Paperwork and Label Options With XPO
Descartes Pacejet supports both carrier-specific paperwork from XPO and templates managed in the Pacejet self-service shipping paperwork library. In most cases, Descartes strongly recommends the self-service options in Pacejet because they are easier to maintain, work across carriers and give administrators more control over formatting and data.
Bill of Lading Options
XPO provides a carrier-specific bill of lading through the integration. Even so, Descartes recommends using the self-service shipping paperwork bill of lading for day-to-day operations. For more detail about that recommendation, see "Why Pacejet Recommends Self-Service Paperwork for Your Bill of Lading".
If your workflow requires the XPO carrier-specific bill of lading, Pacejet maps the appropriate shipment data into the document, retrieves the bill of lading during processing and prints it automatically when printing is configured for the shipment workflow.
Note: Use the XPO carrier-specific bill of lading only when your operational or customer requirements call for the carrier form.
Example carrier-specific Bill of Lading for a shipment with XPO
Example self-service shipping paperwork Bill of Lading for a shipment with XPO
Label Options
XPO also provides a carrier-specific pallet label format through the integration. Descartes recommends using self-service shipping paperwork labels instead, and the Shipping Label 4x6 template is a good fit for many workflows.
If an XPO label is required, Pacejet maps the shipment data to the XPO label and can print it automatically. XPO only supports an 8.5 x 11 formatted label.
Warning: XPO does not support a 4 x 6 carrier-specific label format. Use of the XPO Label requires the Pacejet Printer Type to be PDF. Any other option such as ZPLII will cause the shipment to fail.
Example carrier-specific pallet label for a shipment with XPO
(only available in an 8.5 x 11 format from the carrier)
Example self-service shipping paperwork Shipping Label 4x6 for a shipment with XPO
(also available in other sizes and customizable by administrators)
Why Descartes Recommends Self-Service Templates
Administrators should use document and label templates in the self-service shipping paperwork library whenever possible. A shared template approach keeps paperwork consistent across carriers and reduces the amount of carrier-specific setup that has to be maintained over time.
They support multi-carrier workflows.
They are often more complete than carrier-specific versions.
They simplify training and support because teams do not need to work with different carrier documents and labels.
They can be customized by administrators.
They can be extended with additional data elements or formatting when new requirements come up.
This approach gives teams a more consistent document set across shipping operations while still leaving the XPO carrier-specific options available when they are needed.