EDI
What is EDI in logistics?
EDI, electronic data interchange, is the standard way trading partners exchange business documents as structured files instead of email and re-keying: an order goes in as one message, the tender comes back as another, the status update and the invoice follow the same pattern. The point is that both sides parse the same shape, so nothing has to be retyped and nothing is lost in a mailbox.
The transaction sets you will meet
| Set | Document | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| 204 | Motor carrier load tender | Shipper or broker to carrier |
| 990 | Response to a load tender (accept or reject) | Carrier back to the tender |
| 214 | Shipment status message (picked up, in transit, delivered) | Carrier or tracking feed outward |
| 210 | Freight details and invoice | Carrier to payer |
| 940 | Warehouse shipping order | Client to the 3PL |
| 943 | Warehouse stock transfer shipment advice | 3PL to origin |
| 944 | Warehouse stock transfer receipt advice | 3PL to destination |
| 945 | Warehouse shipping advice (what actually shipped) | 3PL to client |
What it changes on the floor
- An order arrives in a parseable shape: no re-keying, no transcription errors, no inbox archaeology.
- Statuses update themselves while the desk does other work.
- The invoice starts from the same record the shipment used, so disputes are about content, not about what was typed.
- Exceptions become visible early: a rejected tender or a refused shipment is a message, not a silence.
EDI is a standard, not a vendor: what matters in a system is which sets it speaks, who maps them to your fields, and what happens when a message fails.