FedEx Ground Economy

In this Guide

Account Number and Services

When you add a new FedEx Ground® Economy carrier account (Add Carrier > Carrier > FedEx Ground® Economy), Parcel displays the screen to enter the FedEx Ground® Economy account number. On this screen, you can also select the FedEx Ground® Economy services with which you will ship packages from this location.

Configuration requirements
Before configuring a FedEx Ground® Economy carrier, you need complete the following tasks:

  • Your rate files must be imported to the FedEx server.

  • Your FedEx Meter Number must be enabled for FedEx Ground® Economy. (See the following Note.)

  • Your nine-digit Express Account Number must be enabled for FedEx Ground® Economy by FedEx.

  • Your USPS Mailer ID (formerly DUNS Number) and Customer Number must be obtained from and enabled by FedEx.

Note: If you change your contract with FedEx to allow you to use FedEx Ground® Economy (for example, you are now shipping more than 500 packages per day), this change requires you to access the FedEx server configuration screen and carry out one of the following scenarios:

  • If you are switching from your existing FedEx carrier to FedEx Ground® Economy using the same Meter Number, first delete the existing FedEx carrier from Parcel in the Web Admin tool. Access the FedEx Ship Manager Server®, delete the existing meter, and then re-add it with the same Meter Number but with FedEx Ground® Economy now selected as Pickup Carrier.

  • If you are keeping your existing FedEx carrier/account and adding FedEx Ground® Economy as an additional carrier/account, create a new meter on the FedEx Ship Manager Server®, enter the new Meter Number, and select FedEx Ground® Economy as Pickup Carrier.

After carrying out either of the above scenarios, in Parcel, add and configure your FedEx Ground® Economy carrier as described in the following procedure.
To configure the FedEx Ground® Economy Account Number and Services, complete these steps...

  1. In the Account Number field, type the FedEx Ground® Economy Account Number for this location.

  2. In Carrier Code field, type a name for the carrier as you want it to appear on the Web Admin (Configuration) Tool screens and on the shipping screens in Parcel. For example, if you are setting up more than one FedEx Ground® Economy account for this location, you might want to label these SP-1, Sp-2, etc.

  3. In the Services section, select the services that you will use to ship FedEx Ground® Economy packages from this location by selecting the service, and then click ADD to move the selected service from the left-hand column to the right-hand column. To select and move all of the services at once, click ADD ALL.

    You can also use the Move Up and Move Down (up arrow and down arrow) on the right to change the order of the services in the list of following services. Services appear in the configured order on the Services drop-down list on the Warehouse screen.

    Service

    Description

    FedEx Ground® Economy

    For packages that qualify as Parcel Select by the U.S. Postal Service.

    FedEx Ground® Economy Media Mail

    For packages that qualify as Media Mail by the US Postal Service.

    FedEx Ground® Economy Bound Printed Matter

    For packages that qualify as Bound Printed Matter by the US Postal Service.

    FedEx Ground® Economy (under 1 lb.)

    For packages (typically commercial mass mailings) that qualify for Standard A treatment.

    FedEx Ground® Economy Returns

    Contract-only service for high-volume returns (100 average daily volume) that provides a convenient returns method for low-weight residential packages

    Note: FedEx Ground® Economy operates in conjunction with the US Postal Service, which makes the actual deliveries of shipments. The services listed in the previous table are a subset of USPS services. For more information on FedEx Ground® Economy services, see the Compliance Help topic: FedEx Ground® Economy - Overview.

  4. When you are done configuring this page, click SAVE in the lower-right corner of the page to save the settings. Otherwise, click CANCEL to cancel the settings.

To continue configuring FedEx Ground® Economy, complete the following sections:

  • Host Names

  • Shipper Defaults

  • Import Time in Transit Files

Host Names

Use the Host Names page to define the hosts that you use to connect to the FedEx server. You can add, edit, or delete host names from the grid.
To add a Host Name Record

  1. Click the ADD button at the top of the screen. The Add Record dialog is displayed.

  2. Complete the boxes as follows:

    In this box...

    Do this...

    Host

    Type the IP Address or Host Name of the FedEx server.

    Port

    Type the socket/port number of the computer that connects to the FedEx server.

    Meter Number

    Type the FedEx-supplied meter number for this account. This number must be from 5 to 9 digits in length.

    Status

    The status choices if the Parcel FedEx Ground® Economy module connects to the FedEx server are as follows:

    • Enable - Active server (the default)

    • Disable - Inactive server

      This selection serves the following functions:

    • To control which FedEx server is enabled.

    • To disable a single FedEx server if/when there is a problem with the server. (Note that this condition requires the server to be manually enabled again using the Enable check box.)

      Notes:

    • The status returned from an active FedEx server is always Enabled by default.

    • If all the FedEx servers become disabled, the FedEx Ground® Economy module in Parcel will attempt to enable them when the problem is resolved. |

    Server Version

    Accept the current default value, which is 20.x.
    Note: This is the only FedEx server version that Parcel 4.0 supports.


  3. Click SAVE to save the new record. Otherwise, click CANCEL to cancel the new record.

To edit a Host Name Record

  1. Click the EDIT button in the left column in the row containing the record that you want to edit.

  2. A dialog is displayed. Edit the fields as needed.

  3. Click SAVE at the bottom of the screen to save the changes or click CANCEL to cancel your changes.

To delete a Host Name Record

  1. Click DELETE button in the left column in the row containing the record that you want to delete.

  2. A confirmation dialog box appears. Click OK to delete the record. Or click Cancel to keep the record.

Shipper Defaults

Overview

Use the following tabs on the FedEx Ground® Economy Shipper Defaults page to configure the default information to use with this FedEx account.
Tabs

  • Default

  • Address

  • Label

  • Document

  • Time in Transit

  • Tracking

Default Tab

Use the Default tab on the FedEx Ground® Economy Shipper Defaults screen to enter the following settings for this FedEx Ground® Economy account.

In this box...

Do this...

Customer ID

Type your FedEx Ground® Economy Customer ID number provided by FedEx.

Pickup Carrier

From the drop-down list, select the pickup carrier from the following choices:

  • FedEx Ground® Economy

  • FedEx Ground®

    Caution: The Pickup Carrier should match what is recorded on the FedEx Ship Manager 20.x server as being this entity. This selection should also match what appears on the label as the Pickup Carrier.
    Note: FedEx Ground® Economy is selected by default.

Return Response in API

To capture all the data returned by the FedEx Ship Manager® Server version 20.x for reporting and analysis, select (check) this check box. The default is for this check box not to be selected.
Note: When this function is enabled using this check box, Parcel captures all data elements returned by the FedEx Ship Manager® Server in the API response from a FedEx carrier request. You can then use information for custom B-Rules, to create reports, or to perform analyses. Examples of the data that are returned include: Destination Zone, List Rates, Discount Rates, Billed weight, Customized Time in Transit, etc.
Caution: Enabling this function can result in a large amount of data (long response strings from the FedEx Ship Manager® Server) being included in the di_debug log.

Customer Charge

Type the fee charged to the customer that will be added to every order (in addition to the freight charge).
For example, if the Customer Charge Type (see following row) is Fixed and the customer charge is $4.00, type 4.00 without the currency symbol. If the Customer Charge Type is Percentage, type the percentage of the total shipment charge to be used to two decimal places with no percent sign. For example, if the charge is 10%, type 10.00

Customer Charge Type

From the drop-down list, specify whether Customer Charge (see previous row) is to be taken as a fixed amount (select "Fixed") or a percentage amount (select "Percentage").

Weight Units

From the drop-down list, select the weight unit to use for Actual Weight of a shipment from the following values:

  • Pounds

  • Kilograms
    Note: The value for this field under My Profile overrides the value selected here.

Use Load Balancing

Select this check box to enable the use of more than one FedEx Server simultaneously for a single account via a round-robin ("load balancing")approach.
Note: Load balancing distributes transactions between or among FedEx servers if more than one is being used. This can improve performance. By default, this check box is not selected.

Validate Open Shipments

Select (check) the Enable check box for Parcel to validate Open shipment calls before they are committed to the FedEx Ship Manager® Server database.
Note: This check box is selected by default.

Validate Rate Requests

Select (check) the Enable check box for Parcel to validate Rate requests with FedEx Ground® Economy shipments.

FedEx Ground® Economy Returns

Select (check) this check box to enable FedEx Ground® Economy Returns.
Note: This check box is unselected by default.

Click SAVE at the bottom of the screen to save the changes or click CANCEL to cancel your changes.

Address Tab

The fields on this screen are populated by default with the information entered on on the Location Details tab for the Location Address information. Editing the information on this tab does not change the address information for the location. Parcel uses the address information on this tab strictly for API calls submitted directly by the user when no Ship From address is included in the API call itself.
Note: If no Sender Address information is entered on the Sender tab under My Profile for the Parcel user, the Location Address information on the Shipper Defaults Address Tab populates the Sender tab on the Warehouse screen by default. If Sender Address information is entered under My Profile, then this address information populates the Sender Address fields on the Warehouse screen by default.

In this box...

Do this...

Company/Name

Type the "Ship From" company name.

Attention

Type the name of the contact person at the "Ship From" address. This is the "Attention" name to be displayed on this FedEx Ground® Economy label.

Address 1

Type the "Ship From" street address.

Address 2

Type any additional street address information for the "Ship From" address such as suite or floor number.

Address 3

Type any additional street address information for the "Ship From" address such as suite or floor number.

City

Type name of the "Ship From" city.

State/Province

Type the two-letter USPS abbreviation for the "Ship From" state. (FedEx Ground® Economy supports only US origins); for example: MA

Postal Code

Type the "Ship From" ZIP code.

Phone

Type the nine-digit "Ship From" phone number (no spaces or dashes).

Country

Do not change the default (United States), since this is the only origin country that FedEx Ground® Economy supports.

Click SAVE at the bottom of the screen to save any changes you made or click CANCEL to revert to the original values.

Label Tab

Use the Label tab on the FedEx Ground® Economy Shipper Defaults screen to enter label settings for this FedEx Ground® Economy account.

In this box...

Do this...

Template Directory

Type the directory path where FedEx Ground® Economy label templates reside on the Parcel server.

API Printer Name

Type the name the default printer used to print labels when using API requests.

Suppress Label

If you do not want a label to be automatically generated or printed for this location, select this check box. This check box is not selected by default.

Zebra Print Speed

Accept the default (8) or set the print speed for labels printed with a Zebra printer. Valid values (from the Zebra Printing Language manual) are as follows:

  • A or 2 – 2 in./sec.

  • B or 3 – 3 in./sec.

  • C or 4 – 4 in./sec.

  • 5 – 5 in./sec.

  • D or 6 – 6 in./sec.

  • E or 8 – 8 in./sec.

Click SAVE at the bottom of the screen to save the changes or click CANCEL to cancel your changes.

Document Tab

Use the Document tab on the FedEx Ground® Economy Shipper Defaults screen to enter document settings for this FedEx Ground® Economy account.
Note: The Paper Manifest Date Format is MM/DD/YYYY.

In this box...

Do this...

Suppress detail report

To suppress automatic generation of the Detail Report, select this check box. By default, this check box is not selected.

Manifest Paper Orientation

Select the orientation for the paper manifest from the drop-down list. Options are:

  • PORTRAIT

  • LANDSCAPE
    The default value for this field is PORTRAIT.

Click SAVE at the bottom of the screen to save the changes or click CANCEL to cancel your changes.

Tracking Tab

This screen is for informational purposes only. The Tracking WebService URL field displays the FedEx URL for Web Service Tracking. For more information, see the following Help topic: FedEx - Shipper Defaults - Tracking Tab .

Time in Transit Tab

Use the Time in Transit tab on the FedEx Ground® Economy Shipper Defaults screen to select Time in Transit settings for this FedEx Ground® Economy account.

In this box...

Do this...

Calculate Transit Time

To specify calculation of transit times, select (check) this check box. Parcel uses the data that you import using the Import Time in Transit Files screen for transit time calculations.
Note: This check box is unselected by default.

Click SAVE in the lower-right corner of the screen to save any changes you made or click CANCEL to cancel changes and revert to original values.

Note: For information on configuring Time in Transit calculations, see the following Help topics:

  • Overview of TINT Calculation

  • Time in Transit Files

  • Importing Time in Transit Files

Import Time in Transit Files

Transit time calculations for FedEx Ground® Economy require user-maintained transit time data. You can import this data into the Parcel carrier database using the Import Time in Transit Files screen. This feature also includes the capability for the user optionally to import and maintain Work Days and carrier Holidays at the destination level for the Time in Transit calculation to include when calculating an expected delivery date.
You must create and maintain the following Time in Transit files for data import:

  • Geographical information (origin/destination cities, postal codes, etc.) - Required for first import.

  • Time in transit data based on carrier service and destination - Always required.

  • Work days file containing information about the days the carrier operates - Optional

  • Holiday file containing information about destination holidays - Optional

When you import these files, Parcel inserts the data from these files into the FedEx Ground® Economy carrier database. If you have Time in Transit enabled, when you perform a Rate or Ship, Parcel displays the transit time for the shipment.
Notes:

  • Since the US Post Office (USPS) does not guarantee delivery dates or times, time in transit calculations for carriers such as FedEx Ground® Economy are based on user estimate of typical delivery times for specific services and routes.

  • All files that you import must be located on a local drive of the DIServer. The absolute path that you specify according to the following table represents the file location on the DIServer.

  • This data does not come from FedEx and must be specified by the customer.

Import Time in Transit Files
Use the Import Time in Transit screen to import the following data files for transit times and locations (origins and destination (required files are in bold).
To import Time in Transit files:

  1. Create the Time in Transmit files (see the following section for file format information), and then copy these files to a directory local to the Parcel DIServer.

  2. Use the Import Time in Transit screen in the Parcel Configuration (Web Admin) tool to specify the path names and filenames for these files according to the following table:

    In this box...

    Do this...

    Geographic Data File (Provide absolute Path)

    Type in or paste in the absolute local path for this file on the Parcel DIServer, including the filename.
    Note: This file is required the first time you import the set of Time in Transit files but is optional on subsequent file imports.

    Purge Geographic Data before Import

    To purge any previously imported geographic (origin and destination) data from the carrier database before importing the specified Geographic Data File (see previous row), select (check) this check box.
    Note: For the Geographic Data file, if this check box is not selected, the data are appended to the existing data in the table. For the Transit Time, Holiday, and Work Days file: on import, existing records are always deleted first, and then new records are inserted in the database.

    Time in Transit File (Provide absolute Path)

    Type in or paste in the absolute local path for this file on the Parcel DIServer, including the filename.

    Work Days File (Provide absolute Path)

    Optionally, to include carrier working days in Parcel's time in transit calculation, type in or paste in the absolute local path for this file on the Parcel DIServer, including the filename.

    Holiday File (Provide absolute Path)

    Optionally, to include carrier holidays in Parcel's time in transit calculation, type in or paste in the absolute local path for this file on the Parcel DIServer, including the filename.

    Format for Time in Transit Files
    The time in transit files that you import (see previous section) must be comma-delimited CSV files of which the first row consists of the column (field) names listed in the following table. Subsequent rows contain comma-delimited data corresponding to the column names.
    Notes:

    • You can copy and paste the following column name strings directly into the CSV file.

    • The values in the Geo Code fields can be arbitrarily defined, but since this column serves as the primary key, they must follow the same convention in all the files.

    • The Origin and Destination address data for a shipment must be identical to the corresponding data in the Geographic Data file (Address <n>, City, State).

    • The values for Transit Days and Transit Time are those estimated for the route defined by the Origin Geo Code and Destination Geo Core.

    • The values for the day columns in the Work Days file are: "y" (without quotation marks) if the day is a working day and "n" (without quotation marks) if it is not a working day.

      File Type

      Required column names

      Geographic Data File

      Address 1,Address 2,Address 3,City,State,Country,Low Postal Code,High Postal Code,Geo Code,Geo Code Description,Record Type

      Time in Transit File

      ServiceId,Origin Geo Code,Destination Geo Code,Transit Days, Transit Time(HH24:MM:DD)

      Work Days File

      Destination Geo Code,Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

      Holiday File

      Destination Geo Code,Holiday Date(YYYYMMDD),Holiday Description