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X12 transaction guide · Transportation

EDI 456 Railroad Equipment Inquiry or Advice

The X12 document used by rail service providers to inform customers, and by customers to inquire, about equipment and shipment locations.

Sent by
Equipment or transportation provider, or qualified customer
Received by
Qualified customer, or provider
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 456?

The EDI 456 Railroad Equipment Inquiry or Advice is the ANSI X12 transaction set that can be used by a provider of equipment or transportation services to give information to a qualified customer, and by a qualified customer to inquire about the location of equipment or shipments.

Shippers want to know where their loaded cars are and when empty cars will arrive. Inquiries and advices give them that information on demand, complementing the event stream of the 451. It supports on-demand checks.

How the EDI 456 worksDiagram of the EDI 456 Railroad Equipment Inquiry or Advice. Equipment or transportation provider, or qualified customer sends it to qualified customer, or provider. 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: EIA (Beginning Segment for Equipment Inquiry or Advice). 3 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 456 worksRailroad Equipment Inquiry or Advice: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 456SENDEREquipment ortransportationprovider, or qualifiedcustomerRECEIVERQualified customer, orprovider997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code EIGS … GETransaction set 456ST … SEHEADINGEIABeginning Segment for Equipment Inquiry or Advice+ 3 optional loops, starting with:LXIS1ERBlue 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 456. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 456 worksDiagram of the EDI 456 Railroad Equipment Inquiry or Advice. Equipment or transportation provider, or qualified customer sends it to qualified customer, or provider. 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: EIA (Beginning Segment for Equipment Inquiry or Advice). 3 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 456 worksRailroad Equipment Inquiry or Advice: whosends it, where it fits and what the standardmarks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 456SENDEREquipment ortransportationprovider, orqualifiedcustomerRECEIVERQualifiedcustomer, orprovider997 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 EI (GS … GE)Transaction set 456 (ST … SE)HEADINGEIABeginning Segment forEquipment Inquiry or Advice+ 3 optional loops, starting with:LXIS1ERBlue 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 456. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 456, 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 456 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

  • Asking for the location of specific cars
  • Advising customers of equipment status
  • Checking shipments with missing events

Where it fits in the document flow

This document 456 Railroad Equipment Inquiry or Advice
Usually followed by 997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 456 (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
  • EIA
  • LX
  • S1
  • IS1
  • IS2
  • N9
  • ER
  • SE

Practical example

The 456 in practice

A grain shipper is waiting for empty cars ordered for next week. Its logistics system sends the railroad a 456 inquiry for the cars allocated to its order. The railroad answers with each car's current location and estimated arrival, and the shipper schedules loading crews.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 456

  • Check which customers the railroad treats as qualified.
  • Identify equipment precisely in inquiries.
  • Use inquiries for exceptions rather than routine polling.
  • Combine answers with event data for a complete picture.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 456 with ECOM

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.

Industry

Food and Beverage

Grocery and foodservice EDI for food and beverage manufacturers, with lot, date and inventory data.

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 456?

ECOM maps, tests and monitors X12 documents for your trading partners and integrates them with your ERP.

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