How to set up a FedEx Freight Baseline account [Step-by-Step guide]

Modified on Fri, 1 Nov at 5:49 PM

WARNING: This article refers to FedEx REST connections. FedEx has discontinued generating SOAP API keys, so the process reflected is for FedEx REST keys.

WARNING: If you already requested FedEx Small Parcel keys for your account:

- DO NOT request them again, since doing it, you will reset your current functional keys and prevent them from working
- Have at hand the e-mail that FedEx sent to the account contact when the Small Parcel Keys were requested

When setting up an FedEx Carrier account, you will have to:

NOTE: This article describes how to set up the Carrier baseline account.
If the Carrier baseline account has already been set up and you intend to add a new Billing Account, refer to: How to add and set up a FedEx Freight Billing Account [Step-by-Step guide]

NOTE: If you already have the FedEx API keys and Meters, SKIP the stages of this guide to the FINAL PHASE: CREATE, SET AND TEST THE PRODUCTION ACCOUNT section.

INTRODUCTION

The Fedex account setup consists of several stages, not only as techSHIP setup, but also on operations within the FedEx Web Services platform.

If you haven't obtained your FedEx API Keys, follow the instructions here to do so: Getting FedEx Account Keys [Step-by-Step guide].

Besides of having the account set up at your Techship Portal, you’ll have to send the labels for review and approval to FedEx’s WIS team, which will be detailed in due time.

There is information defined by you, as well as FedEx.

Once the labels are approved, and the testing account has been tested properly, you can start using the production account. The process is the following:

CARRIER SECTION

To set up the Baseline Carrier account in techSHIP in test mode, in preparation to label approval:

1. Access Maintenance and select Carriers

2. Click the Carrier for which you'll add the account to from the list

3. Click the Accounts tab

4. Click Add Account

5. In General Options set:

Name -> FedEx Freight - [Account number] (e.g. FedEx Freight - 123456789)
Usage mode -> Test
Status -> Active
Label mode -> ZPL
SCAC -> Carrier/SCAC code you're using in the WMS

6. In Carrier Options set and Save:
REQUIRED

Account Number -> FedEx Test Account number
Meter Number -> FedEx Test Meter number
User Key -> FedEx Test Key
User Password -> FedEx Test Key Password
Sender address info -> Warehouse induction address

OPTIONAL

Pick Up Open, Close and Ready Hours time -> Warehouse pick up open and pick up close time, as well as Ready Hours (how many hours will it take you to be ready from your open time)
Quote vs Shipping Rate Validation -> Allows to configure discrepancies in FedEx's rating which will produce error messages when processing according to the case by:
- Detect any discrepancy: Whenever discrepancies below or above the correct rate are detected
- Detect shipping overcharge: Whenever discrepancies above the correct rate are detected
- Detect shipping overcharge greater than max discrepancy: Whenever discrepancies below or above the correct rate are detected with a top range of 10 cents default (configurable with additional field if this option is selected
- None: No checks performed for discrepancies

CLIENT AND BILLING ACCOUNT SETUP

To be able to import orders, you will need to create a Client Profile, and to process a test order, a Billing Account Profile bound to the Test Account you just set up under it.

CLIENT SETUP

Follow the steps here to create your client Profile: 10 - How to create a Client profile [Step-by-Step guide]

Call this client TEST, and set the Client Code to TEST (case sensitive), for which we will later push test files. You may discard or keep this test Client after the whole process is complete.

TEST BILLING ACCOUNT SETUP

Once ready, proceed to setting up the Billing Account as described in How to add and set up a FedEx Freight Billing Account [Step-by-Step guide], using the following values:

1. Payor Account: It’s the LTL Test Account number you were provided by FedEx
2. Duties Payor Account: It’s the LTL test Account number you were provided by FedEx
3. Payment and Duties type: Switch to Sender
4. Freight Class: 555. NMFC Class: Leave empty
6. Sender Name and Company: Your company name for both cases
7. Address validation: Change to No validation8. Contact phone: The customer’s phone number. If you don’t have it, request it from the Sales Reps, or fill it up with yours temporarily9. Billing Address: As provided in the FedEx E-mail when the keys were requested

Test Account Number with Payment Type as Sender instead of the Production one.

IMPORT TEST ORDERS

Since FedEx requires you to have the labels approved before moving into production.

You will need to send them test labels to verify these comply with their requirements.

This is the preparatory stage for such process.

Create a manual LTL shipment to generate a label with it.

To do so, follow the steps:

1. Following this guide 16 - How to create a manual order - [Step-by-step guide], create a shipment with the described features:

GENERAL OPTIONS TAB

Batch number, Pick Order, Customer Order number, Customer PO: Use the same number to find the order easily for this test and in the future
Ship-to-Address: Any valid address in your area which is not the same as the Ship-From address you defined
Ship-to-Phone: Any valid phone in your area

CARRIER OPTIONS TAB

Freight Class: 55
NMFC Class: Leave the field empty

PACKAGING TAB

Add one box with
- Height, Width and Length: 48
- Weight: 200
- Add a SKU with a complete line information (HST is the only field not required)

2. Press Save to confirm the action and create the Batch/Order

PROCESS AND PRINT LABELS

In this Phase, you will have to process and print the created batch so you can have the label ready for the next one.

NOTE: If you have problems when importing due to Missing the Service Code, choose an option from the Default Service Code dropdown that applies to the type of batch you're importing (e.g. if you are importing the FedEx Express batch, choose one of the FedEx Express options. Save and Retry.

You can opt between two paths to take to print the labels:

SCENARIO A: Setting up the Techdinamics Print Client (to print directly from techSHIP)
SCENARIO B: Download the labels and print them from the file straight to the printer

Each scenario will be described separately:

PRINT THROUGH TECHDINAMICS PRINT CLIENT

To set up the Techdinamics Print Client and your Printer, follow the instructions here:

How to install the Techdinamics Print Client - [Step-by-step guide]

Once ready, press Process and Print in the batch to print the labels in your currently active printer.

Once the Processing has been successful, the batch orders should show that have been processed OK, as well as Status Printed.

WARNING: Do not proceed without repeating Phases 4 and 5 for the remaining batch file. Both are important and critical for complete approval.

DOWNLOAD THE LABELS AND PRINT THROUGH WINDOWS PRINT SERVICE

To process the batch and download the labels, follow the instructions here:

Press Process to process the orders

Download the labels as described here 09 - How to download labels and packing slips in PDF format [Step-by-Step guide]
Print the downloaded labels through the Windows Print service

Once ready the batch orders should show that have been processed OK, but the printing is still unprocessed, since you printed these outside of techSHIP.

WARNING: Do not proceed without repeating these steps for the remaining batch file. Both are important and critical for complete approval.

SUBMIT YOUR LABELS FOR WIS APPROVAL

Your test labels will need to be reviewed by FedEx in order to have your account authorized to ship through techSHIP. Follow the instructions here, and once ready, return to this guide to complete the process:

How to send FedEx labels for WIS approval [Information]

CREATE, SET AND TEST THE PRODUCTION ACCOUNT

Once you've done so, you'll have to repeat a similar process to the one you followed for the Test Account, but for the Production one:

1. Access Maintenance and select Carriers

2. Click the Carrier for which you'll add the account to from the list

3. Click the Accounts tab

4. Click Add Account

5. In General Options set:

Name -> FedEx Freight - [Account number] (e.g. FedEx Freight - 123456789)
Usage mode -> Production
Status -> Active
Label mode -> ZPL
SCAC -> Carrier/SCAC code you're using in the WMS

6. In Carrier Options set and Save:

Account Number -> FedEx Production Account number
Meter Number -> Repeat use of the FedEx Production Account number
User Key -> FedEx Production Key
User Password -> FedEx Production Key
Sender address info -> Warehouse induction address
Pick Up Open, Close and Ready Hours time -> Warehouse pick up open and pick up close time, as well as Ready Hours (how many hours will it take you to be ready from your open time)

To finish, repeat Import and Process with the Production credentials, to have a final, production test run:

1. Add a Production Billing Account to your Test client, now using your Production Account and Meter number instead of the Test one
2. Find and open (as described here 08 - How to find an order through Orders History [Step-by-Step guide]) one of the batches you've processed
3. Void the batch
4. Change the account from the account dropdown to make sure you've selected the Production Account (since you will have both, test and production)
5. Save before you process
6. Press Process

If the orders process correctly, the Production account is fully operational.

WARNING: Void and Delete (07 - How to delete a batch or an order within a batch [Step-by-Step guide]) the test batches to avoid any charges from FedEx.