Freight Management with Freman

Our fast, simple, accurate freight management system, Freman

Access via Mainchain

Mainchain—our one stop shop for freight management, with all the tools needed to manage your supply chain anywhere, anytime
Go to www.mainchain.net > Actions > Freman NZ to create consignments

Print your freight documentation

All freight documentation can be easily printed and uploaded at the click of a button
This includes Consignment Notes, Thermal and A4 Labels and Dangerous Goods Declaration Forms if required

Calculate the estimated costs

Based on the information you provide, we can give you a quick estimate for picking up and delivering your consignments based on your agreed rates
You can also use our Help Me Decide feature to compare service options and rates with New Zealand Couriers, Post Haste and Castle Parcels

Profiles & saved default settings

Use profiles to quickly switch templates between different charge codes, pickup sites, carriers or services
Associate a colour for each profile to make it easy to recognise!

Use your own references to make tracking easier

Setup a custom prefix and use your sales order or invoice number as your Consignment Note Number
Add as many Sender and Receiver References as you need to provide traceability for you and your customers

Stay up to date

Subscribe for email or SMS notifications to stay informed from the point of creation to consignment delivery
This is a great way to keep your end receivers in the loop, or keep an eye on an important consignment

Save time with stored products and addresses

Save your products and addresses to quickly access these on the go!

This includes delivery instructions or notification preferences for saved receivers, and dimensions, weights and cubic measurements for your products

Ensure your Dangerous Goods documentation is compliant

Validate and save your product’s DG information into Freman using our validation tool
Rest assured, we keep a PDF copy available in the event the physical paperwork is unreachable in an accident
TIP: Make sure you select the DG Signatory before printing to ensure your Declaration Forms are compliant and correctly signed

Help us identify your freight with pack type information

Select the appropriate pack type from the dropdowns, or save this information with your Saved Products. If your Pack Type isn’t available, contact your account manager

Let us manage your hire pallet transfers

We can automatically transfer your Chep and Loscam pallets off your account when consignments are delivered
Contact your account manager if required

Specify special instructions

Sometimes you need to let us know where to drop off your freight, which driveway to lookout for, or that there is no room to turn around at your site.

Simply add instructions into the Pickup and Delivery Instruction fields for our drivers and team to see

Booking return pickups and freight forward jobs are easy

Need to arrange a pickup for Return goods or from a new location?

Change the Sender Code to ‘Return/Non-Standard Sender’ and enter in the address information for the pickup request
Email copies of the documents to the sender to ensure the freight is ready to go and labelled when our driver arrives

Let your system ‘talk’ to ours via EDI Interfacing

Freman has an EDI interface which allows our customers to directly import consignment details from third party ERP systems
The EDI interface allows you to automatically import your consignment note details from your ERP system so you only need to click print
Save time in your despatch process by giving your team more time to continue on with other tasks instead of re-entering consignment information into multiple systems

Automated Pickup jobs

Your consignment details can be set up to be electronically uploaded into our network via Freman when you print your consignment notes. We can be automatically notified when your freight is ready to be picked up. This auto-pickup process can save you time by eliminating the need to phone or email a pickup request to our team

Setting up your printers

Download our Mainchain Printing Tool to save and print to your default printers from your browser
To setup your printers go to: Admin > Settings > Printing

Having trouble printing?

Go to our Help Site or follow these steps below:

Ensure your printer is turned on or try restarting it
Check there are no paper jams or errors showing
Print a test page from another application or website and check if this works for the same printer
Check the Mainchain Printing Tool is running in your taskbar
Ensure the right printers are selected in Freman
Contact your account manager or our IT Helpdesk team

Freman FAQ

Account Set Up

How do I update my charge/sender code?

This can only be updated by the Freman Team or your account manager. Contact your Account Manager or our IT Support Team for assistance

If we want to send our freight but charge one of our other branches for the shipment, can we select the other branch's charge code in Freman?

Yes this is possible. Please contact your account manager to provide you with this function

Can I import my list of customers into Freman?

Yes, we can import your list of customers into FremanWeb. Contact your account manager to arrange this.

Printing

I have selected my printers however the 'Change Printer' settings box is not closing, what should I do?

Please select a printer for each of the available printer options and re-try the Save & Close button

What size is the thermal label stock?

112mm x 98mm

What type of thermal printer is compatible with Freman?

Most label printers are compatible with Freman - the main supported label printers are: Zebra, Intermec, Datamax thermal label printers

Why do I need to print out labels for our freight?

It is a great way to help identify your freight for both our team and yours. The labels are all printed with barcodes and all relevant consignment information - making it easier for us to find and deliver your freight to the right place.

I'm always having to tick/un-tick the printing options for every consignment and change the number of copies I want to print. Can I set these by default?

Yes, you can set various default profile settings under 'MAINTAIN' then 'OPTIONS'

Can I print multiple labels on a single A4 sheet?

Yes, we can activate an Avery Labels option which enables you to print 2 or 4 labels per page on an A4 sheet.

Java

A Java pop up shows every time I print, how do I stop it from happening?

Put a tick in 'Always Trust Content' and click 'Run'

What version of Java do I need to print in Freman?

Freman supports Java versions 6 update 30 and above. However it is recommended to always have the latest version

I've just updated my Java and Freman is telling me to "Install and Update my Java plugin"

You may have multiple versions of Java installed, or your IT team may need to re-install Java with their system administrator credentials.

To check if you have multiple versions of Java installed follow these instructions

go to START --> CONTROL PANEL --> PROGRAMS AND FEATURES --> ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS.

If you have multiple versions delete the oldest versions in the list.

Consignment Note

I send Hire (Loscom/CHEP) pallets - how can I declare this on my consignment note?

A hire function can be activated for your account. Once enabled you can specify how many Loscam/Chep pallets you are sending and this detail will upload with your consignment and can be tracked throughout the delivery. Please contact your account manager.

How can I notify/be notified when my consignment note is picked up, out of delivery, delivered etc.?

You can add custom notifications to your consignment notes and Freman will automatically send an email/sms message to the specified recipients. You can set up these notifications to send automatically for your individual customers, or on-the-go when creating a new consignment note.

What happens if I delete a consignment note by mistake in Freman?

If you have already printed that consignment note, then the data will have already uploaded to us. Although you can no longer see it in your Consignment Review screen, the note detail has still uploaded. You can track the consignment via www.mainchain.net if required.

How do I know my consignment note is uploaded?

Freman automatically uploads your consignment to us when your consignment note is printed or previewed. Printing your labels does not upload the consignment.

Where can I enter special instructions for a customer/delivery?

Enter any special instructions into the body of the consignment note. If it is a very important note, it is always best to call our team as well.

Once a note is printed and I realise a mistake has been made, are we able to fix it? i.e. update the number of cartons, receiver details, m³ or kgs?

Yes, up until the time our drivers have picked up the freight and scanned the consignment note you are able to open that consignment note and make the changes you want. Just make sure you re-print the consignment note and labels.

Is there a freight forwarding option in Freman for us to organise pick ups and deliveries not from our site?

Yes. Please select the Non-Standrad/Return Sender option from the New Consignment Note page and complete the consignment note as per normal. You will need to contact your local depot to arrange the pickup.

Can Freman be used to automatically print out my Dangerous Goods declaration forms?

Yes, you will need to have this activated by your account manager and all DG record data loaded into Freman.

What if my order is going to a receiver who requires a delivery time slot allocation?

You can specify delivery book-in details when entering a new consignment note. Please contact your account manager to activate this feature.

Can I interface my order system wit Freman to save time entering my consignments into Freman and reduce double-entry?

Yes, we have an electronic data interface available in Freman. Please contact your account manager for more details.