carriers, active rates and open loads, and nothing else.
The VP of operations adds an archive track. Closed loads go out with temperature exception notes and check calls, every rate version goes out with effective dates, and claims records are pulled together with photos and settlement emails from the claims inbox, keyed by load number. Two open damage claims stay in the old system under the claims lead until they close.
After cutover, a shipper disputes accessorial charges from an earlier season. Finance re-audits the invoices against the archived accessorial schedule that was in force at the time, and the dispute is settled on the record rather than by concession.
What closed loads and claims are worth later#
Closed loads and claims are worth more than their storage cost when they connect a problem, such as a late pickup, a temperature excursion or a damaged pallet, to the decision that resolved it. Those outcome-linked records are the kind of operational history that AI developers working on logistics operations license.
SourceX begins with a fit check that uses metadata only, then runs the SourceX five-step transaction: Supply, Rights, Preparation, Approval and Delivery. Shipper contracts are checked for confidentiality terms on rates and volumes, driver and contact details are removed during preparation, and the carrier approves each step. The carrier licenses the records rather than selling them, so ownership stays with the company.
Frequently asked questions
How much load history should we convert into the new TMS?
Usually only open loads and, if reporting needs it, a short recent window. Converting years of closed loads adds mapping and testing effort, and the new system's reports rarely need it. Most teams archive closed history and connect a reporting tool to it for lane and customer analysis.
Will the new TMS vendor import our old history?
Conversion services usually cover masters and open records. Importing historical loads, rates and claims is often separate scope, priced and tested on its own. Ask for history handling in writing in the statement of work, including which fields, documents and notes come across.
What happens to our data at the old TMS vendor after we leave?
That depends on the contract. Read the termination, data return and deletion clauses before giving notice, request a complete export while access is active, and ask the vendor to confirm in writing what it keeps, returns and deletes once the agreement ends.
Do shipper contracts limit what we can do with freight history?
They can. Shipper agreements often treat rates, volumes and lanes as confidential, and some restrict use of shipment data beyond providing the service. Operational use is normally covered; any reuse outside operations needs a contract review, with counsel where the terms are unclear.
Should telematics and ELD records go into the TMS archive?
Keep them linked but separate. Telematics records follow their own rules: FMCSA guidance says carriers must keep each driver's records of duty status and supporting documents for six months, and that is a minimum, not a target. Platforms also apply their own settings; Samsara, for example, lets customers set dash cam retention from 3 days to 4 years, with defaults that vary by region and sign-up date. Export what supports claims and service history, keyed to load numbers, and confirm obligations with your safety and compliance lead before anything is deleted.
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