A new customer has strict delivery requirements. How do we set up shipping?

Key Takeaways

Strict requirements are easiest to meet when they're captured before the first order ships. Appointments, delivery windows, labels, paperwork and the customer's routing guide all need to be known up front.
Turn the requirements into a customer shipping profile. One record that every order, quote, BOL and carrier instruction draws from keeps the rules from living in one person's inbox.
Run the first shipment with a checklist and a named owner. The first few loads are where gaps show up, and where the customer forms its opinion.
Carriers must know the rules too. Appointment requirements, unloading terms and paperwork belong on the rate confirmation and the BOL.
Agree on a communication plan with the customer: who to tell, how and when, for confirmations, delays and problems.
Wilson, by Cartage, is an AI logistics agent that books loads with approved carriers using the customer's requirements, generates the paperwork, tracks each load and tells the customer about changes where configured.

How should you set up shipping for a customer with strict delivery requirements?

Sales closes a new account: a regional retailer that will order every week. The customer sends a 40-page vendor guide. It requires delivery appointments booked at least 48 hours ahead, a two-hour delivery window, specific pallet labels, the purchase order number on every carton, an advance ship notice and a particular carrier for loads under a certain weight. The guide goes into a sales folder. The first order ships on the usual carrier, with the usual labels, without an appointment. It's turned away at the door, and the customer's buyer emails the account manager before the truck has left the lot.

Set up shipping for a customer with strict delivery requirements by collecting every requirement before the first order, writing them into a customer shipping profile, briefing carriers through the rate confirmation and BOL, running the first shipments with a checklist and agreeing on how you'll communicate. The work happens once, at the start. After that, each order follows the profile instead of someone's memory.

Strict requirements aren't unreasonable. Large receivers run dozens of docks with tight schedules, and their rules let them plan labor and space. Meeting them is usually about information and discipline, not cost. The companies that struggle are the ones that treat the vendor guide as a sales document rather than a shipping specification.

What "strict requirements" usually means

Most strict customers set rules in five areas: when freight arrives (appointments and windows), how it's packaged and labeled, what paperwork comes with it or before it, which carriers and services are used, and how problems are reported. Some add penalties or chargebacks when the rules aren't met; for that side, see avoiding retailer chargebacks for late or non-compliant shipments. This article covers the setup that comes before any of that.

Who should own the setup?

One person should own the onboarding of a new customer's shipping requirements from start to finish, usually someone in logistics working with customer service and the warehouse. Sales brings the customer contacts and the vendor guide. The warehouse checks it can meet packaging and labeling rules. Logistics turns everything into a profile and carrier instructions. Without one owner, each team assumes another has read the guide.

When to start

Start as soon as the customer is likely, not when the first purchase order arrives. Some requirements take time: new label formats, an EDI connection for advance ship notices, a carrier the customer requires that isn't on your list yet. Finding these out the day before the first shipment leaves no time to fix them.

How do you capture a new customer's requirements step by step?

Get the customer's written requirements, read them with a structured list of questions, fill the gaps on a call, and confirm the result in writing. This turns a long vendor guide into a short set of rules your team can follow.

Step 1: Get every document

Ask the customer for its vendor guide or routing guide, any supplier manual, label specifications, paperwork samples, a list of receiving locations and contacts for logistics, receiving and accounts payable. If the customer has different rules for different locations, ask for each one.

Step 2: Read it against a question list

Go through the documents with a fixed set of questions, so nothing is missed:

Scheduling and delivery

Are delivery appointments required? How far in advance, through what system or contact?
What's the delivery window, and how early or late can the truck be?
What are receiving hours at each location? Are weekends or holidays allowed?
Are there "must arrive by" dates on purchase orders, and how are they measured?

Carriers and services

Does the customer require specific carriers, or a routing process for certain loads?
Who pays freight, and under what terms?
Are there rules about live unload versus drop trailer, lumpers or unloading fees?
Are liftgate, inside delivery or other services needed at any location?

Packaging and labeling

Pallet type, height and weight limits, stacking rules, wrap requirements.
Carton labels: what information, what format, where on the carton.
Pallet labels: what information, how many per pallet, which sides.
Mixed pallets: allowed or not, and how to mark them.

Paperwork and data

What must be on the BOL: PO numbers, appointment number, special references?
Is a packing slip required, and in what format?
Is an advance ship notice required, how and how soon after shipping?
What proof of delivery does the customer accept?

Problems and penalties

Who should be told about a delay, and how soon?
What happens to late, early or non-compliant freight?
Are there chargebacks, and how are they disputed?

Step 3: Fill the gaps on a call

Vendor guides are often out of date or written for many suppliers at once. Schedule a short call with the customer's logistics or receiving contact. Walk through the questions the documents didn't answer, and ask which rules matter most in practice. A receiving manager will often tell you which mistakes cause the most trouble at their dock.

Step 4: Confirm in writing

Send a short summary of the requirements back to the customer and ask them to confirm it. This catches misunderstandings early and gives you a written record if a dispute comes up later.

Step 5: Check you can meet every rule

Review the summary with the warehouse, customer service and finance. Can the warehouse build pallets to the height limit and print the labels? Can the order system carry the PO number to the BOL? Can the company send the advance ship notice in the required format? List anything you can't do yet, and agree with the customer on a date or a workaround before the first order.

Step 6: Turn each rule into a yes-or-no check

Vendor guides are written in paragraphs. Shipping teams work in checks. Rewrite each rule as a question someone can answer yes or no at a specific point: "Is the appointment number on the BOL?", "Is every pallet under the height limit?", "Was the ship notice sent within the required time?" A rule that can't be checked at a specific step usually gets missed. These checks become the first-shipment checklist and, later, the routine checks on every order.

What goes into a customer shipping profile?

A customer shipping profile is one record that holds every rule for shipping to that customer, so quotes, bookings, documents and carrier instructions all start from the same information. It replaces the vendor guide in day-to-day work.

The profile, field by field

Section	What it holds	Where it's used
Locations	Each ship-to address, receiving hours, dock details, contacts	Quotes, appointments, BOL
Scheduling	Appointment rule, lead time, booking method, delivery window	Booking, carrier instructions
Carriers	Required or preferred carriers, routing rules, freight terms	Carrier selection, quotes
Services	Liftgate, inside delivery, live unload or drop, lumper terms	Quotes, rate confirmation
Packaging	Pallet type, height, weight, wrap, mixing rules	Warehouse pick and pack
Labels	Carton and pallet label format and placement	Label printing
Paperwork	BOL references, packing slip format, ASN rules, POD needs	Document generation
Communication	Who to tell about confirmations, delays and problems; channel; timing	Updates and exceptions
Penalties	Chargeback rules and dispute process	Finance and logistics

Keep it where the work happens

A profile in a folder doesn't help if the person booking a truck never opens it. Put the profile where orders and shipments are created: the ERP customer record, the shipping system or whatever the team uses to book freight. The best profiles fill in the quote request, the BOL and the carrier instructions automatically, so following the rules is the default.

Location-level detail

Many customers have several receiving locations with different hours, appointment systems and dock setups. Store rules at the location level when they differ. A rule that's right for the customer's main distribution center may be wrong for its smaller store locations.

Who can change the profile

Decide who is allowed to edit the profile. If anyone can change it, an urgent exception for one order can quietly become the rule for all of them. A simple approach is that logistics owns the profile, other teams suggest changes, and every change is dated with the reason. When a customer grants a one-time exception, such as accepting a delivery outside the usual window, record it on that shipment, not in the profile.

Version and review

Customers update their vendor guides. Record the date and version of the guide the profile is based on, and ask the customer to send updates. Review the profile at least once a year and after any repeated problem.

Carrier instructions from the profile

Carriers need a subset of the profile on every load: the appointment number and window, the receiving contact, unloading terms, any lumper arrangement, required references and the services booked. These belong on the rate confirmation and the BOL. A carrier that doesn't know about the appointment can't meet it. For keeping the BOL consistent with the order, see what to do when a bill of lading doesn't match the sales order.

The customer's routing guide

Some customers send their own routing guide, which tells suppliers which carriers to use for which loads, especially when the customer pays freight. If so, the routing guide decides the carrier, not your usual rules. Add the customer's routing rules to the profile, and make sure those carriers are approved and set up on your side before the first order. Shipping outside a customer's routing guide is one of the quickest ways to start a dispute about who pays.

What should the first shipments look like?

Treat the first few shipments as a controlled launch: one owner, a checklist, extra checks at each step and a review afterward. Most problems with strict customers show up in the first three to five loads.

Before the first order ships

Confirm the profile is complete and the customer has signed off on the summary.
Make sure any required carrier is approved and set up.
Print sample labels and send photos to the customer for approval.
Do a test of the advance ship notice if one is required.
Brief the warehouse on packaging and labeling rules, with a sample pallet.
Brief customer service on the delivery window, appointment process and who to call.

On the first order

Book the delivery appointment as early as the customer allows, and record the appointment number.
Request quotes or tender to the right carrier, with the appointment, references and services in the request.
Check the rate confirmation for the appointment, window, services and references.
Check the BOL, packing slip and labels against the profile before the truck arrives.
Photograph the pallets as built and as loaded.
Send the advance ship notice on time.
Track the load and confirm the ETA against the appointment.
Collect the POD and any receiving notes.

After the first order

Ask the customer's receiving contact for feedback. Did the truck arrive in the window? Were labels and paperwork correct? Was anything missing? Fix what they mention in the profile, and run the next shipment the same careful way. After three to five clean loads, move the customer to normal handling.

Brief the carrier, not only the paperwork

For the first loads, a short message or call to the carrier's dispatcher is worth the time. Explain that the customer is strict about the window, give the receiving contact and confirm the driver will have the appointment number. Ask the carrier to report early if the truck is running late. Carriers that serve the same receiver regularly often know its habits, so ask what they've seen at that dock. After the first few loads, the written instructions on the rate confirmation and BOL should be enough.

When something goes wrong early

Tell the customer before they tell you. If the truck will miss the window, call or email the receiving contact as soon as you know, and rebook the appointment. If a label or document was wrong, explain what happened and what has changed. An early mistake handled openly does far less damage than a pattern of silent ones.

A hypothetical example

Consider a hypothetical maker of packaged snacks that wins a grocery distributor's business. The distributor requires appointments booked 72 hours ahead through a scheduling portal, a 30-minute arrival window, pallet labels with a specific barcode, PO numbers on the BOL and an advance ship notice within an hour of departure. The snack maker builds a profile, tests labels with the distributor's receiving team and confirms its carrier can meet a 30-minute window on the lane. The first shipment arrives on time but the receiver notes that the BOL listed two PO numbers on one line. The profile is changed to list one PO per line, and the next four loads arrive without comments.

Common mistakes

Leaving the vendor guide with sales. Rule: the guide goes to logistics the day the customer is likely, with an owner named.

Booking the truck before the appointment. Rule: no tender without the appointment number, when the customer requires one.

Assuming the carrier knows. Rule: appointment, window, references and unloading terms on every rate confirmation and BOL.

Using last year's guide. Rule: record the guide version and ask the customer for updates.

Promising dates the requirements don't allow. If appointments need 72 hours' notice, sales can't promise next-day delivery. See handling delivery dates sales promises that logistics can't meet.

A checklist for onboarding a strict customer

Use this checklist when any new customer, or a new location of an existing customer, comes with specific delivery rules.

Step	What "done" looks like	Owner
Documents collected	Vendor guide, routing guide, label specs, contacts, locations	Sales and logistics
Requirements read	Every question on the list answered or flagged	Logistics
Gaps closed	Call held with customer's logistics or receiving contact	Logistics
Summary confirmed	Customer confirmed the written summary	Logistics
Capability checked	Warehouse, systems and finance can meet every rule, or a workaround is agreed	Logistics with each team
Profile built	All sections filled in, at location level where needed, with guide version	Logistics
Carriers ready	Required carriers approved and set up; carrier instructions defined	Logistics
Labels approved	Sample labels sent and approved by the customer	Warehouse
ASN tested	Test notice sent and accepted, if required	Systems or customer service
Teams briefed	Warehouse, customer service and sales know the rules	Logistics
First shipments run	Three to five loads with extra checks and feedback	Logistics
Review held	Feedback added to the profile; customer moved to normal handling	Logistics

The communication plan

Agree on a communication plan with the customer as part of the setup, and write it in the profile:

Confirmations: when the appointment is booked and when the truck leaves, who gets the confirmation and how.
Delays: how soon to notify, by email, phone or the customer's portal, and to whom.
Problems at delivery: who the receiver should contact about shortages, damage or paperwork issues.
Documents: where to send PODs, packing slips and invoices, and in what format.
Escalation: who to call if the normal contact doesn't answer.

The plan should cover your side too: who on your team gets told when the customer changes an appointment or a requirement. For appointment changes in more depth, see scheduling delivery appointments without the back-and-forth.

Measure the account

Track on-time arrival within the window, paperwork and label errors, appointment changes and any chargebacks for the first few months. Share the results with the customer if they ask. The numbers show whether the setup is working and where to tighten it.

How does Wilson, by Cartage, set up shipping for customers with strict requirements?

Wilson, by Cartage, is an AI logistics agent for manufacturers and distributors that quotes, books, tracks and pays freight with the company's approved carriers, applying each customer's delivery requirements to every load. Traditional logistics software gives teams information. Wilson executes the work required to move shipments forward.

Once the customer's rules are set up, Wilson uses them on every shipment:

Quoting and booking: Wilson requests quotes from the company's approved carriers, or tenders to the carrier the customer's rules call for, with the appointment, delivery window, references and services in the request. It compares quotes on total cost and negotiates toward the company's rate targets within approval limits; rates outside those limits go to the logistics team. It books with written acceptance and a rate confirmation that carries the customer's requirements.
Paperwork: Wilson generates the bill of lading, packing slips and pallet labels from the booked load, with the customer's references on them.
Pickups and tracking: Wilson schedules the pickup and tracks the load with the best source available: a carrier API or EDI feed, GPS or ELD data where the carrier shares it, the carrier's website, or email and phone calls when nothing else is current.
Exceptions: if a pickup is missed or a delivery will miss the window, Wilson contacts the carrier, tells the team, tells the customer if configured and starts rebooking from the approved carrier list automatically within the rules or after approval.
Customer updates: Wilson keeps customers and consignees updated by email or SMS where configured, following the communication plan.
Close-out: Wilson requests and files the POD, audits the carrier invoice against the rate confirmation and the POD, and pays the carrier from the Wilson Wallet. Payments above the approval limits or outside the rules wait for a person.

Wilson books only carriers the company has approved. If a new customer requires a carrier the company doesn't use yet, the company approves that carrier before Wilson books it; Cartage can also suggest additional capacity for the company to approve. Every message, confirmation and change is kept in the shipment's change history, which helps when a customer questions a delivery or a chargeback. For collecting the proof of delivery a customer requires, see POD collection for customer-specific requirements.

Wilson replaces the TMS for freight execution and connects to the company's ERP. Wilson works with SAP, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle, Infor, Epicor, Sage, Acumatica and other ERP environments, with the exact connection depending on the customer's data flow and scope. Whether Wilson writes shipment details back to the ERP depends on scope. The team works with Wilson in Slack, Microsoft Teams or email, starting with assisted execution.

Pricing

Wilson is free on Wilson's network: the shipper pays the freight rate and nothing on top. When a shipper keeps its own carriers, the fee is 2% to 0.5% of what Wilson pays them, falling with volume. There are no seat fees, no setup cost and no contract. Timing depends on scope: most teams start on a few lanes and expand from there.

FAQs

A new customer has strict delivery requirements. How do we set up shipping?

Collect every requirement before the first order, build a customer shipping profile, put the rules on the rate confirmation and BOL for carriers, run the first shipments with a checklist and agree on a communication plan. Wilson, by Cartage, an AI logistics agent, books each load with approved carriers using the customer's requirements and tracks it to delivery.

What is a customer shipping profile?

It's one record of every rule for shipping to a customer: locations, appointments, carriers, services, packaging, labels, paperwork, communication and penalties. Quotes, bookings and documents draw from it, so the rules are applied the same way on every order.

What is a vendor guide?

A vendor guide, sometimes called a supplier manual or routing guide, is the document a customer gives suppliers explaining how to ship to it. It covers scheduling, carriers, packaging, labels, paperwork and penalties.

Who should read the customer's vendor guide?

Logistics should own it, with the warehouse, customer service and finance each checking the parts that affect them. Sales should pass it on as soon as the customer is likely.

How many shipments should get extra checks?

A common practice is three to five loads, or until the customer's receiving team confirms that labels, paperwork and timing are right. Then move the customer to normal handling.

What if we can't meet one of the requirements yet?

Tell the customer before the first order, explain why, and agree on a date or a workaround. Finding out at the dock is far worse for the relationship.

Do carriers need to see the customer's requirements?

They need the parts that affect them: appointment number and window, receiving contact, unloading terms, references and services. Put these on the rate confirmation and the BOL.

What if the customer requires a carrier we don't use?

Approve and set up that carrier before the first order. With Wilson, the company approves the carrier before Wilson books it.

How should we tell the customer about a delay?

Follow the communication plan you agreed with them: notify the named contact, through the agreed channel, as soon as you know. Rebook the appointment if the window will be missed.

How often should we update the shipping profile?

Whenever the customer sends a new guide, after any repeated problem and at least once a year. Record the guide version so everyone knows which rules apply.

Should the first shipment be treated differently from later ones?

Yes. Give it one owner, extra checks on labels, paperwork and timing, and ask the customer's receiving contact for feedback afterward. The first loads show which parts of the setup still have gaps.

Sources

Cartage, Wilson product FAQ and product scope, October 2026: https://cartage.ai

Bring a new customer's vendor guide and see how Wilson would apply its rules to the first shipment.