EDI 204 Load Tender — the complete carrier integration guide
EDI 204 is the X12 transaction set retail shippers and big 3PLs use to tender a load. If you want to haul for Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Costco, or any of the top 50 retailers, you'll need to accept 204s. This guide breaks down the segments, the accept/decline flow via 990, and the operational gotchas that bite carriers on go-live.
What is the EDI 204?
EDI 204 is the 'Motor Carrier Load Tender' transaction. The shipper (or their broker) sends it to the carrier to offer a load. The carrier responds with an EDI 990 — Accept (A), Decline (D), or Tender Reject (R) — typically within 15–60 minutes per the shipper's SLA.
204s flow through an EDI VAN (SPS Commerce, Kleinschmidt, OpenText) or AS2 direct for higher-volume relationships. Hayes handles both.
Key segments you'll see
B2/B2A: Beginning segments with shipment ID, SCAC, and purpose code (00 original, 01 cancel, 04 change).
L11: Reference numbers — PO, BOL, pickup number. Retail shippers pack 4–8 L11s per tender.
S5: Stop information — one S5 per pickup/drop with reason code (LD load, UL unload) and weight.
N1/N3/N4: Name and address loops for shipper, consignee, and bill-to.
G62: Pickup and delivery date/time windows — where most SLA disputes start.
L5: Description of goods (commodity, hazmat indicator).
AT: Rate detail — line haul, FSC, accessorials.
The 990 accept/decline window
Most retail shippers require a 990 response inside 15 minutes. Miss it and the tender expires and re-routes. Repeated misses drop your rank in the next bid cycle.
Auto-accept rules are how you scale: lane, equipment, weight, RPM floor, capacity. Hayes evaluates every 204 against your rules and fires the 990 in under 2 seconds.
Common 204 errors and how to debug
Missing G62: shipper omitted the delivery window. Decline with 990-R or call the routing desk.
Bad N4 city/state: 4-character cities trigger geocoder errors. Map to your master location list.
AT math: line-haul + FSC + accessorials must equal total or the 210 will short-pay. Validate at intake.
Hazmat without placard codes: pre-check L5 hazmat against the trailer assignment.
Go live with EDI 204 on a new trading partner
- 1
Get the companion guide
Walmart, Target, etc. publish a 204 companion spec. Hayes maps it to your TMS in 1–2 days.
- 2
Pick VAN or AS2
Start on a VAN (SPS, Kleinschmidt). Move to AS2 direct once >500 tenders/month with one partner.
- 3
Run conformance
Trading partner sends sample 204s; you respond with 990s and 214s. Most certify in 1–2 weeks.
- 4
Set auto-accept rules
Lanes, equipment, capacity, RPM floor. Start conservative; widen as you learn.
- 5
Monitor SLA dashboards
Watch 990-response-time and 214-on-time. Drift = fines. Hayes alerts on the trend, not just the breach.
Frequently asked questions
Do small carriers need EDI?
If you only haul for brokers (CHR, Coyote, Echo), they'll usually take portal/phone tenders. The moment you haul direct for a retailer, you'll need 204/214.
What does EDI cost?
A VAN typically charges $0.05–$0.25 per character + $50–$200/month base. Hayes bundles VAN access in the EDI add-on.
Are APIs replacing EDI?
Slowly. Project44 and FourKites cover visibility (214 replacement), but 204 and 210 are still EDI-dominant in 2026.
Run your own numbers
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