Transportation integration testing validates your load tender workflow — the exchange between a shipper and a carrier when a load is offered, responded to, and (if accepted) tracked through to invoice. Before going live with any transportation partner, you need to prove your system can handle each possible response to a load tender.
Transactions covered
Transportation testing exercises the carrier communication transaction set:
| Transaction | Direction | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 204 Motor Carrier Load Tender | Inbound | The shipper tenders a load to you for pickup and delivery |
| 990 Response to a Load Tender | Outbound | You accept, decline, or counter-offer the load |
| 214 Carrier Shipment Status Message | Outbound | You send status updates through the load lifecycle |
| 210 Motor Carrier Freight Invoice | Outbound | You invoice the shipper for the completed haul |
Scenarios
Transportation testing covers three scenarios — one for each possible carrier response to a load tender. You need to pass all three before your transportation integration is considered complete.
| Scenario | Flow |
|---|---|
| Load Tender Accept | 204 → 990 (accept) → 214 (status updates) → 210 (invoice) |
| Load Tender Decline | 204 → 990 (decline) |
| Load Tender Counter Offer | 204 → 990 (counter offer) |
Load Tender Accept
The full happy-path scenario. You receive a 204 load tender, accept it with a 990 (B103=A), send status updates via 214 as the shipment moves through its lifecycle (pickup, in-transit, delivery), and close out with a 210 freight invoice. This is the most comprehensive transportation scenario and exercises all four transaction types.
Load Tender Decline
Tests your ability to decline a load tender you cannot or do not want to haul. You receive the 204 and respond with a 990 carrying B103=D (Decline). No 214 or 210 follows — the exchange ends at the decline. Your system needs to correctly generate a properly-formed decline response.
Load Tender Counter Offer
Tests your ability to propose modified terms rather than accepting or declining outright. You receive the 204 and respond with a 990 that proposes changes — for example, an adjusted pickup window via G62, or different equipment. The counter offer is a 990 with modified terms rather than a simple accept/decline code. Your integration needs to correctly structure and send the counter offer response.
What's validated
Each transportation scenario validates that:
- Your 990 carries the correct response code (A for accept, D for decline, or the appropriate counter offer structure)
- Transaction references are consistent — your 990 correctly references the originating 204
- For the accept scenario: your 214 status messages reference the correct shipment and your 210 invoice ties back to the accepted 204
- Each outbound transaction passes your trading partner's specific guideline rules
Unlike retail testing, transportation scenarios do not currently fan out to linked test runs per partner. Each scenario runs as a single exchange against the Demo Leader.