When you need to build your carrier network from scratch — or add many subcontractors in one go — adding them one by one with the "+ ADD CARRIER" dialog is slow. The CSV import lets you upload up to 200 carriers starting from a spreadsheet: you download a ready-made template, fill it with your data and upload it. Compared with the client import, the platform does one extra thing here: it recognises carriers already registered on Truckscanner and automatically sends an invitation to those who are not registered yet.
The complete bulk import flow: where the "IMPORT CSV" button lives, how to download and fill in
the template_vettori.csv template, which columns are required, the difference between a carrier
already registered (enters as "Active") and a carrier to be invited (enters as "Invited" and
receives the invitation email), what the referenziato column is for, and how the platform
handles duplicates and row-by-row errors. For the general map of the section (table, filters,
drawer) see the Carriers overview; to add a single
carrier with VAT verification see Add and invite a
carrier.
Before you start
- A forwarder account with the ADMIN or OPERATOR role: importing carriers — like adding them manually — requires one of these two roles.
- A spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice) to fill in and save the template in CSV format.
- The CSV file can contain at most 200 data rows and weigh at most 5 MB.
The CSV import is the shortcut to populate your network in bulk (migrating from another system, the first upload of your historical carriers). To add a single carrier — with VAT verification on VIES and the public registries and the three automatic paths (carrier already in your network, already on Truckscanner, to be invited) — the "+ ADD CARRIER" dialog is more convenient, described in the guide Add and invite a carrier.
1. Open the import dialog
From the left-hand menu, in the "Operational & Transport" section, open the "Carriers" entry (URL /company/{companyId}/network): the page is titled "Carrier network". At the top right of the header, click the "⤴ IMPORT CSV" button, next to the lime "+ ADD CARRIER" button.
The modal dialog "Import carriers from CSV" opens, with the subtitle "Upload a CSV file to import carriers in bulk".
2. Download the template and fill it in
Inside the dialog, at the top, click the green "Download CSV template" link: the browser immediately downloads the template_vettori.csv file, ready with the header row and two example rows.
Below the link, a preview table shows you the template columns with two example rows, so you immediately know what to write in each column. The eight columns of the template_vettori.csv template are:
| Column | What it holds | Required |
|---|---|---|
ragione_sociale | Name of the carrier company | Yes |
paese | Country code of the VAT number, e.g. IT | Yes |
partita_iva | VAT number, without the country prefix | Yes |
nome_referente | Name of the contact person | No |
email_referente | Contact email — if filled in, a carrier not yet registered receives the invitation email (see "What happens next") | No |
telefono_referente | Contact phone | No |
referenziato | Marks the carrier as "vouched": si / sì / true / 1, or no / false / 0 / empty | No |
note | Free text on the carrier record | No |
A row is imported only if the three columns ragione_sociale, paese and partita_iva are
filled in. It is the same rule as the "+ ADD CARRIER" dialog: there too the VAT number is
required, because it is the carrier's unique identifier — it is what lets Truckscanner recognise
carriers already registered and avoid duplicates. All the other columns (contact, notes) are
optional: you can leave them empty and complete them later from the detail drawer.
- The column separator is the semicolon
;(it is the one the template is generated with). - Keep the header row with the column names in Italian: it is the row Truckscanner uses to understand the column order. - Rows that start with the#character are ignored: you can use them for notes or comments inside the file. - Always save the file in.csvformat (UTF-8 encoding recommended). Other formats —.xlsx,.txt— are not accepted.
3. Upload the file and start the import
Once you have filled in the template, go back to the dialog. You can drag the file into the dashed area "Drag the CSV file here or browse", or click on it to open your operating system's file picker. The area accepts only .csv files up to 5 MB.
As soon as the file is selected, the area turns into a row showing the file name and its size, and the "IMPORT" button at the bottom right becomes active.
Click "IMPORT". The button switches to the "Importing…" state while the platform processes the file: for large files or many VAT numbers to recognise it may take a few seconds. Picked the wrong file? Click the X next to the name to remove it and upload a different one.
4. Check the result
When the import finishes, a confirmation toast appears at the top right — for example "3 carriers imported" — and inside the dialog a green box with the same count. If there are no errors, the dialog closes by itself after a couple of seconds.
The new carriers appear in the table straight away and the status tab counters at the top update. Every imported carrier enters with the correct status automatically: those already registered on Truckscanner enter as "Active", those not registered yet as "Invited".
In the "Recommended" column you see a green tick on the rows of the carriers you set to si in the referenziato column of the CSV.
What happens next
Unlike the client import — which only populates your address book — the carrier import also starts the collaboration. What happens depends on one thing only: whether that carrier is already registered on Truckscanner or not.
- Carrier already registered on Truckscanner. The platform recognises it from the VAT number and adds it to your network as "Active": no email, no invitation to accept. It is operational straight away — you can assign load mandates to it right now.
- Carrier not registered yet. It enters your network as "Invited". If the CSV row had the
email_referente, the invitation email automatically goes out to that address: . The contact finds in the email a link to register their company and join your network. If instead the row had no email, the carrier stays "Invited" but no email is sent: to get them the invitation, open their row and use the "Copy invitation link" button, then send it to them yourself (WhatsApp, SMS, email).
Carriers in the "Invited" status appear in the table with the contact's name (e.g. "Marco Ferrari"), not with the company name. This is normal: until the carrier accepts the invitation and completes registration, their company record does not exist yet — there is only the invitation you sent. The company name you wrote in the CSV is still saved and reappears as soon as the carrier registers.
The referenziato column turns on the vouched-carrier status. Setting si means you vouch for that carrier: when it accepts the invitation and registers, it skips the document verification onboarding and is born already "Active" instead of waiting for verification. For a carrier that is already registered (and therefore enters as "Active" right away), the flag stays as a simple note on the relationship.
Setting si in the referenziato column makes the carrier skip the verification of its
professional documents, vehicles and drivers. Use it only for carriers you know and truly
trust: you are vouching for them in front of Truckscanner. When in doubt, leave the column empty
— the carrier will go through the normal onboarding and you can always turn on vouching later from
its detail drawer.
What the other side sees
A carrier not yet registered that has an email in the CSV receives the NC-A03 invitation email: a message on behalf of your company with a link to register and join your network. When they complete registration, their row in your table moves from "Invited" to "Active". The path seen from the carrier's side is described in Accepting a forwarder's invitation.
Common issues
See also
- Carriers overview — the complete map of the section: table, filters, detail drawer, reports and removals.
- Add and invite a carrier — adding a single carrier with VAT verification, the three automatic paths and the vouched-carrier status.
- Accepting a forwarder's invitation — the other side of this flow, seen from the carrier who receives it.
- For forwarders — overview