The Freight LTL API allows you to create shipments for less-than-truckload (LTL). LTL freight is too large to be shipped as a parcel but takes up less than an entire truck.

This allows you to get rate estimates, creates unique shipping labels for individual handling units and Bills of Lading (when required), schedule pickups and track statuses of the shipment, check availability of and schedule pickups. This results in increased efficiency for your larger, and heavier shipments.

LTL shipping at FedEx Freight offers handling unit-level tracking and visibility for your multiple-handling unit shipments as well as domestic shipping without a paper Bill of Lading (BOL) in most instances. A Bill of Lading can be created when required. Even though all handling units have a unique tracking number, the shipment moves on one Bill of Lading, Delivery Receipt, and Invoice Statement.

The Freight LTL API enables LTL shipping and creates necessary documents such as Bill of Lading (when requested), FedEx Freight shipping labels, and various other shipping documents. In the Freight LTL Shipment master label goes on the first handling unit and the child label that is applied to the second and subsequent handling units. The child labels have their own unique tracking number, but refers to the master tracking number. A single Bill of Lading per shipment can be created consists of all handling units and pieces.

Each handling unit can be associated with a tracking number and the label is similar to a FedEx Ground or Express Parcel label with the exception of an F, which represents a Freight shipment.

Maximums for handling units and pieces per handling Units:

• The maximum pieces per handling unit limit – 9,999
• Maximum handling unit – 200 (when printing Handling Unit Labels one at a time).
• Maximum handling unit – 40 (when printing Handling Unit Labels at once) 

FedEx LTL Freight shipments are available to all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico, USVI, Canada and Mexico. Some shipments require a Bill of Lading in addition to shipping labels. An example of these shipments are ones containing hazardous materials.

FedEx Freight^® is changing the LTL industry by making it easy to ship freight fast and economical within one streamlined LTL network.

Following are the features available with this API:

• Manage Freight LTL Pickup

  This feature allows to get the freight LTL pickup locations, schedule a freight Pickup and cancel any already scheduled Pickup.

• Get Freight LTL Rate Quotes

  This feature allows to get the rate quotes for a freight LTL shipment based on the locations and service options selected.

• Ship Freight LTL Shipment

  This feature allows to create a freight LTL shipment.

The following are the features of the Freight LTL API:

• Ship a single piece or MPS shipment for all service types thereby generating shipping label(s) or a Bill of Lading (if required).
• Create a multi-handling unit shipment and track each handling unit individually.
• Create LTL shipments for using FedEx Freight Priority and Freight Economy services.
  • Provide the recipient information such as account number, contact, and address.
  • Provide timestamp, packaging type, total weight and various other required details mentioned in the endpoint schema.
• Provide FedEx Label with standard branding and support specified sizes for thermal labels.
• Receive notifications via email or SMS text during the shipping transaction such as:
  • Shipping notification
  • Estimated delivery
  • Pickup notification
• Generate Shipping Documents such as:
  • Individual Handling Unit Shipping Labels
  • Bill of Lading
  • Commercial Invoice
  • Canadian Customs Invoice
• Create shipments and print labels one handling unit at a time or process all handling units at once.
• Retrieve rates of a single piece or MPS shipment for all service types.
• Check availability for pickup, schedule a freight pick up and cancel pick up.
• Create and Schedule pickup with third party accounts for an alternate billing address.

Freight LTL Shipping Services

The following Freight LTL shipping services are available:

FedEx Freight^® Priority

With industry-leading on-time performance and fast transit times, FedEx Freight^® Priority delivers your shipments quickly and reliably. Count on our regional service for extensive next-day and second-day delivery to your customers, all backed by a no-fee money-back guarantee. *

FedEx Freight^® Priority service features:

• Fast transit times with next-day service up to 600 miles and second-day service up to 1,600 miles
• Direct delivery to virtually every ZIP code in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
• Consistent, on-time reliability
• A no-fee money-back guarantee*
• State-of-the art information technology with end-to-end shipment visibility
• A dedicated team of professionals to assist with all your regional freight needs

*All services are subject to the terms and conditions of the FXFR 100 Series Rules Tariff.

FedEx Freight Economy

FedEx Freight^® Economy provides economical LTL (less-than-truckload) delivery, focused on your basic freight shipping needs. With FedEx LTL delivery services, with the on-time reliability, and careful handling customer service is well attained.

FedEx Freight^® Economy delivers:

• Economical freight solutions
• Increased savings for shipments that are less time-sensitive, yet need reliable delivery
• Consistent, on-time reliability
• Direct delivery to virtually every ZIP code in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
• State-of-the art information technology with end-to-end shipment visibility
• Improved visibility with end-to-end shipment tracking

FedEx International Deferred Freight (FDF)

FedEx International Deferred Freight (FDF) is a global air freight shipping service for shipping international air freight shipments with extended delivery/transit times at economical rates. FDF is also available for Airport-to-Airport, Door-to-Airport, Airport-to-Door, and Door-to-Door delivery services

Note:

• Currently, this service is only available for selected country to country lanes.
• Dangerous Goods (DG) and Restricted Commodities are not allowed. Example: Dry Ice, lithium ion batteries. Please reach out to FedEx customer support for more information.
• U.S. domestic shipments and non-U.S. domestic shipments are not allowed.

This section describes the endpoints and key elements required for FedEx Freight LTL API.

Note: Your FedEx Freight LTL account must be enabled to use the FedEx Freight LTL API. The key information required are the FedEx Freight account number(s) and the correct mailing address of the account to process the LTL shipments.

The following are the endpoints available with this API:

Ship Freight LTL

Use this endpoint for validating and creating the FedEx freight LTL shipment.

The required input information associated with this request are:

• Freight Account Number
• Mailing address of the account
• Freight Requested Shipment
• Label Response Options – Labels to be returned as encoded or as URL.
• Master Tracking details – Only in case, the MPS shipment has to process and labels must be printed one at a time and not all at once (when element singleShotMPS is not provided or added with value false).

Successful response to this request creates LTL Shipment, provides Tracking details and alert details in the response. It also returns errors and the descriptions in case of any failures.

Note: The mailing address may be different than the actual shipping address.

Check Freight LTL Pickup Availability

Use this endpoint to request a list of all available freight pickup locations with the pickup schedule details, such as the carrier, latest available time of pickup, default latest available time, availability for pickup, time when the package is ready to be picked up, indication if the address is residential, cutoff time of the pickup, and driver's access to pick up the package.

The required input information associated with this request are:

• Pickup address/postal details.
• Pickup request type (ex: same day/future day).
• Whether or not domestic/international pickup.

Note: Use correct and valid pickup address. 

Successful response to this request will provide list of all available freight pickup locations, delivery day, availability (flag), Pick up date, cut off time, access time, residential availability (flag), close time (flag), close time, and local time in the response. It also returns errors and the descriptions in case of any failures.

Create Freight LTL Pickup

Use this endpoint to create and schedule a freight LTL pickup.

The required input information associated with this request are:

• Freight Account Number, which will be invoiced for the pickup.
• Origin details (address, location and pickup address type such as account/shipper/other).
• Address details for the associated account.

The successful pickup request will return a pickup confirmation number, pickup notification and location code for the pickup being scheduled. It also returns errors and the descriptions in case of any failures.

Note: Use correct and valid address for pickup and also provide correct account address of record to schedule the pickup. Past ready time or past date or a date which is too far in the future should not be entered to schedule a pickup. Anonymous pickups are not allowed. You can schedule pickup for third party accounts by providing alternate valid address details.

Cancel Freight LTL Pickup

Use this endpoint to cancel an already scheduled pickup request for an LTL package. The successful pickup cancellation will return a confirmation number and a pickup cancellation confirmation message.

The required input information associated with this request are:

• Pickup Confirmation Code (obtained while submitting a pickup request)
• Scheduled Date (Date the pickup dispatch occurs)
• Location (FedEx Express location responsible for processing the pickup request)

The successful request will return a pickup confirmation number, pickup notification and location code for the pickup being scheduled. It also returns errors and the descriptions in case of any failures.

Note: Submit the pickup confirmation number and the corresponding location code (only applies to FDXE) to cancel the pickup that was scheduled. Pickup confirmation number and the corresponding location code (only applies to FDXE) information are obtained while submitting a pickup request. Also use correct account address of record to cancel the pickup. A failure notification will be sent if you attempt to cancel a pickup after the FedEx courier has been dispatched to the pickup location

Rate Freight LTL

Use this endpoint to request list of all possible Freight rates quotes and optional transit information based on input details. Rates retrieved are based on the origin, destination and various other inputs in the shipment. Additional information such as carrier code, service type, or service option can be used to get more accurate results.

The required input information associated with this request are:

• Freight Account Number
• Freight Requested Shipment.

The successful response to this request will return list of all possible rates and location code for the pickup being scheduled. It also returns errors and the descriptions in case of any failures.

A multiple-piece shipment (MPS) consists of two or more handling units shipped to the same recipient addresses. The first handling unit in the shipment request is considered the master.

To create a multiple-piece shipment:

• Include the shipment level information such as serviceType, packagingType, totalWeight, totalPackageCount, freightShipmentDetail and requestedPackageLineItems details. [Note: The sequenceNumber for master package must be equal to 1.]
• For printing label per handling unit, include Master tracking details in element masterTrackingId for all subsequent handling units.

Following are the Multiple-Piece Shipping Processing options available with this API:

Print Handling Unit Label One at a Time

This API allows you to process MPS shipments and get labels one at a time.

When you need this capability for your shipments, along with all necessary MPS elements, provide element oneLabelAtATime as true in the request.

The output of the first request should generate label and tracking number which is master tracking number. Provide this master tracking number in the element masterTrackingId to process subsequent ship request and generate labels with tracking numbers (child tracking numbers) for the defined total package count (totalPackageCount).

Note: The maximum handling units allowed is 200.

Print all Handling Unit labels at Once

This API allows you to process MPS shipments and get labels in one shot. This is one of the ideal processing method, which is used when a shipment has either 40 or less handling units (totalPackageCount<=40) destined to the same recipient address in the shipment.

Set oneLabelAtATime as false in the Shipment request with 40 or less handling units and generate the labels instantaneously.

Note: The maximum handling unit limit 40 is indicative and is not a fixed limit. The limit is also dependent on the combination of number of handling units and the commodities. Contact your FedEx executive for more information on this.

Example: Your shipment request consists of 10 handling units, when submitted will generate 10 labels and either label URLs or encoded labels as requested is provided in the response.

This service provides a superior customer experience for delivery of large and palletized goods, including delivery of heavy, bulky shipments inside customers' homes or businesses.

The service offers options like proactive communications, flexible delivery options and bundled pricing that includes several surcharges.

The following are some of the features included in this service:

• Enables creation of FedEx Freight Direct basic, basic by appointment, standard and premium delivery shipments and basic return shipments/pickups within the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii.
• Includes the ability to obtain a complete rate estimate for a FedEx Freight Direct shipment using a FedEx Freight Direct account number and the ability to cancel a FedEx Freight Direct pickup.
  • Rate estimates will not be returned for Alaska and Hawaii. Customers should call FedEx customer service to request a quote for these states.
  • To cancel pickup scheduled for the same day, customer has to call FedEx customer service.
• Enables you to send email notifications to the original shipper/consignee so customer can:
  • Schedule a delivery
  • Receive delivery and/or pickup confirmation
  • Receive out for delivery and/or pickup notification
  • Receive en-route notifications
  • Customer survey for delivered shipments
• The business rules of zip code validation, dimensions, piece weight and handling unit weight will be applicable to FedEx Freight Direct to determine the correct combination of line haul and first/last miles services.

The FedEx Freight Direct offers different service types to choose from.

This API offers following features with the Freight Direct service:

Get Freight Direct Rates

Use this endpoint to get Freight Direct Rates and surcharges for the following special Freight Direct service options: Basic Service, Basic Service by appt., Standard Service, Premium Service.

Following are the required details to be accompanied with the Rate request using endpoint Rate Freight LTL:

• Freight Direct Type (BASIC, BASIC_BY_APPOINTMENT, PREMIUM, STANDARD)
• Freight Direct Transportation Type (DELIVERY, PICKUP)
• Phone Number Type if phone number is provided (HOME, MOBILE, WORK)
• Weight
• Dimensions (Non-Negative Length, Width and Height)

Create Freight Direct Shipment

Use this endpoint to ship a single piece or MPS shipment for the following special Freight Direct service options: Basic Service, Basic Service by appt., Standard Service, Premium Service, and get a shipping label or BOL, including the required documentation for processing a Freight Priority shipments.

Following are the required details to be accompanied with the shipment request via endpoint Ship Freight LTL:

• Freight Direct Type (BASIC, BASIC_BY_APPOINTMENT, PREMIUM, STANDARD)
• Freight Direct Transportation Type (DELIVERY, PICKUP)
• Email Address, Phone Number and Phone Type
• Weight
• Dimensions (Non-Negative Length, Width and Height)

The output BOL will have the new Freight Direct service names printed. The following are the values printed on BOL depending on the service selection:

• DIRECT BASIC DELIVERY
• DIRECT BASIC BY APPOINTMENT DELIVERY
• DIRECT PREMIUM DELIVERY
• DIRECT STANDARD DELIVERY
• DIRECT BASIC PICKUP
• DIRECT BASIC BY APPOINTMENT PICKUP
• DIRECT PREMIUM PICKUP
• DIRECT STANDARD PICKUP

Freight Direct Pickup

Use this endpoint to check the availability of Freight LTL Freight Direct pickup service, create a pickup request for package to be picked up or cancel an existing pickup requested.

Following are the required details to be accompanied with the Pickup request using endpoint Check Freight LTL Pickup Availability, Create Freight LTL Pickup, and Cancel Freight LTL Pickup.

• Freight Direct Type (BASIC, BASIC_BY_APPOINTMENT, PREMIUM, STANDARD)
• Freight Direct Transportation Type (DELIVERY, PICKUP)
• Email Address (Creating Pickup Request)
• Phone Number and Phone Type (Creating Pickup Request)
• Weight

• A master tracking (Pro) number is assigned to a Freight LTL shipment’s first handling unit and child tracking numbers are assigned to each subsequent handling unit.
• Each handling unit in the shipment can be tracked individually or as part of the entire shipment.
• Other documents may apply to specific shipments (e.g., Freight Hazardous Materials [HazMat] and international shipments).
• LTL Freight only and Bill to LTL Freight accounts cannot be added to the FedEx Developer portal.
• Customer can use either the long term single LTL account number or FedEx Freight Direct account number to use Freight Direct services.
• FedEx Freight Direct rating capabilities are only available in regular LTL API.
• All the new errors/messaging will be in English only.
• Email address and phone are required as part of FedEx Freight Direct service option request while creating shipments.