When Shipment Errors Happen
A Shipment document, also called an Advance Ship Notice or ASN, tells your Customer what is in a shipment and when it is coming. Shipment errors show up at three points; before you send, during validation in SPS systems, or after the document is sent to your customer.
This article covers the most common causes and the steps to fix each one.
Start with the error check tool. It points you at the field that needs attention.
One rule matters more than any other. Once Shipment is sent, you cannot edit it, recall it, or delete it. See Correcting a Sent Shipment below for what to do instead.
Before You Start
Confirm the following before you edit or resend anything:
Open the Shipment in edit mode. You cannot fix fields from the read-only view.
Switch to Full view. Select the SHORT button at the top left. Full view shows every field section.
Find the matching purchase order (PO). Several fixes depend on values from the PO.
Check whether the Shipment has already been sent. If it has, use the correction steps instead of editing.
Preventing Shipment Errors
Working these best practices into your work flow will catch most Shipment errors before they start:
• Run the Check for Errors tool before you send any Shipment document.
• Switch to Full View so all missing fields are shown right away.
• Type values into reference and description fields. Do not paste them.
• Confirm the Pack Quantity divides evenly into the Shipped Quantity.
Step 1: Run the Check for Errors Tool
Always run the built-in Check for Errors tool before sending any shipment. It finds and highlights most problems in a few seconds.
• Open the Shipment in edit mode.
• Select the exclamation mark (!) icon at the top right.
Look for fields that are highlighted in red or yellow. These are missing or invalid.
Turn on the Continuous Check for Errors to have fields missing data highlight automatically.
If the icon is greyed out, and you want to enable manual checking, select the gear icon and uncheck Continuous Check for Errors to turn it off.
Switch to Full view before you run the check. Collapsed sections hide required fields.
After correcting an error, always re-run the error check before you resend the shipment.
Step 2: Resolve Common Errors
After completing a check for errors, you may run into some of the following common errors, complete the following troubleshooting steps to manage these common issues.
Missing Required Fields
Every field with a red asterisk must be filled out. The Shipment will not allow you to send until each one is filled in.
Common fields people miss most often are:
Carrier Name
Bill of Lading (BOL), Carrier PRO, or Tracking Number (Usually at least one is required)
Shipped Date
Ship-To Location ID
CarrierAlphaCode
PackingMedium
LadingQuantity.
Enter a number in Ship-To Location ID, not a name.
Check the PO for the correct ID. If the PO does not list one, leave the field blank.
Add the correct SCAC code to CarrierAlphaCode
For Walmart Shipments, this field is required.
Invalid or Hidden Characters
Special characters and invisible characters both cause errors. They usually arrive when you copy text from another program, such as a spreadsheet.
Remove any accented or non-English characters from product descriptions and reference fields.
Type Berube instead of Bérubé
Only standard English letters, numbers, and basic punctuation are accepted
Remove trailing spaces from fields. This is a common issue when pasting from other tools and websites.
Vendor Name and Ship-To Name are common fields this error occurs.
Delete the value and retype it. Do not paste it back in.
Fix hidden line breaks/hard returns in product descriptions.
These cause ReferenceID errors.
Open the item record, delete the description, retype it without line breaks, then resend.
Retype the Equipment Number field by hand if you see error TD303.
Delete the value first. Pasting can carry hidden formatting.
Pack/Carton Quantity Errors
Pack errors happen when the shipped quantity and the pack size do not divide evenly. Check both numbers before you resend.
Make sure the Shipped Quantity (total number of the item being shipped) is divided evenly by the Quantity per Carton (total number of the item in each carton).
Adjust one or both values until the result is a whole number.
Example: If you are shipping 4 boxes of hats with 2 hats in each box, your Quantity per Carton would be 2 (in each of the 4 boxes), and your Shipped Quantity would be 8.
The error Unable to Split Items into Packs occurs when the quantity being shipped does not fit the pack size.
Change the shipped quantity or the pack size so they match.
Set Pack Type to Single if Quantity per Carton keeps resetting to the shipped quantity. This stops the system from matching them automatically.
Never enter a quantity of zero. Delete the line for any item you are not shipping.
BOL, Carrier Reference, and Tracking Number Errors
For most of your customers, at least one of the Bill of Lading (BOL), Carrier Reference, or Tracking Number are required for every shipment, you do not need all three.
Clear the BOL field completely if it looks empty but still shows as an error.
Any remaining spaces will show as invalid characters.
Use the Carrier PRO/Tracking# field(s) for parcel shipments with no BOL.
Remove the BOL value and resend if the field causes errors and your customer does not require it.
Line Sequence Number Errors
The Line Sequence Number (may also be shown as LineSequenceNumber) ties each Shipment line back to an item line on the Order.
The system checks your line number (CUSTOMER_LINE_NUM) first. If that is not available, it uses your customer's line number (PO_LINE_NUM).
Every shipment line must contain a Line Sequence Number.
It must be numbers only.
Use digits 0 through 9 only.
Contain no more than six characters.
For the error LineSequenceNumber before ending ShipmentLine, the item is not on the Order or the line numbers do not match with the Order.
Compare every Shipment item and line number against the Order.
Check the Shipping Serial or Tracking ID field (also called MarksAndNumbers1). Letters or symbols here also trigger LineSequenceNumber errors.
Only use numbers in these field.
Missing Vendor Number/GS1 Prefix Errors
If you are unable to create an ASN and get an error noting a missing GS1 prefix, you are missing a GS1 prefix or vendor override for this trading partner.
A GS1 prefix is used to create the barcode numbers on your labels (GS1-128 labels). Without one, you cannot create the Shipment.
Go to Settings > GS1 Prefix and enter a valid prefix (provided by GS1).
If you do not have your own prefix, go to Settings > GS1 Prefix > Create Override. Select the customer you want to create the override for, then enter the vendor or manufacturer ID exactly as it was given to you by that customer.
Hierarchy and Pack Structure Errors
Every Shipment you create is built in parts, which are also called levels. Each level has to be present and filled in before the document will validate.
For the error At OrderLevel, required PackLevel information is missing, part of your Shipment (a level) is missing or incomplete.
Confirm that all levels (Shipment, Order, Pack, and Item) are present and completely filled in.
For expect PackingMedium before ending QuantityAndWeight or Missing element: expect LadingQuantity, information is missing from your pack.
Enter a valid PackingMedium such as CTN (carton) or PLT (pallet).
Then enter the LadingQuantity (number items or carton/packs) in the shipment/pack section.
Carrier Account Errors
Some errors come from the carrier account, not the Shipment itself. The message usually names the carrier.
For the error A shipping carrier error occurred: The connection appears to be invalid (UPS), the account needs re-verification.
Sign in to UPS.com, go to Accounts and Payment, add your shipper account, and verify it through Invoice Data Verification.
Then remove and re-add the UPS account in Settings > Carrier Service.
For an unauthorized carrier error, confirm your customer approves that carrier for that shipment type.
If the carrier is incorrect, remove the carrier and add an approved one.
Handling Partial Shipments and Multiple Shipment Documents
An Order can need more than one Shipment. Whether you don't have all of the product, or the Shipment requires multiple trucks, each Shipment document you send should reflect only what is being shipped at that time in that truck.
Include only the items in the current shipment. Delete any item you are not shipping.
Do not set the quantity to zero.
Create a separate Shipment for backordered items when they are ready to ship.
When creating multiple ASNs, Fulfillment gives the full quantity to the first Shipment, which can leave later Shipments at zero.
Work from the original draft of your Shipment when you create the second one.
Remove any items from the Shipment document that are not being shipped.
If a Shipment document was sent before, check the item totals on the new Shipment and make sure it matches what was sent in other shipments and the Order.
Item totals from all of your sent Shipment(s) should add up match the number of items on the Order.
Step 3: Correcting a Shipment You've Already Sent
A transmitted Shipment cannot be edited, recalled, or deleted. If your Customer asks for a replacement document, create a new one.
Some customers have their own rules for corrected Shipments. Petco drop-ship and Walmart are two examples. Ask your Customer whether they want a corrected copy or will fix it on their end.
If your customer requires you to resend the Shipment use the following steps:
Archive the incorrect Shipment.
This is optional, but it keeps your dashboard clean.
Locate the Order and select New under the Shipment section.
Select User Entry, then expand to Full view.
If the shipment has already left, you will need the same label numbers as the ones you used for shipping, you must:
Check the Using Own Label Numbers box before you add any pack information.
Enter the original Container IDs (Shipping label numbers) from the first Shipment.
Make your corrections and confirm every required field has the correct information.
Save the document as a draft then check that the label and data are accurate before you send.
If you haven't already notified them, tell your customer to disregard the previous Shipment.
More Information
Check out the Fulfillment Collection to see all Fulfillment articles.
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