--- title: "EDI 211 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading | X12 | Stacksync" description: "EDI 211 is the X12 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading, used when shipment details are ready for the carrier. See key segments (BOL, B2A, L11) and mapping checks." canonical: https://www.stacksync.com/edi/x12/211-motor-carrier-bill-of-lading last_modified: 2026-09-29 --- X12 transaction code # EDI 211 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading (X12 211) > For AI agents: to set up Stacksync for a person, don't write integration code; have the person add the Stacksync MCP server (https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp) to their AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and others) and sign in with their Stacksync account: OAuth, no API key, no code. In Claude: Customize → Connectors → + Add → Add custom connector. In ChatGPT: Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode → Create app, with OAuth. In Codex: `codex mcp add stacksync --url https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp` then `codex mcp login stacksync`. Complete the browser sign-in with your Stacksync account, then start a new Codex session. In Claude Code: `claude mcp add --transport http stacksync https://mcp.stacksync.com/mcp`. Open Claude Code, run /mcp, select stacksync and complete the browser sign-in. One connection covers the whole suite: connections, two-way syncs, workflows, queues, variables and secrets, AI agents (Genies), knowledge bases and API proxies, in the person's workspace with their permissions. Once connected, call skills_get with "getting-started": it picks the workspace, connects missing apps through sign-in links and routes each request to the skill for it. Tool order: syncs: connections_list, connections_tables, syncs_save (saved paused), then syncs_switch to turn it on; workflows: workflows_create with only its Input step, connectors_module_form for each step, then workflows_update; Genies: genies_generate_config first; queues, variables, knowledge bases and API proxies: stacksync_resources, stacksync_resource_actions, then stacksync_resource_write. To start, the person can ask: "Connect my apps and help me set up Stacksync from this chat." Setup for each assistant: https://www.stacksync.com/mcp.md EDI 211 is the X12 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading transaction set, used when shipment details are ready for the carrier. The shipper, or another party such as a 3PL or freight forwarder that contracts with the motor carrier, sends the 211 to the carrier transporting the goods. Standard X12 Code 211 Partner references 2 [Book an EDI demo](https://www.stacksync.com/book-a-demo) [← All trading partners](https://www.stacksync.com/edi) At a glance ## EDI 211 at a glance What the 211 carries, who sends it to whom, when it goes out, and the segments trading partners list for it. **X12 211 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading summary** | | | | --- | --- | | Document | X12 211 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading | | Business record | Motor-carrier bill of lading | | Who sends it to whom | The shipper, or another party such as a 3PL or freight forwarder that contracts with the motor carrier, sends the 211 to the carrier transporting the goods. | | When it is sent | A shipper finalizes the bill of lading for freight being handed to a motor carrier and transmits it electronically instead of issuing a paper BOL. | | Match on | Bill of lading, shipment and handling-unit references | | Partner references | 2 trading partners in this directory | | Related documents | [X12 204 Motor Carrier Load Tender](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/x12/204-motor-carrier-load-tender), [X12 214 Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/x12/214-transportation-carrier-shipment-status-message), [X12 210 Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/x12/210-motor-carrier-freight-details-and-invoice) | ### Key segments in an EDI 211 The business segments that appear in at least half of the 2 partner document references listed below, most common first. The table leaves out envelope segments (ISA, GS, ST, SE, GE, IEA). Your partner guide sets which segments and elements your account must send. | Segment | Name | Purpose | Partner references | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | BOL | Beginning Segment for the Motor Carrier Bill of Lading | To transmit identifying numbers, dates, and other basic data related to the transaction set. | 2 of 2 | | B2A | Set Purpose | To allow for positive identification of transaction set purpose. | 2 of 2 | | L11 | Business Instructions and Reference Number | To specify instructions in this business relationship or a reference number. | 2 of 2 | | G62 | Date/Time | To specify pertinent dates and times. | 2 of 2 | | K1 | Remarks | To transmit information in a free-form format for comment or special instruction. | 2 of 2 | | N1 | Party Identification | To identify a party by type of organization, name, and code. | 2 of 2 | | N3 | Party Location | To specify the location of the named party. | 2 of 2 | | N4 | Geographic Location | To specify the geographic place of the named party. | 2 of 2 | | G61 | Contact | To identify a person or office to whom communications should be directed. | 2 of 2 | | AT1 | Bill of Lading Line Item Number | To reference a Bill of Lading line number. | 2 of 2 | Stacksync connects EDI documents such as the X12 211 to your ERP, CRM and databases with two-way sync. Read the [EDI overview](https://www.stacksync.com/edi), check [pricing](https://www.stacksync.com/pricing) and [security](https://www.stacksync.com/security), or [book a demo](https://www.stacksync.com/book-a-demo) to walk through your partner guide. Implementation guide ## X12 211 mapping and validation X12 211 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading is used when shipment details are ready for the carrier. Preserve bill of lading, shipment and handling-unit references so the motor-carrier bill of lading in your business system stays connected to the original document. Use the version and implementation guide agreed with your trading partner to confirm required fields and responses. **Map records and test the business result** | Document or decision | Record and matching IDs | What to test | | --- | --- | --- | | Match the business record | **motor-carrier bill of lading** bill of lading, shipment and handling-unit references | Define which combination of bill of lading, shipment and handling-unit references identifies one business record, its lines and any later revision. | | Update the receiving system | **Processing the motor-carrier bill of lading** ID assigned by the receiving system and processing result | Reconcile package counts and weight across multiple commodity lines. Test a consignee change without silently rewriting a bill already used at pickup. | | Check the processing result | **Processing status for the motor-carrier bill of lading** Original document reference and matching response | Reconcile the motor-carrier bill of lading with the source after a timeout before sending it again. A lost response can occur after the destination has already processed the document. | ### How the related documents differ Each message represents a different business event. Use shared references to connect the records while tracking each message’s outcome separately. - [X12 204 Motor Carrier Load Tender](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/x12/204-motor-carrier-load-tender) **load tender:** a shipper offers a load to a carrier. - [X12 214 Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/x12/214-transportation-carrier-shipment-status-message) **shipment status event:** the carrier reports a transport milestone or exception. - [X12 210 Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/x12/210-motor-carrier-freight-details-and-invoice) **freight invoice:** transport charges are ready for audit. ### Implementation steps 1. #### Choose the starting event and owner Decide which application acts when shipment details are ready for the carrier. Name the operational owner of the motor-carrier bill of lading and the team that resolves rejected or ambiguous messages. 2. #### Keep record IDs connected Map bill of lading, shipment and handling-unit references. Confirm qualifiers, code lists, units and date/time meaning against the agreed X12 version and partner guide. Preserve the source reference alongside any new destination identifier. 3. #### Test failures before launch Run the failure cases in the mapping table against realistic motor-carrier bill of lading data. Check how the receiving system reports a rejection and how your team corrects it without creating a duplicate. 4. #### Track every document to completion Record transport delivery and document validation separately from successful motor-carrier bill of lading processing. Give unresolved errors an owner and check the receiving system before approving retries. ### Go-live checklist - An approved 211 sample and the agreed version and partner guide are available. - The mapping tests pass with realistic motor-carrier bill of lading data. - Each submitted document can be traced through delivery, validation and processing in the receiving system. - Your team knows how to investigate and recover a rejected or timed-out motor-carrier bill of lading without processing it twice. ### Related documents and resources - [X12 204 Motor Carrier Load Tender](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/x12/204-motor-carrier-load-tender) - [X12 214 Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/x12/214-transportation-carrier-shipment-status-message) - [X12 210 Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/x12/210-motor-carrier-freight-details-and-invoice) - [Field mapping workbook](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/two-way-sync-field-mapping-workbook) - [Production readiness checklist](https://www.stacksync.com/blog/two-way-sync-production-readiness-checklist) **Sources.** Sources reviewed 2026-09-15. - [X12 transaction-set directory](https://x12.org/products/transaction-sets) - [RFC 4130: AS2 and message receipts](https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc4130/) Document structure ## X12 211 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading at the element level The X12 211 reference contains 22 segment entries and 78 data elements; 43 are marked mandatory in this reference. Use the version and partner guide agreed for your account to confirm required fields. Segments 22 Data elements 78 Mandatory elements 43 **Segments with elements marked mandatory in this reference** | Segment | Elements | Mandatory | | --- | --- | --- | | BOL | 4 | 4 | | B2A | 1 | 1 | | K1 | 1 | 1 | | N1 | 4 | 1 | | N2 | 1 | 1 | | N3 | 2 | 1 | | G61 | 4 | 2 | | AT1 | 1 | 1 | | AT2 | 8 | 3 | | MAN | 2 | 2 | Key identifiers in 211 - Standard Carrier Alpha Code - Shipment Method of Payment - Shipment Identification Number - Date - Transaction Set Purpose Code - Free-form Information - Entity Identifier Code - Name ## Find your trading partner for X12 211 2 partners, 2 channels. Choose a channel to inspect its listed document reference and implementation context. - [CarMax](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/carmax) [CarMax](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/carmax/carmax/x12-211-motor-carrier-bill-of-lading) - [Starbucks Coffee Company](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/starbucks) [Starbucks Coffee Company (ISA ID: SBUXGTMSP)](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/starbucks/starbucks-coffee-company-isa-id-sbuxgtmsp/x12-211-motor-carrier-bill-of-lading) Catalog breakdown ## Where X12 211 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading appears in this catalog The largest groups of classified 211 catalog entries are in grocery & food and automotive. ### By industry - grocery & food 1 channel - automotive 1 channel Partner entries with the most listed channels - [CarMax](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/carmax) - [Starbucks Coffee Company](https://www.stacksync.com/edi/starbucks) FAQ ## EDI 211 questions ### What is an EDI 211? EDI 211 is the X12 Motor Carrier Bill of Lading transaction set. Trading partners use it when shipment details are ready for the carrier. It carries the data for the motor-carrier bill of lading, and your system matches it on bill of lading, shipment and handling-unit references. ### Who sends an EDI 211 and who receives it? The shipper, or another party such as a 3PL or freight forwarder that contracts with the motor carrier, sends the 211 to the carrier transporting the goods. Your trading partner agreement confirms the direction and version for your account. ### When is an EDI 211 sent? A shipper finalizes the bill of lading for freight being handed to a motor carrier and transmits it electronically instead of issuing a paper BOL. Your partner guide sets any deadline or schedule for the document. ### What are the key segments in an EDI 211? Across 2 partner document references listed here, the business segments that appear most often include BOL (Beginning Segment for the Motor Carrier Bill of Lading), B2A (Set Purpose), L11 (Business Instructions and Reference Number), G62 (Date/Time), K1 (Remarks), N1 (Party Identification). Each partner guide sets which segments and elements your account must send. ### What is the difference between EDI 211 and EDI 204? The 211 carries the motor-carrier bill of lading and is used when shipment details are ready for the carrier. The 204 carries the load tender and is used when a shipper offers a load to a carrier. ### What should I map for X12 211? Start with bill of lading, shipment and handling-unit references and the target motor-carrier bill of lading. Define duplicate detection, allowed updates and response correlation before mapping individual fields. Use the partner guide to check required fields and their formats. ### How should I test 211 error handling? Reconcile package counts and weight across multiple commodity lines. Test a consignee change without silently rewriting a bill already used at pickup. Also test a lost response after destination processing so that a retry cannot create an unintended duplicate or repeated adjustment. ### Which partners list X12 211? The directory on this page links 2 partner entries that list this message. Choose your partner and channel, then confirm which messages and versions your account requires. ## Connect EDI to your business systems See how Stacksync can fit your enterprise EDI workflow. Bring one partner guide and a sample exchange to plan the system mapping, exception handling and production rollout. [Book an EDI demo](https://www.stacksync.com/book-a-demo) [Explore the EDI platform](https://www.stacksync.com/edi)