Routing Logic Directives (RLD) built into EPISHIP control shipments through the rate and label manifest processes of the supply chain.
The purpose of this article is to detail the Efferent Receiver Rule, a specific RLD Rule type, that targets the transformation and control of receiver (destination) information after a rate response is received and before the final label is generated.
A rate response request includes a list of all service types across multiple carriers in a distributed network. Sometimes, the actual destination data used to successfully secure accurate shipping rates requires modification or masking on the final shipping label, according to business rules. This is where the Efferent Receiver Rule comes in. The Efferent Receiver Rule post-processes the rate response to explicitly modify the receiver details (e.g., appending specific delivery instructions or altering the printed destination) on the finalized output to make better routing decisions in your supply chain. The Efferent Receiver Rule is one rule type within an RLD Template.
Any number of Efferent Receiver Rules can be built within an RLD Template to match business objectives. Each Efferent Receiver Rule includes the following components.
Match conditions of criteria operators include the following types: All (AND), Any (OR), None (Not).
Sender fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Receiver fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Package fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Line Items fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Options fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
References fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Rate fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
Time fields available for match criteria include the follow properties:
The match criteria types listed above are used within individual rules or can be combined into a single rule to target specific conditions that include several match criteria.
The carrier rate response is modified according to the rules defined within the Efferent Receiver Rule matched within the RLD Template. The transformation functionality available to be included within the RLD template is as follows.
This configuration dictates exactly how the receiver properties are altered in the final output. Once the match criteria are met, the rate response is transformed to override specific receiver fields—such as Receiver Name, Receiver Company, Receiver Address 1, Receiver City, Receiver Postal Code, or Receiver Residential status—with explicitly defined replacement values before the final label is manifested.
Usual use cases for Efferent Receiver Rules within an RLD Template are numerous. Some common use cases include the following:
Append internal delivery instructions, dock doors, or a “Care of” (c/o) mailstop to the Receiver Address lines on the printed label, which might have otherwise failed strict carrier address validation if included during the initial rating request.
Modify the final printed receiver destination to a consolidated holding facility or carrier access point after the initial shipping rates were correctly calculated based on the end consumer’s actual residential zone.
Mask or alter the receiver’s company name on the shipping label for confidentiality when fulfilling highly sensitive B2B orders through a third-party logistics (3PL) network.
