The 3PL's outbound shipment confirmation - reporting carrier, tracking number, actual quantities shipped, and any exceptions so depositors can generate retailer ASNs, invoice customers, and update order status automatically.
The EDI 945 Warehouse Shipping Advice is the 3PL's outbound shipment confirmation - the document that closes the loop on a 940 Warehouse Shipping Order. Once a warehouse picks, packs, and hands a shipment to a carrier, the WMS generates a 945 and sends it back to the depositor. This is the depositor's official record that their goods have left the building and are in transit to the end customer.
A 945 contains everything the depositor needs to take the next steps in the order fulfillment chain: the carrier (SCAC code), tracking number (PRO for LTL, tracking number for parcel), ship date and time, actual quantities shipped per SKU (which may differ from what was ordered in the 940 due to inventory shorts), total weight and carton count, and any exception flags - partial shipments, substituted items, out-of-stocks, or hazmat notations.
The depositor's OMS or ERP processes the 945 to: (1) close or update the open 940 order record, (2) generate an EDI 856 ASN to the end retailer or buyer (which must often be sent within 2–4 hours of shipment for retail compliance), (3) trigger customer-facing shipping notifications and tracking links, and (4) create an invoice or billing record for the shipped order. For retail suppliers, the 945 is also the basis of OTIF measurement - late or short shipments documented in the 945 feed into retailer compliance scorecards.
3PLs send 945s from their WMS as part of the shipping confirmation workflow. For high-volume 3PLs, thousands of 945s may be generated and transmitted daily. SLA-conscious 3PLs transmit 945s within minutes of ship confirmation - some within the hour - so depositors can meet their downstream ASN requirements. Delayed 945 transmission is one of the most common 3PL compliance complaints from retail-selling depositors.
DTC brands need the 945 to trigger customer shipping notifications and generate tracking links. Modern eCommerce operations expect the 945 within hours of the order being picked up by the carrier. An automated 945 → OMS → customer email flow eliminates the manual "Where Is My Order" (WISMO) inquiry burden that spikes when tracking info is delayed.
Vendors selling to retailers like Walmart, Target, or Home Depot face strict ASN compliance windows - often requiring the 856 ASN to be sent within 2 hours of shipment. The 945 is what enables this: depositor systems wait for the 945, then auto-generate the 856 with carrier and tracking data pulled directly from the 945 content. Without timely 945 transmission, the supplier risks ASN violations and associated chargebacks.
Distributors using 3PL warehousing need 945s to trigger their downstream invoicing workflows. A distributor can't bill their customer until they know goods have shipped - the 945's ship date and quantity data is the basis for invoice generation. For distributors operating on consignment or vendor-managed inventory models, accurate 945 data also drives inventory depletion and replenishment calculations.
Opens the 945 body. W0601 = reporting code (D = ship, C = cancel, R = re-advise), W0602 = depositor order number (cross-reference back to the 940 being fulfilled), W0603 = warehouse reference number (the 3PL's internal shipment/BOL number), W0604 = carrier's PRO or tracking number, W0606 = date shipped (CCYYMMDD). The cross-reference numbers in W0602 are essential - they're how the depositor's OMS matches the 945 to the open 940 order record.
Identifies the ship-to consignee (ST), the depositor (DE), and the 3PL warehouse (WH). The consignee address in the 945 confirms where the 3PL actually shipped to - useful for detecting if the warehouse shipped to the wrong address (address overridden during packing vs. what was in the 940). Discrepancies between 940 ship-to and 945 ship-to are an exception that systems should alert on.
Carrier identification and service details: W2701 = transportation method/type code (M = motor carrier, R = rail, U = parcel post/courier), W2702 = carrier routing (carrier name or SCAC), W2703 = equipment number (trailer or container number for TL), W2705 = shipment/order status code. The carrier SCAC in W2702 feeds directly into the 856 ASN that follows - retailers require their approved routing guide carrier to appear on the ASN.
Line item detail for each SKU shipped: W1201 = shipment/order status code (CC = shipped complete, BP = partial ship/backorder, SC = short), W1202 = quantity ordered (from the 940), W1203 = quantity shipped (actual), W1205 = quantity difference, W1206 = ship notice update code. When W1203 is less than W1202, the depositor knows to backorder or cancel the remaining quantity. Multiple W12 loops, one per line item.
Documents the ship date and time (11 = ship date), estimated delivery date (17), and sometimes the carrier pickup appointment time. The ship date in G62 is the date that will appear on the 856 ASN and is used by the retailer to measure on-time shipment compliance. Some retailers require goods to ship on a specific date from the routing guide - the G62 ship date in the 945 is the system of record for that compliance check.
Links the 945 to related documents: depositor order number (OQ), PO number (PO), BOL number (BM), PRO/tracking number (CN or TN), and retailer-required references like a routing authorization number. Multiple N9 segments ensure the downstream 856 ASN can include all reference numbers the retailer mandates - missing a required reference on the ASN is a chargeback trigger at many retailers.
The original fulfillment instruction that this 945 fulfills. The depositor matches the 945 back to the 940 by depositor order number to close the open order record, update inventory on hand, and trigger invoicing. A 940 without a responding 945 within the expected window should alert as a potential fulfillment exception.
The 945 is typically the input to the 856. Depositors auto-generate the retailer ASN from 945 data - carrier, tracking, quantities, ship date, and PO references all flow from the 945 into the 856 structure. Without the 945, generating a compliant 856 requires manual data entry, which is error-prone and slow.
After the 945 confirms the 3PL handed freight to the carrier, the carrier begins sending 214 status messages. The tracking number from the 945 (W0604 or N9) is the cross-reference key used to match 214 status updates to the corresponding order in the depositor's system.
Better EDI connects 3PL 945 shipping confirmations to your OMS, auto-generates retail-compliant 856 ASNs, and triggers customer tracking notifications - all in minutes of ship confirmation.
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