Routing Guide Compliance (Retail)

Routing guide compliance in a retail context means following the specific transportation instructions a retailer mandates for inbound freight to their distribution centers. On collect shipments – where the retailer controls the carrier relationship – the routing guide dictates which carrier to use, how to tender loads, what reference numbers to include, and what service level to book. Deviating from these instructions, even if the shipment arrives on time, can trigger chargebacks.

A retail routing guide typically specifies approved carriers by lane or region, required tender methods (EDI, carrier portal, or phone), reference number formats, lead times for booking, and sometimes specific pickup and delivery appointment procedures. Retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Target maintain detailed routing guides that are updated periodically, and suppliers are expected to stay current. Some retailers use third-party platforms like RouteSmart or their own supplier portals to distribute routing instructions and track compliance.

Routing guide violations are a frustrating source of chargebacks because they're often administrative rather than operational – using the wrong carrier code, missing a tender deadline by an hour, or failing to include a specific reference number. The shipment itself may have been perfect, but the booking process didn't follow the retailer's script. For shippers managing freight across multiple retailers, keeping track of each customer's routing rules manually is error-prone and time-consuming.

Encoding routing guide rules directly into the carrier selection and tendering workflow – so the system automatically filters to approved carriers and applies the correct booking procedures per retailer – eliminates most routing guide violations at the source.