How to Build a Routing Guide That Actually Works

A routing guide is the rulebook your suppliers and carriers use to ship your goods. It tells them which carriers to use, what modes are allowed, how to label and pack, and what counts as a chargeable mistake. Done well, it cuts surprises out of your supply chain. Done poorly, it sits in a Dropbox folder while your team eats freight chargebacks every month.

Blog Copy Highlight Section

What a routing guide actually contains

A good routing guide is short, specific, and unambiguous. Suppliers should be able to read it once and ship correctly. The basics most guides need:

Approved carriers and modes (parcel, LTL, full truckload, ocean)

Service levels (next-day, ground, economy) and when each one applies

Pickup and appointment windows

Labeling requirements (UCC-128, GS1, BOL formats)

Packaging and palletization rules

Documentation requirements (commercial invoices, BOLs, ASNs)

Chargeback schedule for violations

How to write one suppliers and carriers will follow

The best guides are written so a new vendor can comply on the first shipment. Lead with the rule, not the rationale. Use examples instead of long paragraphs. Make consequences explicit, including dollar amounts for chargebacks. And get sign-off from your 3PL and your main carriers before you publish, since they have to enforce most of it.

How to keep it current

Refresh quarterly at minimum. Audit chargebacks against the guide every month. Chargebacks tell you where reality is drifting from what the document says. Update whenever you add a new carrier, switch a service level, or change a packaging standard. And distribute a changelog, not just a new PDF, so partners know what changed without reading the whole thing.

How a 3PL fits into your routing guide

A 3PL reads from your routing guide every day. The cleaner the guide, the fewer pricing surprises and the better the on-time rates. 3PL Center can help you draft one if you do not have a guide yet, or pressure-test the one you already use. Common fields we need from any guide: carrier preferences, service levels, dim weight thresholds, hazmat handling, and lot tracking rules for regulated SKUs.

Blog Post FAQ Section