One of the most commonly used electronic data interchange transactions, EDI 210: The Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice is a time, money and effort saver for trucking companies everywhere. In the following sections, we detail its main uses and features and dive into the ways it can help your business.
EDI 210 is a document sent by a trucking company or other carrier to a shipper to request payment for freight services. It contains all billing details relevant to a freight shipment, replacing a paper invoice.
The transaction set follows the X12 format of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the agency responsible for setting the EDI standards used primarily in North America.
What is a 210 - Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice document?
In general, one 210 is sent for every shipment that goes out. The document contains all the information that would be in a faxed, mailed or emailed invoice, including shipment information (such as items, quantities and weight), billing name and address, invoice date and number, shipper and recipient names and addresses and payment terms.
The shipper that receives the invoice may be a third-party warehouse, manufacturer or distribution center. The document is meant to give the shipper a full breakdown of charges for transportation services rendered.
How is a 210 - Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice used?
Once a shipment is delivered, whether to a retail store, individual customer, warehouse or other location, the trucking company sends an EDI 210: Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice to the shipper. The form enumerates the final charges due and includes payment terms.
Once received, an EDI 210 is generally followed by an EDI 997: Functional Acknowledgement, sent by the shipper. The EDI 997 lets the trucking business know the EDI 210 was received successfully. The shipper then transmits the invoice to their accounting teams to schedule payment to the trucking company.
A commonly used version of the EDI 210 (the 4010) uses the following structure and contains the information detailed below:
There are multiple excellent reasons to use EDI 210. They include:
Security
EDI is far more secure than paper-based transactions, as its documentation is protected by file transfer protocols (FTPs) or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure protocols, encryption, multi-factor authentication and EDI software portals.
Faster payment
Sending an EDI 210 can get trucking companies paid sooner, letting them see revenue from shipments more quickly. It can also give shippers a fuller, more accurate picture of the charges related to their shipments, allowing them to correct any invoicing problems right away (and learn what they owe carriers).
Streamlined process
The automation and real-time sending and receipt of trucking company freight details accelerates the pace and smooths the edges of the entire shipping process. By using a standardized format with all necessary detail included, the form helps ensure streamlined movement of goods.
EDI 210 vs EDI 214
The EDI 210 is similar to but not the same as the EDI 214: Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message. Where the EDI 210 is a detailed electronic invoice for shipments made by a motor carrier, the EDI 214 is a message about a shipment’s status. The EDI 214 tells recipients of a shipment’s location during the sending and delivery process and precedes the sending of the EDI 210 (see more on this below).
Example of an EDI 210 Transaction Exchange
To begin the shipment process, the shipper sends an offer for shipment, an EDI 204: Motor Carrier Load Tender, to the trucking company or other carrier. The company responds by sending an EDI 990: Response to a Load Tender transaction set, to tell the shipper whether it accepts or declines the offer to make the shipment.
If the carrier accepts, it responds to the shopper with an EDI 214: Shipment Status Report, which gives the shipper pick-up and delivery information.
Lastly, the carrier sends the shipper the EDI 210: Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice to request freight-charge payment.
The EDI 210: The Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice is a complex document that makes shipping transactions easier for trucking companies. With a standardized, highly secure format, the transaction set quickly and securely conveys critical shipment-related invoice data to shippers, helping motor carriers deliver accurately and on time, which lets them see revenue sooner.
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