What does an EDI 214 contain?

The shipment's identifiers, a status code such as X3 or D1, a reason code, the date and time, and the location — enough for the shipper or receiver to see where the load is.

What is the difference between X1 and D1 in a 214?

X1 means the truck has arrived at the delivery location; D1 means unloading there is complete. The gap between them is the time spent unloading.

How often should a carrier send 214 updates?

As each partner's guide requires. C.H. Robinson wants pickup and delivery events ideally within 15 minutes, and an X6 in-transit update every 15 minutes.

Term

EDI 214 (shipment status)

The EDI 214 is the X12 message a carrier sends to report where a shipment is: arrived at pickup, departed, en route, arrived at delivery, unloaded — with dates, times and locations. Shippers and brokers set how often they want it: C.H. Robinson asks for each pickup and delivery event ideally within 15 minutes, and in-transit updates every 15 minutes.

Also called EDI 214, 214 status message, X12 214, shipment status codes, IFTSTAUpdated 13 October 2026

The status codes

Code	Meaning
X3	Arrived at Pick-up Location
AF	Carrier Departed Pick-up Location with Shipment
X6	En Route to Delivery Location
AG	Estimated Delivery
X1	Arrived at Delivery Location
D1	Completed Unloading at Delivery Location

Status codes as named in Ryder's 214 guide, version 3.7, 2017

X12 describes the 214 as giving shippers, consignees and their agents the status of shipments in terms of dates, times, locations, route, identifying numbers and conveyance. Each status also carries a reason code — NS for normal status, or an exception such as AI, mechanical breakdown. C.H. Robinson requires X3 and AF for every pickup and X1 and CD (departed delivery location) for every delivery; Best Buy requires 214s on every shipment it receives or ships. In Europe the EDIFACT equivalent, IFTSTA, can be sent at set times or when an event happens.

Worked example: one load's status trail

08:00 X3 arrived at pickup → 09:10 AF departed with shipment → X6 en route every 15 minutes → 15:40 X1 arrived at delivery → 16:55 D1 unloading complete — each with reason NS

Illustrative times, following C.H. Robinson's 15-minute rule for in-transit updates. Ryder acknowledges each 214 with a 997 within 24 hours.

The mistake people make

Sending the events late, in a batch. A 214 that reports arrival two hours after it happened gives the receiver nothing to act on and makes detention timing impossible to check. The point of the message is the timestamp: send each status when it happens, from the truck's position, not the dispatcher's memory.

FAQ