The FedEX Express integration is built on top of the existing LTL integration with a source setting that controls it.
Source Setting
RateExpressFreight : true
BypassPickup : true // This is defaulted to false or don't add. If set to true, this will mock the pickup so that, while testing, the user isn't sending actual pickup requests to FedEx.
When enabled, the whole integration will pertain to FedEx Express. If needed, a separate integration will need to exist to manage LTL / Volume Rates.
When generating a FedEx Express quote on a Domestic Freight shipment, FedEx does not return a Quote Reference Number but instead provides a Master Tracking Number. The Master Tracking Number is stored in the TMS as the Quote Number.
Supported Service Levels
- 1Day Freight
- Requires a booking number and this process can't be automated via web service. That has to be called in. The booking number should be placed in the Custom Reference Number field. Dispatch will fail if not entered.
- 2Day Freight
- 3Day Freight
- 2Day
- 2Day AM
- Priority Overnight
- Standard Overnight
- Express Saver
- First Freight
- Excluded per Evan's request
- First Overnight
- Ground
Workflow
FedEx Express is broken up into two different workflows:
- Shipment creation and label generation
- Shipment creation is the process of building up a shipment in FedEx. A label gets generated from this shipment and is what gets sent to the shipper to put on their packaging item. A "Generate Label" button will be available in the Cost Calculations section to trigger this workflow.
- Although shipment creation and label generation are different things, both are executed w/ a single request to a single endpoint.
- An email notification will be sent to the LSP org email when the following events occur:
- On delivery
- On estimated delivery
- On exception
- On pickup driver assigned
- On pickup driver arrived
- On pickup driver departed
- On pickup driver en route
- On shipment (shipment creation)
- On tender
- For each handling unit for every line item, a request is sent out. The first request will return a master tracking number that is used to link up subsequent commodities.
- When this happens, multiple labels are generated for each line item. For instance, if a shipment has 2 line items (2 handling units, 150 lbs and 1 handling unit, 100 lbs), then a total of 3 requests will be sent out. The line item w/ 2 handling units will be split up into 2 requests and the weight will be calculated by weight / handling unit. So the result is 3 labels:
- 1 handling unit at 75 lbs
- 1 handling unit at 75 lbs
- 1 handling unit at 100 lbs
- A master tracking Id is returned as the result and set as the linehaul PRO number
- Pickup Request
- Piggybacks logic from our existing integration, the only difference being the selected FedEx Express service level and linking up the created shipment using the Master Tracking Id
- Per Evan from Altitude Logistics, in 99% of his use cases, a pickup request will never be made w/o a label.
- The only exception to this is the following: On occasion we are given a pickup address only, and we are against a cutoff we will schedule a pickup by the cutoff, and create the labels after the fact once the rest of the information is received. I would say it isn’t necessary to have this functionality in the system. We would be fine without the ability to do pickups without the label, but wanted to give a full explanation so you could make an informed decision.
Tracking
Will work off of the PRO Number field which will contain their Master Tracking ID.