Overview
The EPISHIP Carrier Surcharges API lets you manage and audit the extensive library of accessorial fees and surcharges imposed by carriers. You can develop applications that integrate with EPISHIP to normalize disparate carrier fee descriptions into standardized groups, audit invoice line items against known surcharge lists, and validate anticipated costs for specific shipping scenarios.
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The following figure shows the relationship between your EPISHIP app, the EPISHIP API, and Carrier Surcharge services.
Figure 1. EPISHIP API relationship diagram. Surcharge normalization and retrieval flow.
EPISHIP App
EPISHIP’s surcharge management provides financial transparency by categorizing thousands of carrier-specific fees into high-level groups. This allows administrators to run reports on specific cost drivers like “Fuel” or “Additional Handling” across their entire network.
EPISHIP API
The REST API that allows users to list, sort, and retrieve surcharge definitions programmatically, serving as the dictionary that maps raw carrier invoice text to structured financial data.
Surcharge Grouping
A system that aggregates specific line items into broader categories (e.g., categorizing “Dry Ice,” “Lithium Batteries,” and “Hazardous Material” under the “Dangerous Goods” group), simplifying financial reporting and analytics.
Invoice Mapping
A dedicated capability within the API that utilizes `csv_names` to map variations of carrier invoice text (e.g., “VAT on Advancement Fee” vs “VAT on Ancillary”) to a single, canonical Surcharge ID, ensuring accurate auditing even when carriers slightly alter their billing descriptions.
What can users do with the EPISHIP Carrier Surcharges API?
Users can use the EPISHIP Carrier Surcharges API to perform common workflows, such as:
- Retrieve a list of all available surcharge groups (e.g., Fuel, Residential, Delivery Area)
- Get a paginated list of specific surcharges filtered by carrier
- Search for surcharges by name to audit specific fees
- Retrieve the full details of a specific surcharge record by ID
- Map raw invoice text to standardized “Common Charge IDs”
- Identify specific codes associated with surcharges for rating logic
Surcharge properties available to view and filter through the EPISHIP Carrier Surcharges API:
- Surcharge ID & Common Charge ID
- Carrier Name
- Charge Group (e.g., Additional Handling)
- Display Name
- CSV Names (Mapped invoice text variations)
- Carrier Code (if applicable)