Predictika · Air and ocean freight bookings

An AI sales agent's freight booking, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an air or ocean freight booking: the service, the container, the trade lane, the Incoterm, the units, weight and volume, temperature control, dangerous goods, customs, a discount and the total it states in cents. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the booking rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the totals it computed.

Scope: Mainfreight air and ocean freight bookings: ocean FCL and LCL, air consolidation, air full pallet loads and time-critical air, with customs, dangerous goods, temperature control, oversize cargo, DDP, discount and the stated total. See everything this validator covers

This validator models freight bookings of this kind, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Services and loads — ocean FCL in four container types, ocean LCL, air consolidation, air full pallet loads and time-critical air, and the payload, volume or weight each takes.
  • Special cargo — temperature-controlled cargo in a reefer, oversize cargo, dangerous goods classes and the services that may carry them, and customs clearance for DDP.
  • Price and review — discounts and the level that needs a sales manager, time-critical air above a weight, and the stated total compared with the computed one.

Any freight booking that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. The service names and in-house customs clearance follow Mainfreight's public Air & Ocean pages; the container capacities are industry values, and every rate, the dangerous goods surcharges, the customs charge, the LCL and air limits, the discount limits and the lane names are modeled and not published by Mainfreight, so the amounts on this page are illustrative. Not covered: road transport, warehousing and project logistics.

The AI sales agentBuilds the freight booking from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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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 caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Limits that depend on the service and the containerOnly with care
Each container type has its own payload and volume, and each air or LCL service has its own largest shipment, so every combination needs a rule.		The service, container, weight and volume are fields of one booking and are checked together.
Special cargo that only some services may carryOnly with workarounds
Temperature control needs a reefer, oversize cargo needs a full pallet load and explosives or radioactive cargo only go by ocean FCL, so each depends on the service.		The service and the special cargo are in one request and every condition is evaluated on every call.
Discounts and approvalsOnly with care
A discount over one level needs a manager and over another is not allowed, and time-critical air above a weight needs operations.		The discount and the chargeable weight are compared with both levels on every call.
A total built from many partsOnly with workarounds
Freight depends on the service, lane, chargeable weight or volume and the discount, and extras on dangerous goods and customs, so it must be computed before it can be compared with the total stated.		The total is computed on every call and compared with the total stated in the booking.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as a step is saved or completed, so a person often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the booking; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
126,001 kg per container is above the 26,000 kg payload of the chosen container type.
268 cubic metres per container is above the 67 cubic metre capacity of the chosen container type.
334 cubic metres per container is above the 33 cubic metre capacity of the chosen container type.
477 cubic metres per container is above the 76 cubic metre capacity of the chosen container type.
5The booking has 0 units; at least 1 container or pallet is needed.
6Temperature-controlled cargo needs an ocean FCL reefer container (RF40), and a reefer container needs a temperature control request.
7A set point of 31 degrees Celsius is outside the minus 30 to plus 30 range of a reefer container.
8A set point of -31 degrees Celsius is outside the minus 30 to plus 30 range of a reefer container.
9An LCL consolidation shipment of 16 cubic metres is above the 15 cubic metre limit; book a full container.
10An air consolidation shipment of 1,001 kg is above the 1,000 kg limit; book a full pallet load.
11An air full pallet load of 6,001 kg is above the 6,000 kg limit.
12Oversize cargo can only be booked as an air full pallet load.
13A time-critical air movement of 301 chargeable kg needs airline capacity confirmed by operations.
14Delivery duty paid needs customs clearance on the quote.
15Dangerous goods need a declaration check by the dangerous goods desk before the booking is confirmed.
16Explosives or radioactive cargo needs special handling approval from the dangerous goods desk.
17Explosives (class 1) and radioactive material (class 7) are only accepted as ocean FCL.
18Dangerous goods class 10 does not exist; classes run 1 to 9, 0 means none.
19A discount of 6 percent is above 5 percent; a sales manager should approve it.
20A discount of 10 percent is above 5 percent; a sales manager should approve it.
21A discount of 11 percent is above the 10 percent limit.
22The quote states a total of 383,900 cents; the modeled rates give 384,000 cents.
23The quote states a total of 384,001 cents; the modeled rates give 384,000 cents.
24The quote states a total of 100 cents; the modeled rates give 434,000 cents.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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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.

    
1. Containers, customs and discount: An ocean FCL booking over the payload and volume of the container, with temperature control in a dry box, DDP without customs, an invalid dangerous goods class and a large discount

    
The agent's request. Please book 2 ocean FCL (40-foot dry) on the Asia-Pacific lane, DDP, 27,000 kg and 70 cubic metres, with temperature control at 5 degrees Celsius, dangerous goods class 10. The discount is 11 percent. The booking states a total of 391,760 cents. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Cargo above container payload. 27,000 kg per container is above the 26,000 kg payload of the chosen container type.
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  • Cargo above container volume. 70 cubic metres per container is above the 67 cubic metre capacity of the chosen container type.
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  • Reefer container and temperature control must match. Temperature-controlled cargo needs an ocean FCL reefer container (RF40), and a reefer container needs a temperature control request.
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  • DDP needs customs clearance. Delivery duty paid needs customs clearance on the quote.
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  • Invalid dangerous goods class. Dangerous goods class 10 does not exist; classes run 1 to 9, 0 means none.
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  • Discount above 10 percent. A discount of 11 percent is above the 10 percent limit.
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2. Containers, customs and discount: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please book 2 ocean FCL (40-foot dry) on the Asia-Pacific lane, DDP, 24,000 kg and 60 cubic metres, with customs clearance. The discount is 4 percent. The booking states a total of 380,640 cents. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Booking summary. Modeled total of 380,640 cents (freight 368,640 cents, extras 12,000 cents) at 4 percent discount.
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3. Air consolidation and oversize cargo: An air consolidation of oversize cargo above the weight limit, with a discount above the tier limit

    
The agent's request. Please book 3 air consolidation units on the Trans-Tasman lane, FCA, 1,200 kg and 2 cubic metres, oversize cargo. The discount is 6 percent. The booking states a total of 225,600 cents. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Oversize cargo needs air full pallet load. Oversize cargo can only be booked as an air full pallet load.
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  • Air consolidation weight limit. An air consolidation shipment of 1,200 kg is above the 1,000 kg limit; book a full pallet load.
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  • Discount above 5 percent. A discount of 6 percent is above 5 percent; a sales manager should approve it.
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4. Air consolidation and oversize cargo: The agent resubmits as an air full pallet load

    
The agent's request. Please book 3 air full pallet load units on the Trans-Tasman lane, FCA, 1,200 kg and 10 cubic metres, oversize cargo. The discount is 4 percent. The booking states a total of 480,960 cents. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Booking summary. Modeled total of 480,960 cents (freight 480,960 cents, extras 0 cents) at 4 percent discount.
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5. LCL size and temperature: An LCL shipment that is too large, with temperature control and a total from an earlier quote

    
The agent's request. Please book 1 ocean LCL unit on the Trans-Pacific lane, FCA, 5,000 kg and 16 cubic metres, with temperature control at 4 degrees Celsius. The booking states a total of 72,000 cents. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Shipment too large for LCL. An LCL consolidation shipment of 16 cubic metres is above the 15 cubic metre limit; book a full container.
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  • Reefer container and temperature control must match. Temperature-controlled cargo needs an ocean FCL reefer container (RF40), and a reefer container needs a temperature control request.
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  • Stated total does not match. The quote states a total of 72,000 cents; the modeled rates give 144,000 cents.
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6. LCL size and temperature: The agent resubmits as a full reefer container

    
The agent's request. Please book 2 ocean FCL (40-foot reefer) on the Asia-Pacific lane, FOB, 24,000 kg and 60 cubic metres, with temperature control at -18 degrees Celsius. The booking states a total of 768,000 cents. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Booking summary. Modeled total of 768,000 cents (freight 768,000 cents, extras 0 cents) at 0 percent discount.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares an air or ocean freight booking: the service, the container, the trade lane, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the booking rules and returns a verdict, every reason and the totals it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please book 2 ocean FCL (40-foot dry) on the Asia-Pacific lane, DDP, 27,000 kg and 70 cubic metres, with temperature control at 5 degrees Celsius, dangerous goods class 10. The discount is 11 percent. The rest of the request is on screen. The booking states a total of 391,760 cents.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with six findings, all in one answer. 27,000 kg per container is above the 26,000 kg payload of the chosen container type. 70 cubic metres per container is above the 67 cubic metre capacity of the chosen container type. Temperature-controlled cargo needs an ocean FCL reefer container (RF40), and a reefer container needs a temperature control request. The other three are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned six blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the booking are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for limits that depend on the service and the container, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the weight to 24,000, the volume to 60 cbm, the temperature control to no, the dangerous goods class to none and the stated total to 380,640. Two more changes are on screen.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All six earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Six problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean booking. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before the booking goes out. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    14.