You define these transit time lanes as Route Guide Parameters.Enter a representative transit time for each lane. Do not specifya carrier and do not enter transit times that are unique to one carrier.

Theorigin and destination of the lanes can be as general or specificas you want. For example you could define:

• State-to-state lanes
• Location-to-location lanes

The origins and destinations do not have to be 3-digit postalcode areas to match the rating lanes in your direct rate contract.

If Sterling TMS cannotfind a transit time lane for a mode the system uses the PlanningTime Window Duration you defined on the Planning page(in Step 1 of Shipper Configuration).

For example:

1. You set the Planning Time Window Duration to8 days.
2. You define a direct rate contract section for the Rail mode. Youwant the optimizer to consolidate orders and shipments into rail shipments.
3. When Sterling TMS buildsa direct mode selection plan for an order the system tries to obtainthe transit time lane for the Rail mode. If the transit time laneis not defined Sterling TMS usesthe 8-day window you defined in Step 1.