This article explains every status a shipment can have in polt.ai, what each one means, and what triggers a status change. Status updates are split between reps (manual) and polt.ai driver app (automatic via geolocation or driver-entered updates).
How statuses update: A shipment's status changes in one of three ways:
Rep in polt.ai — you click the status pill and choose a new status manually
Driver in polt.ai driver app — the driver updates the shipment status from the polt.ai driver app on their phone
polt.ai driver app geolocation — polt.ai driver app automatically updates the status when the driver enters or leaves a geofenced pickup or delivery address
When polt.ai driver app is enabled and the driver has installed the app, most pickup-to-delivery transitions happen automatically. When polt.ai driver app is off or the driver hasn't installed it, you'll need to update those statuses manually.
Quoted
A quote has been sent to one or more carriers, but the shipment hasn't been booked yet.
Triggered by: Rep in polt.ai.
Open
The shipment has been created and saved, but it's still being worked on. The carrier may not have accepted it yet, or the shipment may be a pre-built record waiting to be assigned.
Triggered by: Automatically when a shipment is created and saved.
Reserved
A carrier has accepted the shipment, or the rep has accepted a carrier's bid on the shipment.
Triggered by: Rep in polt.ai.
Covered
A carrier and driver have been assigned to the shipment.
Triggered by: Automatically when a rep assigns a carrier and driver to the shipment.
Dispatched
The shipment has been dispatched to the carrier and is ready to begin pickup.
Triggered by: Rep in polt.ai.
At pickup
The driver has arrived at the pickup location.
Triggered by: polt.ai driver app geolocation when the driver enters the pickup address geofence, or manually by the rep or driver.
Loaded
The freight has been loaded onto the truck.
Triggered by: Rep in polt.ai or driver in polt.ai driver app.
In transit
The driver is moving between stops.
Triggered by: polt.ai driver app geolocation, or manually by the rep or driver.
At consignee
The driver has arrived at the delivery location.
Triggered by: polt.ai driver app geolocation when the driver enters the delivery address geofence, or manually by the rep or driver.
Delivered
The freight has been delivered to the consignee.
Triggered by: polt.ai driver app geolocation at the delivery address, or manually by the rep or driver.
Released
The shipment has been released for billing. Our internal accounting team will review and invoice the customer.
Triggered by: Automatically when the rep uploads the POD and clicks Complete on the release flow. Only available after a shipment is marked Delivered.
See Uploading a POD and releasing a shipment.
Truck order not used (TONU)
The customer cancelled the shipment after a truck was assigned. The carrier is owed partial payment.
Triggered by: Rep in polt.ai.
Archived
The shipment has been removed from active dashboard views. Archived shipments are not deleted — they can still be found by adjusting your filters or saved view.
Triggered by: Rep using the Archive option in the "..." menu.
Most shipments move through statuses in this order:
Quoted → Open → Reserved → Covered → Dispatched → At pickup → Loaded → In transit → At consignee → Delivered → Released
Not every shipment hits every status. For example, shipments built directly without a quote skip Quoted. Shipments where polt.ai driver app isn't running may skip the in-transit substates and jump from Dispatched to Delivered when manually updated. TONU and Archived are off-path — they apply when the normal flow is interrupted or the shipment is finalized.
See Updating shipment status.