Freight EDI: tender, status, and invoice
Truck freight runs on four X12 transaction sets. The shipper or broker offers the load with a 204, the carrier accepts or declines with a 990, the carrier reports progress with 214 status messages, and the carrier bills with a 210. Every one of them depends on the same reference numbers, and most freight problems start where those numbers stop matching.
The 204 offers the load
A 204 load tender describes one shipment: each pickup and delivery stop in order, the requested dates and appointment windows, the weight, piece count, and equipment, and the references that identify it, including the shipper’s load ID, the bill of lading number, and the PO numbers. Each stop is its own loop, so a multi-stop truckload is still one tender.
A tender can be original, changed, or cancelled. Shippers that change a load by phone and never send the updated 204 end up with a carrier working from different stops or times than the warehouse expects.
The 990 accepts or declines it
The carrier answers each tender with a 990 that references the load ID and returns accept (A) or decline (D), often with the carrier’s own reference. A load is covered only once an accepting 990 comes back. Shippers and brokers measure tender acceptance rate per carrier and lane, because a low rate means loads are being rebooked late, usually at spot rates.
The 214 reports where it is
Once the freight moves, the carrier sends 214 status messages. Each event has a status code, a reason code, a date, a time, and a location. Common codes include X3 for arrival at pickup, AF for departure from pickup, X1 for arrival at delivery, and D1 for completed unloading, with a reason code such as NS for a normal status or a specific code that explains a delay.
The value of a 214 feed is in comparing it with the plan. An arrival event later than the delivery appointment, or no departure event by the end of the pickup window, is the signal to call the carrier while the problem can still be fixed. Retail suppliers use the same events as evidence when an OTIF penalty or a late-delivery chargeback is disputed.
The 210 bills for it
After delivery the carrier sends a 210 freight invoice with the PRO number, bill of lading, PO references, weight, freight class, linehaul charge, fuel surcharge, and each accessorial. Freight audit compares the 210 with the contracted rate and the original 204. Reweighs, reclassifications, and accessorials such as detention or liftgate that nobody approved are the usual reasons a 210 exceeds the quote.
Where freight EDI breaks
Most failures are reference failures. The 204 carries the shipper’s load ID, the carrier assigns a PRO number at pickup, the 214 and 210 lead with the PRO, and the shipper’s system only knows its PO and shipment numbers. If nobody records the PRO against the shipment, status updates and invoices arrive with no reliable way to match them to the order.
The other common failure is timing. A 214 that arrives hours after the event, or a 210 that arrives weeks after delivery, still has to be matched to the freight it describes. Keeping tender, status, and invoice data on the same record as the purchase order and the shipment is what lets late freight show up as a late PO and an inflated invoice show up as landed cost.
How ocean and warehouse EDI fit in
Ocean freight has its own set of documents: the 300 booking request and 301 confirmation, 315 container milestones, and 322 terminal events, with the 309 manifest and 350 customs status messages handled between carriers, filers, and U.S. Customs. At the warehouse, the 943 and 944 announce and confirm inbound receipts, and the 940 and 945 cover outbound orders. The full list is in the EDI transaction-set glossary.
EndlessEDI handles the 204, 990, 214, and 210 alongside the retail sets. Tender, status, and invoice data land on the same record as the purchase order and the shipment, so freight status and freight cost show up where planning and finance already look.
FAQ
What is the difference between an EDI 204 and an EDI 214?
The 204 is the load tender: the shipper or broker offering a shipment to a carrier. The 214 is the shipment status message the carrier sends once the freight is moving, reporting events such as pickup, departure, arrival, and delivery.
Do I need a 990 if the carrier already sends 214s?
Yes. The 990 is the only document that confirms the carrier accepted the load. Without it, a shipper can assume a truck is coming and learn otherwise only when no pickup event arrives.
Which reference number ties freight EDI together?
The carrier’s PRO number links the 214 and the 210, and the shipper’s load ID or bill of lading number links back to the 204. Recording all of them against the shipment and its POs is what makes the documents matchable.
Do parcel carriers use EDI 214?
Some do for large shippers, but most parcel tracking comes through carrier APIs or shipping platforms that normalize scan events into statuses such as in transit, out for delivery, and delivered.
