Handle EDI 753 Request for Routing through AIMS360 ERP's native EDI integration
EDI 753 · Request for Routing Instructions
EDI 753 is the electronic Request for Routing Instructions a supplier sends to a retailer on collect or retailer-routed freight. It tells the retailer a purchase order is packed and ready, and asks the retailer to assign the carrier. AIMS360 builds and sends the 753 natively, with no VAN and no middleware.
Definition
Short answer
The EDI 753 Request for Routing Instructions is an ANSI X12 transaction a supplier sends to a retailer or distributor to request shipping and carrier instructions before a shipment moves. It is used when the retailer, not the supplier, controls inbound freight. The 753 reports what is ready to ship, and the retailer replies with an EDI 754 Routing Instructions that names the carrier and pickup window.
On a standard prepaid shipment, the supplier picks the carrier and simply ships. On collect or retailer-routed freight, the retailer wants to control how goods reach its distribution centers, so it can consolidate loads and hold down transportation costs. The EDI 753 is how that handoff starts: it tells the retailer a purchase order is packed, and it hands over the shipment details the retailer needs to book a carrier.
A 753 always ties back to a purchase order. It follows the EDI 850 Purchase Order and comes before the EDI 997 acknowledgment and the shipment itself. Sent late, or with the wrong weights and carton counts, it stalls the load and puts the ship window (and your retailer scorecard) at risk.
How it works
Routing is a short back-and-forth between you and the retailer. Four transactions carry it, and each one has a plain-English job.
Step 1
The retailer sends the order. You confirm it and begin picking and packing against the ship window.
Step 2
Once cartons are packed, you send the 753 with weight, carton and pallet counts, cube, ready date and ship-from. This asks the retailer to assign a carrier.
Step 3
The retailer replies with the 754: the assigned carrier, the pickup or delivery window, and a routing reference you must carry forward.
Step 4
You release the shipment on the assigned carrier and send the advance ship notice, matched to the 753 and 754 so the details line up.
The retailer also returns an EDI 997 Functional Acknowledgment to confirm it received your 753. The 997 confirms delivery of the file, not agreement with it, so the 754 is the transaction you wait on before you move freight.
Timing is tight. Retailers commonly give a narrow window to submit routing and expect the 754 back within a day or two. Miss the window and the load can slip past its ship dates, which is one of the most common ways brands rack up routing chargebacks.
Example
A 753 is a structured X12 file. You will not hand-build it in AIMS360, but it helps to know what it carries. These are the key segments and what each one does in plain English.
Open the transaction and carry the routing request reference number and date.
The ship-from party: where the goods are picked up.
The ship-to location: the retailer distribution center the load is bound for.
Geographic detail for those locations, such as city, state and postal code.
Start the shipment detail and give the pickup date window, the earliest and latest ready dates.
Unit shipping information such as pallet and carton counts, plus order-level detail tying back to the purchase order.
Total weight and cube, so the retailer can size the load and assign the right carrier.
Closes the transaction and counts the segments to validate the file.
Rule of thumb
The ANSI ASC X12 standard defines the 753 structure, but every retailer sets its own mandatory fields in its vendor guide. Always validate a 753 against the specific partner's implementation guide before you send it. AIMS360 builds the file from your order data and maps it to each retailer's rules for you.
Trading partners
Any retailer that controls its own inbound freight can require a routing request. Below are trading partners that use EDI 753 routing and connect to AIMS360 natively. Select one to see the full document flow for that retailer.
Belk
Bulk and dropship, apparel, footwear, home and beauty. AIMS360 generates the 753 routing, 850 orders and 856 ASNs automatically.
See Belk EDI › Vendor CentralAmazon
On collect freight, Amazon Vendor Central requires a 753 routing request, then returns the 754 with the carrier and Amazon Reference Number.
See Amazon EDI › Routed freightKohl's
Kohl's controls inbound transportation and uses 753 routing for bulk shipments, alongside dropship and vendor-managed inventory.
See Kohl's EDI › Routed freightDick's Sporting Goods
Dick's routes inbound loads to its distribution centers and uses 753 requests for retail and dropship purchase orders.
See Dick's EDI › Routed freightJCPenney
JCPenney manages inbound routing for apparel and home goods, so suppliers request routing with the 753 before shipping.
See JCPenney EDI › Exchange routingArmy & Air Force Exchange
AAFES publishes its own 753 routing requirements for vendors shipping to its exchanges. AIMS360 handles the AAFES document set end to end.
See AAFES EDI › Exchange routingNavy Exchange (NEXCOM)
NEXCOM requires a 753 Request for Routing Instructions from vendors. AIMS360 automates NEXCOM orders, routing, ASNs and invoicing.
See NEXCOM EDI › Full list350+ EDI retailers
Routing rules differ by partner and can change by season. Browse every retailer AIMS360 connects to, or ask about one you do not see.
Browse all retailers ›Home Depot and Lowe's route their own inbound freight with the 753 as well, and military exchanges use it for their vendor programs. Routing requirements are set by each retailer and can change, so always confirm the current rules against the partner's vendor guide. If you sell into a retailer that is not listed, AIMS360 adds new EDI retailers to major retailers regularly, so ask and we will check.
Compare
They are two halves of one conversation. The 753 is your request. The 754 is the retailer's answer.
Request for Routing Instructions · supplier to retailer
Routing Instructions · retailer to supplier
You do not choose the carrier on routed freight. The 754 does. Shipping against anything other than the routing the retailer returned is a frequent cause of chargebacks, so the two documents have to stay in lockstep. When you are ready, the shipment closes out with the order-to-ship document set matched across the 753, 754 and 856.
In AIMS360
AIMS360 EDI is native and in-house. The routing request pulls straight from your order and packing data, so you are not re-keying carton counts into a portal or paying a gateway to pass the file along.
Weights, carton and pallet counts, cube and ship-from populate from the packed order in AIMS360, so the 753 is accurate the first time.
The 753 and 754 run through AIMS360's built-in EDI, not a third-party value-added network, so there is no gateway sitting between you and the retailer.
When the retailer returns the 754, the carrier and routing reference carry forward automatically into your ASN, keeping the documents matched.
Routing volume does not come with a per-transaction surcharge, so peak season shipping does not inflate your EDI bill.
Purchase order, routing request, routing instructions, ship notice and invoice all live in the same system, so nothing is stranded in a separate EDI tool. That is the visibility consumer brands need to ship on time to major retailers and keep scorecards clean.
Compliance
Routing is where a clean order can still turn into a deduction. Most 753 problems trace back to a handful of avoidable mistakes.
Missing the routing window. Retailers give a set window to submit the 753 and expect the 754 back within a day or two. Send the request late and the load can miss its ship dates, which triggers a late-shipment deduction even when the goods were ready.
Wrong shipment data. If the weight, carton count or cube on the 753 does not match the carrier's actual pickup, the routing can be reworked or refused. Pulling those numbers from the packed order rather than typing them into a portal removes most of that risk.
Shipping off-routing. Once the 754 comes back, that carrier and window are the rule. Using a different carrier, or shipping outside the window, is one of the most common routing chargebacks.
Documents that do not match. The 856 ship notice has to reflect the 753 and 754. When the routing reference, carrier or carton detail drift apart across those documents, the shipment gets flagged. Handling all of them in one system, the way AIMS360 does with its built-in EDI and chargeback tools, keeps them aligned.
FAQ
EDI 753 is used to request routing and carrier instructions from a retailer before a shipment moves. It applies to collect and retailer-routed freight, where the retailer controls inbound transportation. The 753 tells the retailer a purchase order is packed and reports the weight, carton and pallet counts and ready date the retailer needs to assign a carrier.
The supplier sends the EDI 753 to the retailer. It is a request, so it flows from the party shipping the goods to the party controlling the freight. The retailer answers with an EDI 754 Routing Instructions that names the carrier and pickup window.
The EDI 753 is the supplier's request for routing. The EDI 754 is the retailer's response. The 753 carries shipment details and asks for a carrier. The 754 comes back with the assigned carrier, the SCAC code, the pickup or delivery window and a routing reference the supplier must carry onto the ship notice.
Retailers that control their own inbound freight commonly require it, including Belk, Amazon Vendor Central, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, and the Army & Air Force Exchange and Navy Exchange. Requirements are set by each retailer and can change, so confirm the current rules in the partner's vendor guide. You can browse every retailer AIMS360 connects to on the EDI retailers page.
No. The 753 requests routing before the shipment moves. The advance ship notice, EDI 856, is sent after the goods are on the assigned carrier and confirms exactly what is shipping. Both are needed on a routed shipment, and their details have to match.
A late 753 can push the shipment past its ship window because the retailer still needs time to return the 754 and book a carrier. That can trigger a late-shipment chargeback and hurt your vendor scorecard, even when the goods were packed on time. Submitting routing as soon as cartons are ready is the safest habit.
No. AIMS360 EDI is native and in-house, so the 753 and 754 run through the platform without a third-party value-added network or middleware layer, and without per-document fees. The routing request builds from your order and packing data inside AIMS360.
No. The 753 is a request for routing sent before a carrier is assigned. A bill of lading is the shipping document that travels with the freight once the carrier is set. On routed freight, the routing the retailer returns on the 754 informs the carrier and details that end up on the bill of lading.
Code 753 in EDI is the ANSI X12 Request for Routing Instructions. It is the transaction a supplier sends a retailer to ask for carrier and routing details before shipping on collect or routed freight. In the routing exchange it sits between the EDI 850 purchase order and the EDI 754 routing instructions the retailer sends back.
For collect-freight shipments, Amazon expects the 753 routing request by 10 a.m. Pacific the day before the last day of the ship window. Amazon then returns the EDI 754 with the assigned carrier and the Amazon Reference Number, usually within 24 to 48 hours. Confirm the current cutoff in Vendor Central, since retailer rules change. See the full flow on the Amazon integration page.
Native in-house EDI for consumer brands. Build routing requests from your own order data, keep the 753, 754 and 856 matched, and ship on time to major retailers without VAN fees.
Last reviewed July 2026. Routing requirements vary by retailer and are subject to change.
