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EDI in Australia shipping becomes relevant when a retailer, 3PL or other trading partner requires electronic data exchange. Instead of staff manually entering order, dispatch and shipping information between systems, EDI allows agreed business data to be exchanged electronically between trading partners.
Businesses adopting EDI must determine the required data, the sender, and the connection point in the shipping process. This article covers Australian shipping data exchange, carrier tracking updates, and multi-carrier platform visibility.
EDI in Australian shipping is the structured electronic exchange of business documents and freight data between retailers, suppliers, 3PLs, warehouses and carriers. It can reduce manual data entry by exchanging information such as orders, dispatch instructions, advance shipping notices and carrier status updates between systems.
Couriers & Freight consolidates road freight rates, bookings and carrier tracking for businesses managing multiple carriers.
EDI in Australian shipping is the computer-to-computer exchange of agreed order and shipping data between a business, its 3PL or warehouse, and its freight carrier. It lets systems exchange structured information directly, rather than staff manually entering the same order and dispatch details into different systems.
EDI is triggered by a trading partner's requirements rather than a general Australian shipping rule.
For example, a retailer may specify the messages and standards its suppliers must use.
GS1 Australia's retailer guidance includes EDI messages such as ASN and DESADV, with requirements varying between retailers.
Common EDI messages support three main stages of the shipping and fulfilment process:
These three categories connect the physical handling of goods with the information exchanged between systems, from the order stage through to delivery confirmation. The warehouse order and dispatch step is usually the point where a business's own warehouse and fulfilment operation connects to its EDI capability.
Australian shipping businesses may need to manage two different types of electronic reporting: commercial EDI requirements set by trading partners and customs reporting requirements for international shipments. Meeting one does not automatically satisfy the other.
GS1 Australia provides standards for business-to-business electronic data exchange, including GS1 EANCOM, which is based on UN/EDIFACT standards, and GS1 XML for internet-based data exchange.
Logistics units such as parcels, cases and pallets can be identified using a Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC), which links the physical unit to its electronic information.
For a business supplying a major retailer, these standards determine how order and shipment information is formatted and identified before the goods reach the next stage of the supply chain. The physical identification of a shipment needs to match its electronic data. If the details do not match, tracking accuracy and shipment visibility can suffer.
International shipments also involve customs reporting through the Integrated Cargo System (ICS), managed by the Australian Border Force. The ICS serves a separate customs reporting function from the EDI standards a business may use with retailers and other trading partners.
In practice, a shipment can meet a retailer's EDI requirements and still face customs issues if the required import or export reporting has not been completed. Businesses shipping freight internationally therefore need to consider both their trading-partner EDI requirements and their customs obligations.
Once a shipment is booked, the carrier's system can generate automated status updates as the freight travels. These may include collection confirmation, in-transit scans and delivery confirmation. The updates can then be sent electronically to the business or its 3PL, giving staff visibility of the shipment without requiring them to check individual tracking numbers manually.
Managing EDI and tracking becomes more complex when a business uses several carriers with separate portals, message formats or integrations. A business using three carriers, for example, may receive tracking updates through three separate systems rather than one real-time tracking view of every shipment.
Without a way to bring that information together, staff can end up switching between carrier portals just to find out where an order is.
A business managing several carrier relationships can either keep separate connections and systems for each carrier, or use a multi-carrier freight platform that brings booking and shipment monitoring together for day-to-day freight management.
A multi-carrier freight platform can simplify this by bringing carrier bookings and shipment visibility into one system instead of managing each carrier separately.
A wholesale supplier preparing for the Boxing Day sales period, for example, may need to transfer stock between warehouses and stores using several road freight carriers. Instead of managing each carrier in a separate system, the business can book road freight through Couriers & Freight and track each carrier's updates from a single view.
Couriers & Freight offers Full Truck Load (FTL) and Less Than Truckload (LTL) options for road freight, so businesses can match shipment size to available trailer capacity and choose the option that fits their shipping needs.
Compare road freight rates with Couriers & Freight.
MHP
No Surcharge*
$16.50
$14
$15.50
$0
$15.50
$14.75
$0
$0
$0
$0
MHP Large Item
No Surcharge*
$16.50
$75
$62
$62
$60.10
$14.75
$0
$0
$0
$0
Residential Pickup
No Surcharge*
$6
$0
$9
--
$9
$10.60
$0
$0
$0
$38.50
Reidential pick up 30-99kgs
No Surcharge*
$63
$0
$9
$0
$9
$74.15
$20
Won't carry
Won't carry
$38.50
Residential pick up 100kgs+
No Surcharge*
$198
$0
$9
$0
$9
$158.87
$50
Won't carry
Won't carry
$38.50
Residential Delivery up to 29kgs
No Surcharge*
$6
$0
$9
--
$9.00
$10.60
$0
$0
$0
$38.50
Residential Delivery up 30-99kgs
No Surcharge*
$63
$0
$9
$0
$9
$74.15
$20
Won't carry
Won't carry
$38.50
Residential Delivery 100kgs+
No Surcharge*
$198
$0
$9
--
$9
$158.57
$50
Won't carry
Won't carry
$38.50
Tail Lift Pick up 50-99kgs Sydney / Melbourne
No Surcharge*
$45
$50-$250
$88
$88
$88
$44.07
$120
Won't carry
Won't carry
$61.50
Tail Lift Pick up 100-299kgs Sydney / Melbourne
No Surcharge*
$85
$50-$250
$88
$88
$88
$44.07
$120
Won't carry
Won't carry
$61.50
Tail Lift Pick up 300-499kgs Sydney / Melbourne
No Surcharge*
$120
$50-$250
$88
$88
$88
$44.07
$120
Won't carry
Won't carry
$61.50
Tail Lift Pick up 500kgs + Sydney / Melbourne
No Surcharge*
$250
$50-$250
$88
$88
$88
$44.07
$120
Won't carry
Won't carry
$61.50
Tail Lift Delivery 50-99kgs Sydney / Melbourne
No Surcharge*
$45
$50-$250
$88
$88
$88
$44.07
$120
Won't carry
Won't carry
$61.50
Tail Lift Delivery 100-299kgs Sydney / Melbourne
No Surcharge*
$85
$50-$250
$88
$88
$88
$44.07
$120
Won't carry
Won't carry
$61.50
Tail Lift Delivery300-499kgs Sydney / Melbourne
No Surcharge*
$120
$50-$250
$88
$88
$88
$44.07
$120
Won't carry
Won't carry
$61.50
Tail Lift Delivery 500kgs + Sydney / Melbourne
No Surcharge*
$250
$50-$250
$88
$88
$88
$44.07
$120
Won't carry
Won't carry
$61.50
Dead weight over 32KGS carton freight
No Surcharge*
$16.50
$75
$70
$70
$70
$14.75
$0
Won't carry
Won't carry
$0
Oversize Surcharge 1.20 - 1.54
No Surcharge*
--
$0
$0
$0
$0
$5.40
$10
$15
Won't carry
$0
Oversize Surcharge 1.55 - 1.85
No Surcharge*
$17
$20
$0
$0
$0
$11.93
$10
$15
Won't carry
$0
Oversize Surcharge 1.86 - 2.20
No Surcharge*
$37
$40
$0
$0
$0
$11.93
$10
Won't carry
Won't carry
$0
Pallet Surcharge
No Surcharge*
--
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
Won't carry
Won't carry
$0
Hand Unload Fee Carton
No Surcharge*
--
$0
$70
$70
$70
$47
$0
Won't carry
Won't carry
$61.50
Western Australia Regional Surcharge
No Surcharge*
%10
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
*Surcharges may apply to areas/deimensions not listed
**Prices correct of 16th September 2024
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