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X12 transaction guide · Transportation

EDI 240 Motor Carrier Package Status

The X12 document a motor carrier uses to report the status of a package or group of packages considered one shipment.

Sent by
Motor carrier or parcel carrier
Received by
Shipper, consignee or interested party
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 240?

The EDI 240 Motor Carrier Package Status is the ANSI X12 transaction set for reporting the status of a package, several packages, or a group of packages that a motor carrier treats as one shipment. It reports events such as pickup, in transit, out for delivery, delivered and exceptions, with times and locations.

The 240 complements the 214 shipment status message by working at the package level, which suits parcel and small-package carriers whose customers track individual cartons. Status can be reported for each package or for the shipment as a whole.

How the EDI 240 worksDiagram of the EDI 240 Motor Carrier Package Status. Motor carrier or parcel carrier sends it to shipper, consignee or interested party. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BGN (Beginning Segment) and detail: the required 2000 loop with LX (Transaction Set Line Number) and the required 2700 loop with L11 (Business Instructions and Reference Number). 5 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 240 worksMotor Carrier Package Status: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 240SENDERMotor carrier or parcelcarrierRECEIVERShipper, consignee orinterested party997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code MZGS … GETransaction set 240ST … SEHEADINGBGNBeginning Segment+ 1 optional loop, starting with:N1DETAILRequired loop 2000 · repeats many timesLXTransaction Set Line NumberRequired loop 2700 · repeats many timesL11Business Instructions and ReferenceNumber+ 4 optional loops, starting with:N1EFIMANBlue 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 240. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 240 worksDiagram of the EDI 240 Motor Carrier Package Status. Motor carrier or parcel carrier sends it to shipper, consignee or interested party. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BGN (Beginning Segment) and detail: the required 2000 loop with LX (Transaction Set Line Number) and the required 2700 loop with L11 (Business Instructions and Reference Number). 5 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 240 worksMotor Carrier Package Status: who sends it,where it fits and what the standard marksrequired1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 240SENDERMotor carrier orparcel carrierRECEIVERShipper,consignee orinterested party997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code MZ (GS … GE)Transaction set 240 (ST … SE)HEADINGBGNBeginning Segment+ 1 optional loop, starting with:N1DETAILRequired loop 2000 · repeatsmany timesLXTransaction Set LineNumberRequired loop 2700 · repeatsmany timesL11Business Instructionsand Reference Number+ 4 optional loops, starting with:N1EFIMANBlue 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 240. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 240, 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 240 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

  • Tracking individual packages in a shipment
  • Reporting delivery and proof of delivery for parcels
  • Reporting package-level exceptions

Where it fits in the document flow

This document 240 Motor Carrier Package Status
Usually followed by 997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 240 (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
  • BGN
  • N1
  • LX
  • EFI
  • BIN
  • L11
  • MAN
  • SE

Practical example

The 240 in practice

An online retailer ships 2,000 parcels a day through a regional carrier. The carrier sends 240 status updates with the tracking number, event code, location and time for each package. The retailer's order system updates customers' tracking pages and flags parcels that have not moved for two days.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 240

  • Map carrier event codes to customer-facing statuses.
  • Match package identifiers to the order and shipment records.
  • Handle large volumes of small updates efficiently.
  • Watch for missing events as well as exception events.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 240 with ECOM

Industry

eCommerce

Marketplace, storefront, drop-ship and 3PL integration for online sellers.

Industry

Trucking and Transportation

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

Solution

Supply Chain Visibility

Track orders, shipments and invoices across partners and catch exceptions early.

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

Related transactions

Related transportation documents

All 80 transportation documents

Need help with the EDI 240?

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