The carrier's electronic invoice for freight services - itemizing line-haul charges, fuel surcharges, accessorials, and all supporting shipment details needed for automated freight audit and payment.
The EDI 210 is a motor carrier's invoice sent to the freight payer after a shipment is delivered. It replaces the paper freight bill and provides the detailed charge breakdown that shippers, 3PLs, and freight audit firms need to verify that what was billed matches what was agreed upon in the carrier contract.
A well-structured 210 contains the bill of lading number, PRO number (carrier's internal tracking number), origin and destination, actual weight and class, and a line-by-line breakdown of charges: base line-haul rate, fuel surcharge (calculated as a percentage of line-haul), and any accessorials - liftgate, detention, residential delivery, oversize, hazmat handling, and more. The charge codes map to standard NMFC accessorial tariff codes, making automated audit feasible.
Freight audit and payment (FAP) systems ingest 210s and compare each charge against contracted rates stored in rate tables. Discrepancies trigger automated disputes or short-pays. Companies that process high freight volumes rely entirely on 210 EDI to eliminate manual invoice keying and reduce audit cycle times from weeks to hours.
Carriers generate 210s from their TMS billing modules and transmit to shipper EDI mailboxes or freight audit platforms. High-volume LTL carriers like FedEx Freight, XPO, and Estes process millions of 210s annually. Clean 210 data directly reduces dispute volume and improves days-to-pay metrics, which affects carrier cash flow.
3PLs sit between carriers and clients - receiving 210s from carriers, running them through their own freight audit process, and then generating their own invoices to clients. Some 3PLs pass the 210 through directly; others transform and re-rate the charges under their own billing arrangements. Either way, EDI 210 is the input to the billing chain.
Large retailers with high inbound freight volumes use freight audit and payment services that consume 210s automatically. Walmart, Target, and Amazon route all carrier invoices through FAP platforms that match 210 data against contracted rates, flagging overbillings (common: incorrect weight, wrong class, unapproved accessorials). EDI 210 is the only scalable way to do this.
Manufacturers on collect freight programs receive 210s for inbound shipments from suppliers. Their AP systems match each 210 against the original purchase order and receiving data to validate that the freight charges are for goods that actually arrived. This three-way match - PO, receipt, freight invoice - is a core accounts payable control.
Opens the 210. B301 = shipment method of payment (PP prepaid, CC collect, TP third party), B302 = PRO/freight bill number (the carrier's invoice number - the primary document reference for disputes), B303 = freight bill date, B309 = net amount due. The PRO number in B302 is the universal key that links the 210 to the BOL, the 214 status messages, and any claims.
Specifies the currency for all monetary amounts in the transaction. C301 = currency code (USD for US dollars, CAD for Canadian). Critical for cross-border US/Canada freight where charges may be split across currencies. Exchange rate data (C303/C304) can also be included for conversion reference.
Identifies the shipper (SH), consignee (CN), bill-to party (BT), and third-party payer (OB = ordered by). Accurate bill-to identification is critical - freight audit systems route 210s to the correct account based on N1 qualifiers and ID codes (often DUNS or internal shipper IDs). Mismatched bill-to parties are a leading cause of 210 matching failures.
The line-item charge detail loop - one L1 per charge type. L101 = lading line item number, L102 = freight rate (per 100 lbs, per mile, flat), L103 = rate/value qualifier, L104 = charge amount, L105 = advances, L106 = prepaid amount, L107 = rate combination code. Common charge codes in L108: LHS = line haul, FSC = fuel surcharge, LGT = liftgate, DET = detention, RES = residential.
Describes the commodity being invoiced. L502 = lading description, L503 = commodity code (NMFC number), L504 = commodity code qualifier (N for NMFC). The NMFC class (18, 50, 70, etc.) drives LTL base rates. Carriers sometimes re-class freight based on actual density measurement - when the 210's class differs from the original BOL class, it triggers a rate dispute that must be reconciled against L5 data.
Summary segment at the end of the transaction: L301 = billed weight, L302 = weight qualifier (G = gross, B = billed), L304 = total charges, L305 = advances, L306 = prepaid amount. L3 totals must reconcile against the sum of all L1 charge lines - freight audit systems use L3 as a checksum. Mismatches between L3 and summed L1 amounts flag the invoice for manual review.
The original load tender that initiated the shipment being invoiced. The 210's BOL number and shipment references trace back to the 204, allowing automated matching between what was tendered, what was shipped, and what was billed - the core of carrier contract compliance.
Status updates for the same shipment being invoiced. Freight audit systems cross-reference 214 POD (proof of delivery) timestamps against the 210 invoice date to flag carriers billing before confirmed delivery, or to validate detention charges against actual arrival/departure timestamps.
The payment response to a 210. The freight payer (or their FAP platform) sends an 820 to the carrier remitting payment, with line-item remittance detail showing which PRO numbers are being paid, any short-pay amounts, and dispute codes for deductions. Closes the freight billing cycle.
Better EDI integrates carrier 210 invoices directly into your freight audit platform, TMS, or ERP - with automated rate validation and dispute flagging built in.
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