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X12 transaction guide · Transportation

EDI 213 Motor Carrier Shipment Status Inquiry

The X12 document a shipper or consignee uses to ask a motor carrier for the status of a shipment.

Sent by
Shipper or consignee
Received by
Motor carrier
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 213?

The EDI 213 Motor Carrier Shipment Status Inquiry is the ANSI X12 transaction set used to request shipment status from a motor carrier. The requester may be the shipper or the consignee, and the inquiry identifies the shipment by references such as the bill of lading or carrier tracking number.

The carrier answers with a 214 shipment status message. Many shippers receive 214s automatically as events happen, so the 213 is most useful for on-demand checks on specific shipments that are late or critical.

How the EDI 213 worksDiagram of the EDI 213 Motor Carrier Shipment Status Inquiry. Shipper or consignee sends it to motor carrier. It usually follows 211 and 204. It is usually followed by 214 and 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: B11 (Beginning Segment for Shipment Status Inquiry). 1 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 213 worksMotor Carrier Shipment Status Inquiry: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWS211Motor Carrier Bill ofLading204Motor Carrier Load TenderEDI 213SENDERShipper or consigneeRECEIVERMotor carrier997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY214Transportation CarrierShipment Status Message997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code MIGS … GETransaction set 213ST … SEHEADINGB11Beginning Segment for Shipment Status Inquiry+ 1 optional loop, starting with:N1Blue box: required loop. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them; when a loop is used, that first segment is required. Optional segmentsoutside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12 008010 listing for the 213. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 213 worksDiagram of the EDI 213 Motor Carrier Shipment Status Inquiry. Shipper or consignee sends it to motor carrier. It usually follows 211 and 204. It is usually followed by 214 and 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: B11 (Beginning Segment for Shipment Status Inquiry). 1 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 213 worksMotor Carrier Shipment Status Inquiry: whosends it, where it fits and what the standardmarks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWS211Motor Carrier Bill of Lading204Motor Carrier Load TenderEDI 213SENDERShipper orconsigneeRECEIVERMotor carrier997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY214Transportation Carrier Shipment StatusMessage997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code MI (GS … GE)Transaction set 213 (ST … SE)HEADINGB11Beginning Segment forShipment Status Inquiry+ 1 optional loop, starting with:N1Blue box: required loop. Optional loops are listedby the segment that starts them; when a loop isused, that first segment is required. Optionalsegments outside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12008010 listing for the 213. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 213, to whom, and which documents usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what X12 release 008010 itself requires: the envelopes around the 213 and the segments and loops the standard marks as required, area by area. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them rather than drawn in full. This is the standard's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: each partner's implementation guide usually makes some optional loops mandatory, restricts the codes and may use a different release.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Checking the status of a specific late shipment
  • Consignees tracking inbound freight
  • On-demand status checks outside scheduled updates

Where it fits in the document flow

Usually follows 211 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading204 Motor Carrier Load Tender
This document 213 Motor Carrier Shipment Status Inquiry
Usually followed by 214 Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 213 (X12 release 008010)

The segments X12 release 008010 marks as mandatory at their level, in order. Segments inside optional loops are needed only when the loop is used. This is the standard's requirement, not your trading partner's: each partner's implementation guide names the release it uses, adds the optional segments it requires and restricts the values. The requirement status comes from one published X12 reference listing and has not been checked against a second source.

  • ST
  • B11
  • N1
  • SE

Practical example

The 213 in practice

A retailer's receiving team expects an LTL delivery that has not arrived. Its system sends the carrier a 213 inquiry with the bill of lading number. The carrier returns a 214 showing the shipment is out for delivery with an estimated arrival time, and receiving plans the dock accordingly.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 213

  • Use the references the carrier recognizes, typically the PRO or bill of lading number.
  • Decide when to inquire on demand and when scheduled 214 updates are enough.
  • Match each 214 reply to the inquiry and shipment that triggered it.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 213 with ECOM

Industry

Trucking and Transportation

Load tenders, responses, status and freight invoices for carriers, brokers and shippers, integrated with the TMS.

Industry

Retail

Retail and eCommerce EDI for suppliers and retailers, from purchase order to payment, with compliance built in.

Solution

EDI Integration

Exchange X12 and EDIFACT documents with partners and integrate them directly with your ERP.

More general questions about EDI are answered in the EDI FAQ.

Related transactions

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