Abstract: A computer, for planning moves of freight automatically receives a plan containing a number of trips to be performed to move freight using vehicles, and partially releases only a portion of the plan for execution instead of releasing the entire plan. The plan portion that is released includes a subset of trips that are selected by the computer from among all trips in the entire plan. Thereafter, the computer simply repeats the just-described acts. Iteratively releasing portions of a plan allows the computer to be instructed to release early certain trips that are satisfactory. Trips that are sub-optimal are re-generated in a next version of the plan, based on changes in orders in the interim. The computer may also be instructed to release a trip even if sub-optimal, if its time-to-departure becomes less than an advance notice needed by a truckload service that is to execute the trip.

Abstract: Methods, devices and systems for assigning a value associated with a manufacturing or service-related transaction to a task within an organizational logical structure includes a step of retrieving attributes of the transaction, such attributes including, for example, an identification of the item, whether the item was procured, the PO number, the category of the item and/or an identification of the sub-inventory, in the case of a material transaction. A plurality of predefined task assignment rules are then searched for a matching rule that includes respective criteria corresponding to each retrieved attribute. Each of the plurality of task assignment rules includes an identification of a task within the organizational logical structure. The value associated with the transaction may then be assigned to the task identified in the matching rule. The assigned value may include the cost associated with the transaction.