Skip to content
See the Magic
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)

What is EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)?

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) enables automatic order receipt from customers who use EDI systems, creating seamless system-to-system communication without human intervention. When your customer sends an EDI 204 (load tender) transaction, TMS.ai automatically creates a new order with all shipment details populated from the electronic message. As your order progresses through pickup, in-transit, and delivery stages, TMS.ai sends EDI 214 status update transactions back to your customer's system, keeping them informed without manual status emails or phone calls. This creates a closed loop of information exchange where orders flow in automatically and status updates flow back automatically.

EDI works through standardized transaction sets that define exactly how order information should be structured and transmitted between systems. The EDI 204 contains all pickup and delivery appointments, commodity details, special instructions, and reference numbers in a machine-readable format. TMS.ai maps these EDI fields to the corresponding order attributes in the platform, ensuring accurate data transfer. Because the data moves electronically without manual typing or PDF processing, EDI eliminates transcription errors and speeds up order entry to near-instantaneous processing. For high-volume customers who can send dozens or hundreds of orders per day, EDI makes it practical to handle that volume without proportionally increasing staff.

How EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) works:

  1. Coordinate EDI setup between your team, the customer's EDI system administrator, and TMS.ai support to establish the technical connection.
  2. Configure field mapping that determines how data in the customer's EDI 204 transactions maps to order fields in TMS.ai.
  3. Test the connection by having the customer send test load tenders and verifying that orders create correctly in TMS.ai with accurate information.
  4. Customer sends EDI 204 load tender when they have freight to move, transmitting the order electronically to TMS.ai.
  5. TMS.ai receives the EDI transaction and automatically processes it according to the configured field mapping rules.
  6. Order creates automatically in the Orders module with all shipment details including customer, pickup/delivery locations, appointment times, commodities, and reference numbers.
  7. Review the auto-created order to verify accuracy, though with properly configured EDI, orders typically require no manual correction.
  8. Process the order normally by assigning carriers, dispatching drivers, and managing the shipment through your standard workflows.
  9. TMS.ai sends EDI 214 status updates automatically as the order progresses, transmitting pickup completion, in-transit status, and delivery completion to the customer's system.
  10. Customer's system receives status updates automatically, keeping their tracking systems current without phone calls or manual email updates from your team.

What it means for you:

EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) transforms high-volume customer relationships from manual order processing to automatic system-to-system communication. For customers sending 20, 50, or 100+ orders per day, EDI makes it practical to handle that volume without dedicating staff solely to data entry. The elimination of manual typing removes transcription errors in addresses, commodity details, and reference numbers, improving accuracy while speeding up processing. Automatic status updates back to customers reduce the communication burden on your team while giving customers real-time visibility into their freight. EDI positions your business as a technology-capable partner for larger shippers who require electronic integration, opening opportunities with enterprise customers who mandate EDI connectivity from their carriers.