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X12 transaction guide · Shipping and logistics

EDI 858 Shipment Information

The X12 document that carries detailed bill of lading, rating or scheduling information for a shipment, including government bills of lading.

Sent by
Shipper, government shipping office or carrier
Received by
Carrier, payment office or other shipment party
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 858?

The EDI 858 Shipment Information is the ANSI X12 transaction set for transmitting detailed bill of lading, rating and scheduling information for a shipment. It is notably used to exchange Government Bills of Lading, commercial bills of lading and Transportation Control and Movement Documents, and is used by US civilian agencies, the Department of Defense and their trading partners for freight, household goods and passenger movements.

The 858 carries the parties, origin and destination, stops, equipment, commodities and the rating information needed for later billing, which usually arrives as an 859 freight invoice.

How the EDI 858 worksDiagram of the EDI 858 Shipment Information. Shipper, government shipping office or carrier sends it to carrier, payment office or other shipment party. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 859 and 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BX (General Shipment Information) and detail: the required HL loop with HL (Hierarchical Level). 10 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 858 worksShipment Information: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 858SENDERShipper, governmentshipping office orcarrierRECEIVERCarrier, payment officeor other shipmentparty997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY859Freight Invoice997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code SIGS … GETransaction set 858ST … SEHEADINGBXGeneral Shipment Information+ 5 optional loops, starting with:E1N7N1S5FA1DETAILRequired loop HL · repeats many timesHLHierarchical Level+ 5 optional loops, starting with:L0LH1FA1NM1N1Blue 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 858. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 858 worksDiagram of the EDI 858 Shipment Information. Shipper, government shipping office or carrier sends it to carrier, payment office or other shipment party. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 859 and 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BX (General Shipment Information) and detail: the required HL loop with HL (Hierarchical Level). 10 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 858 worksShipment Information: who sends it, where itfits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 858SENDERShipper,governmentshipping officeor carrierRECEIVERCarrier, paymentoffice or othershipment party997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY859Freight Invoice997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code SI (GS … GE)Transaction set 858 (ST … SE)HEADINGBXGeneral Shipment Information+ 5 optional loops, starting with:E1N7N1S5FA1DETAILRequired loop HL · repeats manytimesHLHierarchical Level+ 5 optional loops, starting with:L0LH1FA1NM1N1Blue 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 858. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 858, 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 858 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

  • Transmitting government or commercial bills of lading
  • Sending shipment details for rating and audit
  • Scheduling multi-stop shipments

Where it fits in the document flow

This document 858 Shipment Information
Usually followed by 859 Freight Invoice997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 858 (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
  • BX
  • E1
  • N7
  • N1
  • S5
  • FA1
  • FA2
  • HL
  • L0
  • PI
  • LH1
  • NM1
  • SE

Practical example

The 858 in practice

A military logistics office ships equipment to a base by motor carrier. It issues the shipment details as an 858 with the bill of lading number, consignor and consignee, commodity and weight, and the service ordered. The carrier moves the freight and later bills the government with an 859 that references the same bill of lading, which the payment office audits against the 858.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 858

  • Follow the government or partner implementation guide closely, since public-sector 858s are tightly specified.
  • Keep the bill of lading number consistent across the 858, status messages and the 859.
  • Capture rating data accurately at shipment time to avoid billing disputes later.
  • Confirm which party originates the 858 in each relationship.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 858 with ECOM

Industry

Trucking and Transportation

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

Solution

Logistics Automation

Automate tenders, status updates, freight invoices and warehouse orders with logistics partners.

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.

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