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How to Set Up Live Rate Carriers

Set up carrier accounts to display real-time shipping rates at checkout

Table of Contents

Overview

This document will guide you through setting up a ShipperHQ account to use live rates from carriers such as UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL. ShipperHQ will pull the rates from your chosen carrier using your account information. Carriers include:

  • Live rate small package carriers like UPS, FedEx, or USPS
  • Live-rate LTL freight carriers and 3PLs like Cerasis, TForce Freight, or YRC

Add these carriers from the Carriers page via the ShipperHQ dashboard. Optionally, apply shipping rules to adjust rates, such as adding a 10% surcharge to UPS Ground if BIKES are in the cart.

How Live Rate Carriers Work in ShipperHQ

  • Customers reach checkout and enter billing information
  • ShipperHQ uses order shipping information, such as address and product details, to request rates from the carrier
  • The carrier responds with rating information
  • ShipperHQ refines this information and returns the final result to the cart
  • Customers see rates and options per your ShipperHQ setup

Adding a Carrier

To get live rates from a carrier, follow these steps:

  1. Adding a Live Rate Carrier
    Choose a live rate carrier to add to your ShipperHQ account and configure the settings. Learn more
  2. Validating a Live Rate Carrier
    Enter your carrier account credentials and validate them to access negotiated rates. Learn more

Carriers Supported by ShipperHQ

Small Package Carrier

Explore carriers supported by ShipperHQ:

  • UPS
    Connect and retrieve rates via the UPS API
    Learn more
  • UPS Access Point
    Retrieve rates via the UPS API
    Learn more
  • FedEx
    Retrieve rates via the FedEx API
    Learn more
  • USPS
    Retrieve rates via the USPS API
    Learn more
  • Explore more carriers such as Canada Post, Australia Post, DHL Express, and others with detailed configurations available in the carrier configuration section.

LTL Freight Carrier

LTL carriers share configuration options. Check out the LTL Freight Configuration Overview.

Standard Carrier Configuration

Focus on these key options:

  • Origin
    Ensure carriers belong to at least one origin for rates to show
  • Account Details
    Set up account details for live carriers to connect
  • Negotiated Rates
    Choose which types of rates to display
  • Display Restrictions
    Specify usage restrictions, such as using UPS in the US 48 only
  • Shipping Methods
    Select shipping methods/services to show at checkout, for example, UPS Ground

These basics help rates show correctly, with most carrier configurations needing little additional setup.

Advanced Configuration

For advanced users, additional features include:

Specific Carrier Options

Additional settings vary by carrier capabilities, such as requiring a signature. Note that using staging/sandbox servers might not reflect negotiated rates, and results could vary. Avoid using the sandbox for production.

Next Steps

With live rate carriers set up, explore Shipping Rules to tailor rates with restrictions, surcharges, and/or discounts. Alternatively, consider setting up a Custom Rate Carrier.