Have you ever wished your shipping system could automatically know what to do and handle it? Then Descartes Pacejet 25.8 is for you. Our latest product release introduces Automations, a powerful, user-friendly shipping automation feature to help you reduce costs and operational complexity.
What is shipping automation?
Shipping automation is a software feature that uses if-then logic to perform shipping-related actions according to a predefined set of rules. Instead of relying on a human, the shipping platform responds to a trigger event and automatically completes the appropriate actions.
An automated shipping system, such as Descartes Pacejet, can process shipments for parcel, less than truckload (LTL), and third-party logistics (3PL) without requiring a human operator.
Problems shipping automation solves
- Labor costs and effort – Automate tedious, repetitive tasks that used to be done manually.
- Slow fulfillment speed – Process shipments faster than manual processes allow.
- Human errors – Prevent human mistakes, such as key entry errors, missing info, and mis-ships.
- Complex operations – Establish straightforward, consistent processes that reduce complexity.
- High shipping costs – Automate rate shopping and service selection to optimize shipping costs.
Business results of using shipping automation
Using business rules to automate shipping workflows can help you:
- Reduce labor by up to 80% by eliminating repetitive shipping tasks.
- Improve fulfillment speed by 2x or 3x by automating rating, packing, labeling, executing shipments.
- Virtually eliminate errors by removing manual steps and decisions that often lead to mistakes.
- Lower shipping costs up to 30% on more of your orders by applying rate shopping logic across a wider range of shipment types and service levels
What’s new: Automations in Descartes Pacejet 25.8
The Automations feature in Descartes Pacejet 25.8 provides a user-friendly way to create, edit, and deploy shipping automation rules on the platform.
With a simple, no-code wizard, teams can now create intelligent, rule-based workflows that guide how shipments are rated, packed, labeled, and fulfilled. You can easily build and customize processes based on your unique business needs.
What can the Automations feature do?
A few examples of workflows you can automate include:
- Shipping service selection: Exclude express shipping unless an order is marked “Rush”
- Rate shopping: Fine-tune rules for different shipping scenarios; easily find the best service at the lowest cost.
- Automate shipping labels: Create and print shipping labels according to pre-set conditions.
- Auto-fill missing contact data: Populate fields for phone numbers or emails for 3PL and drop-ship orders.
- Update and standardize ship-from contact info: Fill fields based on site or business unit info.
- Conditionally map custom Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) data: Use contact names or business unit identifiers to override shipment details automatically
This is only a small sample of the shipping automation workflows possible with Automations. It’s a highly customizable tool offering granular control over platform-based tasks.
Do I need a developer or support to set up Automations?
No. The Automations feature is a self-service tool designed for non-technical users. You don’t need a developer, and there’s no need to contact support to configure the platform (though we will help if you need us.) Just open the wizard, set your conditions, and go live.
Will Automations overwrite my existing Descartes Pacejet rules?
No. The new feature will not overwrite your rules. The Automations feature works seamlessly with your existing Descartes Pacejet rules, the Rules Library, and other core features. You can build on what’s already working and extend automation to even more parts of your workflow.
See Automations in action
Want to see how the Automations feature actually works? Watch this quick demo to learn how Descartes Pacejet users configure and apply logic-based rules—without needing a developer or IT support.
We’ll walk through common use cases, show the new interface, and highlight how these tools help teams save time and ship with greater accuracy.
Watch the demo:
Try shipping automation today
Already a Descartes Pacejet user?
The Automations feature is included in the 25.8 release. You can start using them on your own. If you could use an extra hand, please contact Descartes support or ask your Descartes Pacejet account manager for assistance.
Not yet a Descartes Pacejet customer?
Schedule a demo to see how Descartes Pacejet helps businesses ship faster, reduce costs, and do more with less.
Descartes Pacejet 25.8 improves stability and reliability
In addition to new features, Descartes Pacejet 25.8 includes a series of behind-the-scenes improvements to increase platform stability and ensure consistent performance:
- MCS-7142 – Fixed an error when saving FedEx accounts with mismatched site name and description
- MCS-7805 – Improved accuracy when printing multiple copies of reports via Websockets
- MCS-7859 – Corrected display issues when launching SSRS reports from shipment confirmation
- MCS-8111 – Resolved batch tagging issue when importing voided shipments
- MCS-8272 – Eliminated duplicate printing for some orders in batch processing
- MCS-8424 – Fixed self-service paperwork dataset logic for “first” product per package
- MCS-8479 – Security and reliability updates for enhanced platform protection
- MCS-8524 – Set Informational Address rule creating blank records when data source field is blank
- MCS-8537 – Rule AutoPack with Dims needed to support AutoPackShipment custom field
- MCS-8566 – Rule Copy with batch ID generating an error if destination is item custom field
- MCS-8596 – Rule Set Informational Address should not work if Address ID or Company are blank
- MCS-8603 – Long document-only carrier names generated internal error instead of user feedback
- MCS-8622 – Upgraded SQL index will improve performance for very large custom data usage
- MCS-8577 – Correct error when registering an account with unicode characters
These fixes ensure a more reliable shipping experience and support higher-volume operations with fewer interruptions.