How do I write a routing guide for our carriers and suppliers?
Key Takeaways
- A routing guide is the written rulebook for how freight moves for your company. It tells suppliers and carriers who to use, how to book, what paperwork to send and what happens when the rules are broken.
- The core of the guide is a carrier table by mode, weight and lane. Suppliers should never have to guess which carrier to call for a 3-pallet shipment from Ohio.
- Pickup requests, BOL and label requirements, and appointment rules need their own sections, written as plain steps with examples, not as legal language.
- Non-compliance handling must be clear and fair. State what counts as a violation, how it's recorded, what it costs and how a supplier can dispute it.
- A routing guide is only useful if it's current. Assign an owner, version every change and review it on a fixed schedule.
- Wilson, by Cartage, is an AI logistics agent that books only the company's approved carriers, generates BOLs and pallet labels, and keeps every load inside the rules the company sets.
What is a routing guide and why does your company need one?
A purchasing manager at a hypothetical equipment manufacturer gets a call from the receiving dock. An inbound load of steel brackets just arrived on a carrier nobody recognizes, collect, with a freight bill twice what the company usually pays on that lane. The supplier says it "used the carrier it always uses." Nobody ever told it otherwise. The same week, two other suppliers ship without the PO number on the BOL, and receiving spends an hour working out which order each pallet belongs to.
A routing guide is a written document that tells your suppliers and carriers exactly how to ship freight to, from or on behalf of your company: which carriers to use, how to request a pickup, what documents and labels to include, how to book delivery appointments and what happens when the rules aren't followed. It turns knowledge that lives in a few people's heads into instructions anyone can follow.
Large retailers have used routing guides with their suppliers for decades. But manufacturers and distributors need them too, for both directions of freight. Inbound, the guide controls how suppliers ship raw materials and parts to your plants. Outbound, it controls how your own sites, contract warehouses and drop-ship suppliers send orders to your customers.
What a routing guide protects
A good guide protects three things. First, cost: when suppliers pick their own carriers on prepaid-and-add or collect terms, you lose control of what you pay. Second, receiving: when every load arrives with the same paperwork and labels, the dock moves faster. Third, visibility: when every shipment is booked through a known process, you know it exists before it shows up.
Who reads it
Write for three readers. The supplier's shipping clerk needs to know who to call and what to print. The carrier's dispatcher needs to know pickup hours, reference numbers and appointment rules. Your own team needs a shared answer when a supplier asks "can we just use our carrier this time?" If a section doesn't help one of those three people do their job, cut it.
Inbound, outbound or both
Many companies start with an inbound guide, because that's where freight spend is most often out of control. Suppliers ship on their own terms and add freight to the invoice. An outbound guide matters when you have several plants or warehouses, or when you use drop-ship suppliers who ship directly to your customers. You can write one document with two parts or two separate guides. One document is easier to keep current.
How do you write a routing guide step by step?
Start with the freight you actually move, write the rules for the most common shipments first, and test the draft with two or three suppliers before you send it to everyone. A routing guide written from a template, without your own shipping data, usually misses the lanes and exceptions that cause the real problems.
Step 1: Pull your shipment history
Export 6 to 12 months of freight from your ERP, freight bills or carrier invoices. For each shipment, you want origin, destination, mode, weight, pallet count, carrier, cost and freight terms (prepaid, collect, prepaid-and-add). Group the shipments by supplier and by lane. Look for patterns: which suppliers ship most often, which lanes carry the most weight, and where the cost per pound or per pallet is out of line.
Step 2: Decide who controls the freight
For each supplier, decide whether you'll control inbound freight (you choose and pay the carrier) or let the supplier control it. Controlling it usually means changing the purchase terms to freight collect or a third-party billing arrangement, so this decision involves purchasing, not just logistics. Write the decision down per supplier. A routing guide only works for suppliers whose freight terms let you choose the carrier.
Step 3: Choose approved carriers by mode, weight and lane
Build the carrier table (covered in detail below). Use your history to set weight breaks. Confirm with each carrier that it serves the lanes you've assigned and that it agrees to the pickup, appointment and billing rules in the guide.
Step 4: Write the booking process
Describe exactly how a supplier requests a pickup: who to contact, what information to send and how far in advance. Include a sample request so nobody has to guess the format.
Step 5: Set document and label requirements
List what must be on the bill of lading, the packing slip and each pallet label. Include a sample of each document, marked up to show where every required field goes.
Step 6: Write appointment and dock rules
Give receiving hours for each of your locations, how to book delivery appointments, and what happens if a truck is late or early.
Step 7: Define non-compliance handling
State what counts as a violation, how you'll record it, what it costs and how a supplier can dispute it. Keep this section short and specific.
Step 8: Test, publish and train
Send the draft to two or three suppliers that ship often and ask them to follow it on their next few loads. Fix whatever confused them. Then publish the guide, send it with a short cover note and offer a 20-minute call to walk through it. Ask each supplier to confirm receipt in writing.
What should the routing guide actually say?
Every routing guide needs six sections: carrier selection, pickup requests, documents and labels, appointments, freight terms and billing, and non-compliance. Add a contact page and a version history. Keep it as short as it can be while still answering every question a shipping clerk would ask.
Approved carriers by mode, weight and lane
This is the heart of the guide. The supplier should be able to find the right carrier in one look. A simple structure works well:
| Shipment type | Weight or size | Lane or region | Approved carrier | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parcel | Under 150 lb per package | All US origins | Carrier A, on your account number | Supplier creates label on your account |
| LTL | 150 lb to 5,000 lb, 1 to 6 pallets | Midwest origins | Carrier B | Email pickup request to logistics |
| LTL | 150 lb to 5,000 lb, 1 to 6 pallets | Southeast origins | Carrier C | Email pickup request to logistics |
| Volume LTL or partial | 5,000 lb to 15,000 lb | All US origins | Request a quote from logistics | Email logistics 48 hours ahead |
| Full truckload | Over 15,000 lb or 10+ pallets | All US origins | Assigned by logistics per load | Email logistics 48 hours ahead |
| Cross-border | Any | Canada or Mexico origins | Assigned by logistics | Email logistics with commercial invoice |
The weight breaks above are examples. Set yours from your own shipment history and your carrier agreements. Some companies route by supplier rather than by region when a few suppliers make up most of the volume. Either way, give a backup carrier for each row and say when the supplier may use it, for example "only if the primary carrier can't pick up within one business day and logistics has approved it."
For more on choosing which carriers belong in that table, see approved carrier selection rules.
How to request a pickup
Tell suppliers who books the freight. There are two common models. In the first, the supplier contacts the approved carrier directly using your account number. In the second, the supplier sends a pickup request to your logistics team, which books the carrier. The second gives you more control and visibility; the first is simpler for parcel and routine LTL.
Either way, list what a pickup request must include:
- Your purchase order number
- Ship-from address, dock hours and contact name and phone
- Ready date and time
- Number of pallets or pieces, dimensions and total weight
- Freight class for LTL, if known
- Any hazardous materials, with the proper shipping information
- Special requirements: liftgate, limited access, appointment, temperature
State the lead time. "Send pickup requests by noon one business day before the ready date" is clear. "Give reasonable notice" is not. For how a pickup request turns into a confirmed pickup, see the freight pickup guide.
BOL, packing slip and label requirements
Most receiving problems trace back to paperwork. Be specific about every document.
Bill of lading. List the required fields: your PO number, the supplier's shipment or order number, consignee name and address exactly as written in the guide, number of handling units, weight, freight class for LTL, NMFC item if you use one, freight terms and the third-party billing address if you pay the carrier. Say which BOL form is acceptable. Some companies require their own BOL template so every load looks the same. Others accept the carrier's form as long as the required fields are present.
Packing slip. Require one per shipment, attached to the lead pallet or placed in a document pouch, listing PO number, line items, quantities and lot or serial numbers if you track them.
Pallet labels. Give the size, placement (for example, two adjacent sides) and required fields: PO number, supplier name, pallet number out of total ("pallet 2 of 5"), and a barcode if your receiving team scans. If you use a standard shipping label format, include a sample.
Pallet and packaging rules. State the pallet size you accept, the maximum height and weight, whether pallets may be double-stacked, and how freight must be wrapped. If mixed SKUs must be separated or labeled by layer, say so.
To see how a BOL gets checked before the truck arrives, read who checks the BOL before pickup.
Delivery appointment rules
For each receiving location, give dock hours, the days it receives, whether it accepts live unloads or drop trailers, and how to book an appointment. Then set the rules:
- Who books the appointment: the carrier, the supplier or your logistics team
- How far in advance appointments must be requested
- What reference number must be used to book (usually your PO number)
- The grace period for late arrivals, and what happens after it
- Whether early arrivals will be worked in or must wait for their slot
- How to reschedule, and how much notice is needed
Appointment rules protect both sides. When a carrier arrives on time and your dock is late, the driver may wait long enough for detention. When the carrier arrives late, it may lose its slot. Writing down the rules makes both cases easier to resolve. See which appointment records support a detention charge for the records that matter when there's a disagreement.
Freight terms and billing
State the freight terms you expect on each type of purchase order and how carriers should bill. If you pay carriers directly, give the third-party billing name and address that must appear on the BOL. If suppliers may prepay and add freight to their invoice, say when that's allowed and what documentation must come with the charge.
How should you handle non-compliance?
Treat non-compliance as a process with four steps: define the violation, record it with evidence, tell the supplier quickly, and apply a consequence that's written in the guide. The goal is fewer violations, not more fees. A supplier who doesn't understand the rule needs a call, not a chargeback.
Define what counts as a violation
List violations in plain terms, for example:
- Using a carrier not in the approved table without approval
- Missing PO number on the BOL or pallet labels
- Shipping without a packing slip
- Arriving without an appointment, or outside the appointment window
- Exceeding pallet height or weight limits
- Shipping before or after the requested ship window
Each one should be something your receiving team can check and record without debate.
Record it with evidence
When a violation happens, record the date, the PO, what was wrong and a photo or document. A note that says "bad labels" won't hold up. A photo of the pallet with no PO number on the label will.
Tell the supplier quickly
Send the supplier a short notice within a day or two, with the evidence and the guide section it breaks. Fast feedback fixes problems while the shipping clerk still remembers the load.
Apply consequences consistently
Common consequences, in order of severity:
- A written notice for a first violation
- Recovery of actual added costs, such as the difference between the unapproved carrier's bill and the approved carrier's rate
- A fixed administrative fee per violation, if your supplier agreements allow it
- A review of the supplier relationship for repeated violations
Whatever you choose, it must match your purchase terms and supplier agreements. Involve purchasing and, if needed, legal before you publish fees. And give suppliers a way to dispute: who to contact, how long they have and what evidence to send.
Mistakes that weaken a routing guide
- Writing it once and never updating it. Carriers change, lanes change and suppliers keep following old instructions.
- Making it too long. A 60-page guide won't be read. Put detail in appendices and keep the main rules short.
- Rules nobody enforces. If the dock accepts unlabeled pallets without comment, the label rule doesn't exist.
- No backup carrier. When the primary carrier can't pick up, suppliers improvise. Tell them what to do instead.
- Fees before training. Charging suppliers for rules they never received damages relationships and invites disputes.
- Ignoring your own sites. Internal plants and warehouses break routing guides too. Hold them to the same rules.
How do you keep the routing guide current?
Give the routing guide a single owner, version every change, and review it on a fixed schedule and whenever a carrier, lane or location changes. An outdated guide is worse than none, because suppliers follow it confidently into the wrong carrier.
Assign an owner
One person in logistics owns the guide. Others can suggest changes, but only the owner publishes a new version. That person also keeps the supplier distribution list.
Version every change
Put a version number and an effective date on the cover page. Keep a change log at the back that says what changed, when and why. When you send an update, summarize the changes in the email so suppliers don't need to compare documents.
Review on a schedule
A quarterly review catches most drift. Use this checklist:
| Review item | What to check | Typical trigger for a change |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier table | Each approved carrier still serves its lanes at the agreed rates | Carrier rate change, service failure, new lane |
| Backup carriers | Each row has a working backup | Primary carrier capacity problems |
| Contacts | Phone numbers and email addresses still work | Staff changes at your company or carriers |
| Dock hours | Receiving hours and appointment process are accurate | New shift schedule or new location |
| Document rules | BOL and label requirements match what receiving needs | New scanning or receiving process |
| Violation log | Which suppliers and rules generate the most violations | Repeated violations on one rule |
| Freight terms | Purchase order terms still match the guide | New supplier agreements |
| Distribution list | Every active supplier received the current version | New suppliers onboarded |
Use violations as feedback
If many suppliers break the same rule, the rule may be unclear or unworkable. Rewrite it, add an example or remove it. A routing guide should get shorter and clearer over time, not longer.
Onboard new suppliers with it
Make the routing guide part of supplier onboarding. Purchasing sends it with the first purchase order, and the supplier confirms receipt before the first shipment. That one step prevents most first-load surprises.
Keep it consistent with what carriers agreed
Your routing guide tells suppliers what to do. Your carrier agreements and rate confirmations tell carriers what you'll pay and what they've agreed to. When the guide promises suppliers a carrier will pick up within one business day, make sure the carrier has agreed to that. The rate confirmation guide covers how booked terms get written down per load.
How does Wilson, by Cartage, help enforce a routing guide?
Wilson, by Cartage, is an AI logistics agent that quotes, books, tracks, audits and pays freight for manufacturers and distributors, applying the company's carrier rules on every load it handles. Traditional logistics software gives teams information. Wilson executes the work required to move shipments forward.
A routing guide is a set of rules. Wilson works from the same kind of rules, set by the company:
- Approved carriers only. Wilson books only carriers the company has approved. Cartage can suggest additional carrier capacity, but the company approves each carrier before Wilson uses it. When a pickup request comes in, Wilson requests quotes from the approved carriers for that load, compares them on total cost and negotiates toward the company's rate targets within approval limits. Rates outside those limits go to the logistics team.
- Booking with written confirmation. Wilson tenders and books the load with written acceptance and a rate confirmation, and schedules the pickup.
- Documents. Wilson generates rate confirmations, bills of lading, packing slips and pallet labels, so the fields the guide requires are filled in from the load record on every shipment it books.
- Tracking and exceptions. Wilson tracks each load with the best source available for that carrier: a carrier API or EDI, GPS or ELD data where the carrier shares it, the carrier's website by PRO number, or email or phone calls when nothing else is current. When a pickup is missed or a carrier cancels, 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.
- Invoices and payment. Wilson requests and files PODs, audits each carrier invoice against the rate confirmation and POD, and pays carriers from the Wilson Wallet. Payments above the approval limits or outside the rules wait for a person.
Wilson works with carriers by email, API, EDI and phone where configured, and with the team in Slack, Microsoft Teams or email. It covers LTL, FTL, ocean, drayage, parcel and cross-border freight. It does not clear customs, it isn't a freight broker and it doesn't plan routes or networks.
Every message, confirmation and change is kept in the shipment's change history. Wilson can produce carrier-performance and lane-rate reports on request from the loads it runs, which helps at the quarterly routing guide review.
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. Teams start with assisted execution, set their own approval limits, and let routine actions run automatically within those rules as the workflow is proven.
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
How do I write a routing guide for our carriers and suppliers?
Start from your shipment history, decide which suppliers' freight you control, and build an approved carrier table by mode, weight and lane. Then write the pickup request process, BOL and label rules, appointment rules and non-compliance steps, test the draft with a few suppliers and publish it with a version number. Wilson, by Cartage, an AI logistics agent, can then book only the approved carriers and generate the required documents on every load it handles.
What is a routing guide in logistics?
A routing guide is a document that tells suppliers and carriers how to ship freight for a company. It covers which carriers to use, how to book, what documents and labels to include, delivery appointment rules and what happens when the rules aren't followed.
How long should a routing guide be?
As short as possible while still answering every question a shipping clerk or dispatcher would ask. Many effective guides fit the main rules in a handful of pages, with samples and location details in appendices.
Should suppliers book carriers directly or go through our logistics team?
It depends on the mode and how much control you need. Parcel and routine LTL often work well with suppliers booking directly on your account. Truckload, volume LTL and cross-border freight usually go through logistics so the load can be quoted and approved first.
Can we charge suppliers for not following the routing guide?
You can if your purchase terms or supplier agreements allow it. Most companies start with written notices and recovery of actual added costs, and only add fixed fees after suppliers have been trained and given a way to dispute.
How often should a routing guide be updated?
Review it at least quarterly, and update it whenever a carrier, lane, location or document requirement changes. Put a version number and effective date on every copy.
What should be on a pallet label in a routing guide?
At minimum, your PO number, the supplier name and the pallet count, such as "pallet 2 of 5." Add a barcode if your receiving team scans, and specify the label size and placement.
Does a routing guide apply to our own plants and warehouses?
It should. Internal sites that ship between locations or to customers create the same cost and receiving problems as outside suppliers when they ignore the rules.
What is the difference between a routing guide and a carrier contract?
A routing guide tells suppliers and your own sites how to ship. A carrier contract or rate agreement sets what the carrier charges and what service it commits to. The two should agree, especially on pickup lead times and appointment rules.
What happens when the approved carrier can't pick up?
The guide should name a backup carrier for each lane and say when the supplier may use it, usually after a set wait and with approval from logistics. Without that rule, suppliers improvise with whatever carrier they know.
Sources
- Cartage, Wilson product FAQ and product scope, October 2026: https://cartage.ai