Predictika · FedEx parcel shipping
An AI shipping agent prepares a FedEx rate quote for a customer: service, rate zone, address type, package, options and any extra incentive. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of FedEx service rules, surcharges and discount authority and returns a verdict, every reason and the charges it computed.
This validator models FedEx domestic single-package quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.
Any FedEx domestic single-package quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: international services, freight, multi-package shipments, contract-specific rates and surcharges beyond those listed. Published rates are matched to a calibrated rate model, so prices are estimates, not a FedEx quote; discount tiers, incentive authority, the dimensional divisor and the review threshold are estimates.
7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch
Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.
Proposing agent: AI shipping agent (scripted)
Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run
What this means
Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.
| What the validator caught | Typical rules-based CPQ | Predictika |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensional and billable weight | Only with care Actual, dimensional and oversize-minimum weights each need a formula and the rate must use the largest, so a threshold change touches several rules. | All three weights are computed together and every price reads the billable weight. |
| Surcharges that drop or depend on each other | Only with workarounds Additional handling is dropped when the package is oversize and fuel is a percentage of a subtotal that depends on which surcharges apply, so price rules must chain in the right order. | Every surcharge is computed from the same request and the fuel base is built from the results. |
| A service change that moves other rules | Only with workarounds Switching Ground to Home Delivery fixes the address rule but changes transit, Saturday availability and price, so each rule has to be re-run in a safe order. | The service is one field of the request; every rule is evaluated again together on each call. |
| Incentive authority tied to account spend | Only with care A rep limit, a manager limit and a larger-account limit each need an approval or block rule that reads a computed spend tier. | All limits are evaluated together and returned with the reason. |
| The total the agent states | Only with workarounds Comparing a stated total with a computed one needs a separate rule per quote layout, and price rules rarely run on stated figures. | The stated total is a field in the request and is checked against the computed total. |
| Every problem returned in one answer | Only with workarounds Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next. | All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in. |
Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.
| 1 | 10 percent extra incentive is above the 5 percent a rep can give; approvable up to 15 percent for this account. |
| 2 | Declared value $20,000 is above $10,000 and needs loss-prevention review before tender. |
| 3 | Declared value $15,000 is above $10,000 and needs loss-prevention review before tender. |
| 4 | 20 percent extra incentive is above the 5 percent a rep can give; approvable up to 25 percent for this account. |
| 5 | FedEx Ground delivers to business addresses only; a residence must go FedEx Home Delivery. |
| 6 | FedEx Home Delivery serves residences only; a business address must go FedEx Ground. |
| 7 | 160 lb exceeds the 150 lb per-package limit for FedEx Priority Overnight; ship it as freight. |
| 8 | Length 100 in and length plus girth 200 in exceed the 108 in / 165 in package limits. |
| 9 | FedEx Express Saver serves the contiguous 48 states only; zone 9 is outside it. |
| 10 | FedEx Ground takes about 5 business days to zone 8; the customer needs delivery within 3. |
| 11 | Saturday delivery is not offered on FedEx Standard Overnight. |
| 12 | Indirect Signature Required is available for residential deliveries only. |
| 13 | Dimensions must be entered longest side first; got 10 x 14 x 8 in. |
| 14 | 20 percent extra incentive exceeds the 15 percent that can be approved for a $3,000 weekly-spend account. |
| 15 | The total charge the agent states ($178.23) differs from the total the validator computes ($193.73). |
| 16 | Declared value $60,000 exceeds the $50,000 maximum for FedEx Priority Overnight. |
| 17 | 30 percent extra incentive exceeds the 25 percent that can be approved for a $12,000 weekly-spend account. |
| 18 | Dimensions must be entered longest side first; got 36 x 44 x 30 in. |
| 19 | 160 lb exceeds the 150 lb per-package limit for FedEx Express Saver; ship it as freight. |
| 20 | Length 36 in and length plus girth 184 in exceed the 108 in / 165 in package limits. |
The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.
The agent's request. Please quote FedEx Express Saver to a business address in zone 9 for a 160 lb box, 36 by 44 by 30 inches, delivery within 2 days, with Saturday delivery, indirect signature, declared value $60,000, an extra 30 percent incentive on transportation. The account ships about $3,000 a week. Total charge $3,393.98. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote FedEx 2Day to a business address in zone 9 for a 150 lb box, 44 by 30 by 24 inches, delivery within 2 days, with Saturday delivery, direct signature, declared value $45,000, an extra 10 percent incentive on transportation. The account ships about $3,000 a week. Total charge $3,829.26. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Needs approval.
The agent's request. Please quote FedEx 2Day to a business address in zone 9 for a 150 lb box, 44 by 30 by 24 inches, delivery within 2 days, with Saturday delivery, direct signature, declared value $9,500, an extra 5 percent incentive on transportation. The account ships about $3,000 a week. Total charge $3,399.49. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The agent's request. Please quote FedEx Ground to a residential address in zone 8 for a 18 lb box, 20 by 14 by 12 inches, delivery within 3 days, with Saturday delivery, indirect signature, a delivery-area address, an extra 20 percent incentive on transportation. The account ships about $3,000 a week. Total charge $74.20. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote FedEx Home Delivery to a residential address in zone 8 for a 18 lb box, 20 by 14 by 12 inches, delivery within 5 days, with Saturday delivery, indirect signature, a delivery-area address, an extra 5 percent incentive on transportation. The account ships about $3,000 a week. Total charge $94.34. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The agent's request. Please quote FedEx Ground to a business address in zone 6 for a 60 lb box, 24 by 30 by 16 inches, delivery within 5 days, with an extra 30 percent incentive on transportation. The account ships about $12,000 a week. Total charge $149.31. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Blocked.
The agent's request. Please quote FedEx Ground to a business address in zone 6 for a 60 lb box, 30 by 24 by 16 inches, delivery within 5 days, with an extra 5 percent incentive on transportation. The account ships about $12,000 a week. Total charge $205.23. It is ready to send.
Verdict: Allowed.
The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.