EDI 204 Load Tender: Offering Shipments to Carriers
The shipper offering a load to a trucking carrier: pickup, delivery, stops, weight and equipment.
- Document
- X12 204: Motor Carrier Load Tender
- Sent by
- Shipper
- Sent to
- Carrier
- In NetSuite
- Created from item fulfillments ready to ship
(01)What it is
The 204 offers a shipment to a motor carrier. It describes the load: where and when to pick it up, where to deliver it, the stops in between, weight, and equipment needed. The carrier accepts or declines it, often with a 990 response.
Shippers with steady freight use 204s to book carriers without phone calls and email, and to keep a record of what was tendered and when.
Larger shippers usually run load tendering from a transportation management system (TMS) that compares carriers and rates; smaller ones tender directly to a few contracted carriers who support EDI.
(02)What it carries
- 01Shipment and reference numbers
- 02Pickup and delivery locations, dates and appointment windows
- 03Stops, weight, piece count and equipment type
- 04Rate or contract references and special instructions
In plain language. Each trading partner’s implementation guide sets the exact fields it requires.
(03)Where it fits
Documents usually exchanged before and after the 204.
(04)In NetSuite
Build 204s from NetSuite item fulfillments that are packed and ready to ship, grouped into loads, or let a transportation management system do it and pass the load reference back to NetSuite for tracking and freight costs.
(05)Common mistakes
- 01Tendering before weights and piece counts are final, so the carrier sends the wrong equipment.
- 02Not recording which carrier accepted the load, so the 210 freight invoice can’t be matched.
(06)Questions
What is an EDI 204?
The EDI 204 is the X12 motor carrier load tender: a shipper’s offer of a shipment to a trucking carrier.
How does a carrier respond to a 204?
Usually with a 990, the response to a load tender, accepting or declining it, then with 214 status updates as the load moves.
(07)More transportation documents
- EDI 214Transportation Carrier Shipment Status MessageStatus updates from a carrier: picked up, in transit, delayed, delivered, with dates, times and locations.
- EDI 210Motor Carrier Freight Details and InvoiceThe carrier’s invoice for a shipment, with charges, accessorials and reference numbers to audit against what was agreed.