Curated articles written by supply chain experts to help suppliers win at retail.

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Grocery Supply Chain KPIs: Why Compliance Predicts the Rest

Grocery supply chain KPIs usually start with fill rate and on-time delivery, because retailers measure those first. A guide for consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands selling to Kroger says suppliers must maintain at least 98% on-time delivery and a 95% fill rate to avoid penalties. However, according to 

, the grocery sector had the lowest trading partner compliance rate: 31.6% against a 42.8% cross-industry average.  

Compliance sits underneath the delivery numbers. It describes how accurately trading partners exchange the documents that run a supply chain through 

. When compliance is weak, fill rate and on-time performance suffer, causing deductions to pile up. 

What Delivery Standards Do Grocery Suppliers Face? 

Retailers set clear targets and attach penalties to them. For example, Walmart requires 98% 

 compliance and charges 3% of the cost of goods sold for noncompliance. 

Each retailer also calculates these measures in its own way. A supplier selling to several grocery chains therefore tracks several versions of the same metric. Retailers also regularly revise their thresholds, so the current vendor guide is the final word on any single number. 

What Does EDI Compliance Rate by Industry Show? 

SPS defines trading partner compliance as the simple average of three participation rates: 

. A supplier that sends all three on time counts as compliant. The data covers more than 4,000 buying organizations, so it shows how well suppliers participate when they sell to each segment. 

At 31.6%, fewer than one in three supplier interactions in grocery produces reliable inputs for forecasting and replenishment. Each document feeds a different process: receiving, allocation, or payment. A gap in any of them later shows up as a short shipment, a late arrival, or a delayed payment. 

SPS attributes the gap to structure. Suppliers on structured networks reach 81.6% blended compliance, compared with 45.5% in proprietary systems, and the same suppliers perform very differently for different buyers. Unclear vendor guides, outdated contact records, and no closed loop showing that a requirement change arrived all contribute. 

What Does the OTIF Benchmark Grocery Retailers Set Look Like? 

OTIF measures whether a shipment arrives on schedule with the full ordered quantity. Fill rate covers the quantity side alone, as the share of ordered cases a supplier ships. Grocery benchmarks come from each retailer’s program. 

Eagle Foods makes canned condensed milk and snack foods. Its team used centralized reporting and carrier scorecards to trace Walmart deductions back to carrier and warehouse performance. That visibility helped raise its 

What Is a Realistic CPG Inventory Turnover Benchmark? 

Inventory turnover is the cost of goods sold divided by the average inventory. For grocery, convenience and fast-moving consumer goods, there are roughly 12 to 20 or more turns a year overall. Individual brands tend to report lower figures. An analysis of FY2025 annual filings found that 

, with a median near 4.8. The same firm’s review of food brands found 

No single number applies across the category. A brand’s own history, plus peers with similar shelf life and channel mix, make a better comparison than a category average. 

What Is a Typical Grocery Supplier Chargeback Rate? 

The gross chargeback rate is the total deduction dollars divided by the gross revenue, multiplied by 100. The net chargeback rate divides net deduction dollars by net revenue. It adjusts for returns, allowances, and money won back through disputes. According to SPS, suppliers can 

 to erroneous charges. The same article sets no universal target. It suggests that each supplier should build a baseline by retailer, product category, and fulfillment model. 

Two food suppliers show what disputing can recover. 

 disputed $421,500 in invalid Walmart deductions over seven months and reached a 92% win rate. 

 identified $1.1 million in deductions across retailers and distributors, including Kroger, KeHE, and UNFI. It recovered $367,000 in its first year. 

How Does Working Capital Tie the Metrics Together? 

 found $634 million caught in volatile transactions. These are unresolved exceptions, compliance failures, and execution gaps. The same article reports that rework can consume up to 9% of a product’s cost of goods sold. SPS estimates that a 1% reduction in transaction volatility frees $9–10 million in cash flow. The analysis measures costs on the grocer’s side, which helps explain why retailers attach fines to compliance misses. 

How Often Should Grocery Suppliers Review Each Metric? 

Fill rate and OTIF change with every shipment, so a weekly review catches problems while the evidence is fresh. The other metrics move more slowly or depend on reconciliation cycles, so a monthly or quarterly review fits better. 

Want To See Every Trading Partner in One View? 

Tracking these numbers retailer by retailer means rebuilding each one from separate portals and reports. 

 gives suppliers standardized visibility across trading partners. Compliance, fill rate, and chargeback figures then come from one consistent source. 

 has articles and vendor guides for suppliers selling into grocery and retail. 

What are the most important grocery supply chain KPIs for suppliers? 

The five metrics covered here are compliance rate, OTIF and fill rate, inventory turnover, chargeback rate, and working capital. Compliance rate sits underneath the others because it measures the documents that drive receiving, allocation, and payment. 

What is trading partner compliance in grocery? 

It is the simple average of how accurately suppliers send order confirmations, advance ship notices, and invoices. SPS network data puts the grocery average at 31.6%, the lowest of the segments studied. 

What is the difference between gross and net chargeback rate? 

Gross chargeback rate measures deductions against gross revenue. Net chargeback rate measures deductions against net revenue after returns, allowances, and recovered revenue. It shows the financial impact that remains after successful disputes. 

Benchmarks in this article are directional ranges drawn from the sources cited, and they do not promise any specific result. Retailer requirements change, so suppliers should double-check current thresholds in each retailer’s vendor guide.

AI Doesn't Have a Supply Chain Problem.  It Has a Context Problem. 

Supply chain is one of the first places companies point 

. It is chaotic, data heavy, and expensive to get wrong, which makes it an obvious target and a hard one to get right. 

 names the obstacle directly: "orchestrating internal and external stakeholders with their own processes and views of data remains a challenge" and that it takes "time and courage to build trust to share data about demand signals and capacity in tiered supply chains" (The Supply Chain Platforms Landscape, Q2 2026). That is not a modeling problem. It is a context problem. 

Supply chain data is split across suppliers, carriers, ERPs, and spreadsheets that were never built to share a common view. Feed an AI system a 

 and it will not fail loudly. It will make a confident, well-reasoned, wrong call: an allocation that ignores a carrier delay, a reorder that misses a compliance change, a forecast built on a demand signal that was already out of date. In a supply chain, the cost of a wrong inference is not a bad recommendation. It is a stockout, a chargeback, or a shipment that lands at the wrong dock at the wrong time. 

Oil price swings and ongoing trade volatility keep changing the cost and availability of supply with little warning, and every shift moves through every tier of the network. Closing the gap between AI's promise and its return takes three things working together: 

Forrester's Landscape reinforces why this matters now: "supply chain variety, volume, and variability demand more integrated, swift, and sophisticated decision-making" (The Supply Chain Platforms Landscape, Q2 2026). Complexity and disruption are the operating conditions that were previously viewed as the side effect. 
 

Customers report the same shift already underway. According to our customer research, 88% now operate proactively, up from a majority who described their operations as reactive before. 

The Supply Chain Platforms Landscape, Q2 2026 gives technology executives an independent view of 40 vendors. Each is listed against the capabilities that matter most across five core use cases: fulfill, orchestrate, order, plan, and source. Real-time connectivity and visibility are named as primary functionality across the majority of those use cases, and performance and risk data sharing are named as primary for planning specifically, an independent, vendor-neutral look at exactly the gap described above. 

The SPS Commerce network carries three layers of context most companies can't assemble on their own: a customer's own supply chain activity, often more complete on the network than in their own ERP; 

 that reveal what normal and what risk actually look like; and nearly three decades of what causes a disruption or compliance failure in practice, not just in policy. 

That context is already built into products in market today, not on a roadmap. MAX, an agentic AI layer built into the network, is grounded in how trading relationships behave and built so a person reviews and approves before anything changes, directly answering the 

 Forrester names in the Landscape. Visibility Management connects every system in the purchase order lifecycle into one view and ranks exceptions by revenue at risk before a miss reaches the shelf, the same real-time connectivity and visibility Forrester identifies as primary functionality across the Landscape's core use cases. 

Customers report the results directly. According to the SPS Commerce Customer Impact Study (June 2026), 83% say the data they exchange through the network improves their AI-readiness, and 82% of suppliers say SPS gives them better visibility into retailer requirements. On the financial side, suppliers report high improvement in fill rate (83%), the kind of performance data that changes what happens next cycle rather than just getting logged. 

“As a small, high-growth brand, we're leaning heavily into AI to expedite efficiency and insight. We've gone deep with MAX and have already saved countless hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

- Allen Thompson, Chief Operating Officer, RIP-IT

AI works best with the full picture of your supply chain network behind it. See what SPS and Forrester have to say about closing the context gap, backed by independent research on 40 vendors across five core use cases. Read the full report 

SPS Commerce (NASDAQ: SPSC) is the leading intelligent supply chain network, connecting trading partners around the globe to optimize supply chain operations with all retail partners. Our AI-powered network connects 300,000+ trading relationships worldwide and moves more than 750 million transactions and over $650 billion in gross merchandise value each year. SPS is trusted by seven of the top 10 largest retailers and over two-thirds of today's fastest growing brands. With nearly 3,000 employees and offices worldwide, SPS Commerce is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Peak Season Readiness Checklist for Supplier Operations Teams

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Peak season brings plenty of challenges for suppliers, even when preparations are well underway. Retailers are likely to adjust pickup dates, seasonal employees may be unfamiliar with compliance requirements, and increased shipment volumes can make it more difficult to catch errors before they affect an order. 

A well-organized team briefing can help suppliers prepare for the anticipated challenges before order volumes increase. By bringing warehouse supervisors, transportation teams, 

 (EDI) coordinators, and seasonal employees together, suppliers can clarify expectations and establish a plan for handling exceptions. 

Why Do Supplier Operations Teams Need a Peak Season Briefing? 

Many peak season preparation resources focus on retail stores, customer service teams, and staffing needs. For supplier operations teams, preparation often comes down to understanding retailer requirements and making sure the people responsible for fulfilling orders have the information they need. 

Consider Amazon’s ASN requirements, which expect suppliers to transmit an ASN within 30 minutes of a shipment leaving the vendor facility or at least six hours before arrival. Meeting these expectations requires coordination between warehouse employees, shipping teams, and the people responsible for EDI transactions.  

If a shipment leaves the facility without the appropriate information reaching the EDI team, the supplier may miss an important transmission window. 

A pre-peak briefing gives suppliers an opportunity to review requirements like these, identify potential gaps, and make sure everyone understands their responsibilities. It also helps establish a consistent approach to handling exceptions, particularly when temporary employees, additional shifts, or 

Which Retailer Requirements Should Teams Review Before Peak Season? 

Retailer compliance requirements can change throughout the year, making it important to revisit current policies before holiday shipments begin. Walmart and Target each have specific expectations that suppliers should review before peak season to help prevent shipping delays, compliance violations, and costly deductions. 

The following table highlights several considerations and the teams most likely to be affected. 

Understanding Target's 2026 Compliance Updates 

Target's updated supplier performance management (SPM) program introduces additional considerations for suppliers managing case quantities and item information. 

The physical case pack accuracy metric evaluates whether the quantity received matches the approved item record and 

 (PO). The item attribute audit metric focuses on the accuracy of item information, including dimensions, quantities, and other attributes. These measurements reinforce the importance of 

 and ensuring warehouse employees understand the quantities and packaging configurations expected by the retailer. 

Receipt dates also play a role in compliance reporting. Suppliers should be mindful of shipments that arrive across reporting periods and verify which requirements apply when the merchandise is received. 

Understanding Walmart Routing and Pickup Dates 

Walmart suppliers using the Stride TMS platform should pay particular attention to the distinction between an estimated ship on date and the carrier pickup date assigned through routing.  

After a supplier confirms a PO into routing, Walmart's load optimization process assigns a carrier pickup date. That assigned date may differ from the estimated shipping date originally displayed. For example, a supplier may confirm an order with an estimated ship on date of November 19, only to receive a carrier pickup date of November 17. 

If the warehouse continues preparing freight for November 19, the shipment may not be ready when the carrier arrives. 

Walmart's shipment tracking guidance recommends reviewing Routing Status twice daily. The routing status function is in Walmart's Transportation Supply Chain Portal (TSCP 2.0), can be accessed through Retail Link. Although this is a recommended practice rather than a formal requirement, it can help transportation teams identify scheduling changes before they affect fulfillment. 

How Can Suppliers Prepare Seasonal Employees for EDI and Compliance Requirements? 

 seasonal workers this holiday season. Seasonal employees provide valuable support during busy shipping periods, but they may join the operation after permanent staff have already received retailer updates and compliance updates.  

A temporary warehouse associate starting in early November, for example, may be unfamiliar with retailer-specific labeling requirements, ASN timing expectations, or procedures for reporting discrepancies. Even experienced seasonal workers may need additional guidance when handling orders for unfamiliar retailers. 

Providing this information early can help employees recognize potential issues and understand when to involve a supervisor. 

Seasonal training should cover three essential areas: 

Supervisors should also make sure new employees know they can raise questions when something doesn't look right. Identifying a discrepancy before freight leaves the facility is typically much easier than resolving it after a retailer receives the shipment. 

Who Should Handle Shipping and Compliance Exceptions During Peak Season? 

Even with careful preparation, exceptions are inevitable. However, when responsibilities aren't clearly defined, an exception may move between departments without anyone taking ownership. During peak season, those delays can create additional work. Establishing an escalation plan before volume increases can help prevent confusion. 

Suppliers can adjust this structure based on the size of their organization and the resources available. Smaller teams may have one person managing several responsibilities, while larger operations may divide these tasks among multiple departments. In either case, every critical activity should have a designated owner and backup. 

It's also worth reviewing how shipment information moves between systems and teams. As seasonal employees, additional shifts, and increased 3PL partners become involved, manual data entry and disconnected processes are opportunities for errors. 

What Should Suppliers Include in a Pre-Peak Team Briefing? 

The goal is to give employees a clear understanding of current requirements, their responsibilities, and the procedures they'll follow throughout the season. A one-page agenda can help keep the conversation focused and provide a useful reference after the meeting. 

Who should attend the pre-peak briefing? 

Include representatives from the teams responsible for: 

Depending on the organization, attendees may include warehouse leads, receiving supervisors, EDI coordinators, compliance managers, trading partner managers, seasonal staffing supervisors, and 3PL contacts. 

The briefing is most useful when the people responsible for carrying out the work have an opportunity to ask questions and clarify expectations. 

Ideally, suppliers should schedule their briefing approximately three weeks before Black Friday. Teams that have already completed their initial preparation may still benefit from a shorter refresher as peak season approaches. 

Peak season operations briefing checklist 

Use the following checklist to guide the conversation and document any follow-up responsibilities. 

Once the briefing is complete, distribute a refined checklist 

 so employees can refer to them throughout the season. 

Should Suppliers Review Performance After Peak Season? 

A post-peak review gives suppliers an opportunity to understand which processes worked well, where challenges occurred, and what improvements could make the following season easier to manage. Consider bringing the original briefing participants back together to review shipment exceptions, compliance reports, retailer deductions, and recurring operational issues. 

The conversation can focus on a few practical questions: 

Documenting these findings while they're still fresh can help suppliers refine training materials, improve workflows, and build a stronger preparation plan for the next peak season. It can also reveal opportunities to improve everyday operations, particularly when recurring exceptions aren't limited to the holidays. 

When should suppliers brief their operations teams before Black Friday? 

Suppliers should aim to hold their initial peak season briefing approximately three to four weeks before Black Friday. This gives teams time to review retailer requirements, train seasonal employees, assign responsibilities, and address potential issues before shipping volumes increase. 

Can smaller suppliers prepare for peak season without a dedicated EDI coordinator? 

Yes. Smaller suppliers can assign EDI monitoring, ASN accuracy, and compliance responsibilities to employees who manage other operational functions. The priority is to establish clear ownership, identify a backup contact, and make sure someone regularly reviews failed transactions and shipment exceptions. 

Does Walmart require suppliers to check Routing Status twice daily? 

Walmart recommends reviewing Routing Status twice daily as a best practice, although it is not a formal requirement. Suppliers can access this function through Walmart’s Transportation Supply Chain Portal (TSCP 2.0), available via Retail Link.3 

Keep Your Operations Team Prepared Throughout Peak Season 

Even the most thorough preparation will be tested when peak season gets underway. Orders change, shipping windows tighten, and unexpected challenges can put additional pressure on teams already working at capacity. 

The difference typically comes down to how well (and how quickly) your team can respond. Clear communication, dependable processes, and access to accurate information help suppliers navigate disruptions, maintain retailer compliance, and keep shipments moving when it matters most. And because peak season rarely goes exactly as planned, having the right resources within reach matters.  

 for practical guidance, retailer compliance updates, and expert insights to help your team make informed decisions throughout the season and beyond. 

De vraag die Europese inkopers nu stellen voordat ze een product in het assortiment opnemen

Waar producten worden gemaakt, is in de Europese retail een commerciële vraag geworden. Drie afzonderlijke verschuivingen wijzen dezelfde kant op, en in 2026 spelen ze alle drie tegelijk.

Het industriebeleid van de EU kiest duidelijk voor Europese productie. De 

 van de Europese Commissie, voorgesteld in maart 2026, voert vanaf 2029 formele "Made in EU"-eisen in voor overheidsaanbestedingen. Daarnaast stelt de wet als doel dat bedrijven minstens 30% van de inputs voor producten op de EU-markt uit de EU halen. De wet moet nog worden goedgekeurd door het Europees Parlement en de Raad, en richt zich rechtstreeks op overheidsopdrachten, niet op het winkelschap. Toch volgen grote retailers de beleidsrichting op de voet. Een inkoopstrategie bouw je niet in een paar maanden op, en het signaal uit Brussel is duidelijk.

De handelstarieven tussen de VS en de EU zetten extra kostendruk op supply chains die afhankelijk zijn van niet-Europese bronnen. De VS heft een basistarief van 15% op agrifood-import uit de EU, waaronder olijfolie, wijn, pasta en veel andere voedingscategorieën. Het tarief van 50% op staal en aluminium blijft van kracht. 

, omdat inkopers en leveranciers hun supply chains weghalen van routes die nu duurder zijn. Leveranciers met materialen of componenten van buiten Europa merken dat direct in hun kostprijsgesprekken met inkopers.

Retailers in heel Europa maken van lokale inkoop een commerciële strategie, niet alleen een merkboodschap. 

. Musgrave, dat SuperValu in Ierland exploiteert, haalt 80% van zijn producten bij leveranciers op het eiland. Lidl Italia bouwt winkelformules rond lokale supply chain-partnerschappen. 

. Andere inkooppatronen zijn daarbij de meest gekozen reactie op verstoringen in de handel.

De gevolgen hangen af van waar de productie en inkoop van een leverancier plaatsvinden.

Leveranciers met productie of inkoop in Europa

Herkomst is nu een commercieel argument dat u expliciet moet inzetten in gesprekken met inkopers. Twee jaar geleden vroegen de meeste inkopers niet waar de inputs vandaan kwamen. Dat verandert. Inkopers die hun blootstelling aan tarieven beheren of lokale inkoopafspraken hebben gemaakt, willen de geografie van de supply chain gedocumenteerd zien. Leveranciers die die vraag helder kunnen beantwoorden, tot op het niveau van ingrediënt of component, staan sterker om hun marge te behouden en listings te winnen waar een lokale voorkeur geldt.

Leveranciers die voornamelijk buiten Europa inkopen

De kostenbasis is gestegen. De Amerikaanse tarieven op agrifood uit de EU hebben de landed cost verhoogd van goederen die via trans-Atlantische supply chains lopen, en die stijging is moeilijk volledig op te vangen. Inkopers die de tariefsituatie kennen, zullen verzoeken om kostprijsverhoging kritisch bekijken. De commerciële onderbouwing voor een product dat buiten Europa wordt ingekocht, moet de herkomstvraag direct behandelen. Wachten tot de inkoper erover begint, is de zwakkere positie.

Leveranciers met gemengde Europese en niet-Europese inkoop

Een volledige verplaatsing van de supply chain komt weinig voor. Voor de meeste bedrijven is de meest praktische aanpak om specifieke ingrediënten of componenten naar Europese bronnen te verschuiven en die verschuiving goed te documenteren. Leveranciers die een substantieel aandeel inputs van Europese herkomst kunnen aantonen, krijgen een stabielere kostenbasis en een sterkere positie in commerciële gesprekken, zonder hun hele bedrijfsvoering om te gooien.

Wat inkopers vragen en wat leveranciers moeten kunnen antwoorden

De eis van de Industrial Accelerator Act om 30% van de inputs uit de EU te halen, geldt nog niet voor inkoop in de retail. Maar het meetkader dat de wet introduceert, waarbij het aandeel inputs van Europese herkomst een documenteerbare supply chain-maatstaf wordt, bepaalt nu al hoe Europese inkopers naar gesprekken met leveranciers kijken.

Een leverancier die in een gesprek met de inkoper een sterk verhaal over Europese herkomst neerzet, moet dat daarna ook waarmaken. Een nieuwe listing binnenhalen is één stap. De handelsinfrastructuur op orde hebben om die eerste order snel uit te leveren, is de volgende.

Voor leveranciers die hun relaties met Europese retailers opbouwen of uitbreiden, beheert 

 EDI-koppelingen met grote Europese retailers via het EUR-netwerk. Documentuitwisseling en compliance-eisen zijn daarbij al per retailaccount ingericht. Staat de operationele infrastructuur al klaar, dan zit er minder tijd tussen het bevestigen van een listing en het correct verwerken van de eerste order.

Oversized Freight Shipping for Industrial and Automotive Suppliers 

Oversized freight can trigger additional charges when shipments need special handling, exceed carrier size or weight limits, or require services outside standard pickup and delivery. For industrial and automotive suppliers, accurate shipment data helps identify these requirements before a carrier arrives.arrives. 

Weight, dimensions, packaging, freight class, and delivery requirements all affect shipping costs. Suppliers can avoid unnecessary fees by checking carrier requirements before booking and maintaining accurate shipment details across business documents. 

What Qualifies as Oversized Freight Shipping? 

Oversized freight shipping moves items that exceed a carrier’s standard size limits or need special handling because they are large. Heavy freight is freight whose weight drives the transportation, equipment, or handling it needs. 

Industrial and automotive oversized freight includes long metal stock, large machine components, tooling, replacement parts, and assembled equipment. and each of these can bring these requirements into play. 

Carriers set their own size limits, handling rules, and accessorial charges. Suppliers should check these rules before booking, especially for an unusually long, wide, tall, or heavy item. 

What Affects Oversized Freight Shipping Costs? 

A few things drive the cost of heavy or oversized freight: The transportation service, the shipment itself, the route, and the services needed at pickup or delivery. 

Freight Classification and Shipment Dimensions 

Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments often use the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) system to set the freight class. The system weighs four things: Density, handling, stowability, and liability. That class helps set the transportation rate. 

Accurate measurements help carriers assess freight and plan the right handling. Product dimensions often differ from the packaged shipment’s dimensions, especially when an item ships in a crate or on a pallet. 

When the details given at booking differ from the carrier’s own measurements, the carrier can adjust the weight, dimensions, or class and bill the difference. 

Accessorial Fees for Heavy and Oversized Freight 

Accessorial fees cover services or handling beyond standard transportation. Which ones apply depends on the carrier, the shipment, and the pickup or delivery site. 

Suppliers should name these requirements when they request a quote and book transportation. If the carrier shows up without the right equipment or instructions, the shipment can draw added fees or a rescheduled delivery. 

How to Prepare an Oversized Freight Shipment 

A consistent pre-shipment routine helps suppliers catch requirements before the freight leaves the dock. 

Before booking, check these six details: 

These checks help suppliers plan for known costs and state requirements clearly. Carriers can still adjust charges when conditions change or the shipment differs from what was booked. 

How Shipment Data Affects Retailer Chargebacks 

Carrier accessorial fees and retailer chargebacks are different costs. Inaccurate shipment information can drive both. 

A carrier adjusts its invoice when the actual freight differs from what was booked. A retailer or OEM issues a chargeback when a supplier misses a requirement for routing, labeling, documentation, or receiving. 

Say a supplier records a machine component’s dimensions but leaves out the extra space the shipping crate adds. The booked dimensions no longer match the packaged freight, so the carrier reassesses the shipment. The supplier can also face a separate compliance problem if its shipping documents miss the retailer’s requirements. 

To manage these risks, suppliers need accurate product records and shipment details that reflect the goods being transported. 

Several business documents support the movement of goods, and each serves a different purpose: 

These documents serve different purposes, so their contents won’t always match exactly. Suppliers should make sure each one carries accurate information for its purpose and reflects the shipment and its trading-partner requirements. 

For oversized freight, that means telling product measurements apart from packaged shipment measurements, checking handling needs, and making sure the documents describe the shipment accurately. 

When teams key the same information into separate systems by hand, discrepancies get harder to catch. Electronic data interchange (EDI) and integrated workflows let trading partners exchange business documents electronically, which cuts manual entry and keeps the information more consistent. 

A liftgate fee is an added transportation charge for using a truck equipped with a hydraulic lift that moves freight between the truck bed and ground level. It applies when a pickup or delivery site has no suitable loading dock or forklift. Requirements and fees vary by carrier and shipment, so check them when you book. 

How is oversized freight different from overweight freight? 

Oversized freight exceeds applicable dimensional limits, while overweight freight exceeds a relevant weight limit. A shipment can meet one definition without meeting the other. Carriers may apply different restrictions, handling requirements, and charges based on the shipment’s characteristics. 

What causes a freight reclassification charge? 

A freight reclassification charge applies when the carrier finds that the declared class doesn’t match the right class for the actual commodity and shipment. Differences in recorded weight, dimensions, packaging, or class can trigger a review and added charges. Accurate shipment details reduce discrepancies. 

How can suppliers reduce unexpected oversized freight charges? 

Before booking, suppliers can check packaged dimensions and weight, confirm freight class, review carrier service limits, name required accessorials, and check destination requirements. Accurate documents and clear communication with carriers and trading partners help teams plan for known costs and catch discrepancies earlier. 

For more guidance on freight, fulfillment, and trading-partner compliance, visit the 

Section 232 Medical Device Tariffs: The Investigation That Never Closed

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Supply chain leaders in life sciences who watched the pharmaceutical tariffs land this year could be forgiven for treating 

The proclamation arrived in April 2026, the rates phased in through September, and companies without onshoring deals are paying them now.  

However, that framing misses a different Section 232 track. On September 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce opened a separate Section 232 investigation, covering personal protective equipment, medical consumables, and medical devices, but leaving pharmaceuticals out. This investigation has never produced a public decision and its report deadline passed roughly five months ago. 

For companies that import gloves, syringes, infusion pumps, ventilators, stents, or imaging machines, the tariff question has remained open for more than a year.  

What Already Happened With Section 232 Pharmaceutical Tariffs? 

On April 2, 2026, President Trump signed 

, setting a 100% default duty on patented drugs and the active ingredients behind them, with lower rates tied to origin and to company commitments. 

 records tariffs of 20% for companies with Commerce-approved onshoring plans, while goods from the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland pay 15%. Generic drugs and biosimilars are out of scope for now. 

The rollout was fast. Duties began on July 31, 2026 for the companies named in Annex III, and on September 29 for everyone else. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued filing guidance three times between July and late September. Each round changed the codes importers had to report, and one code was retired outright.  

What Is the Section 232 Investigation Into Medical Devices and PPE? 

The open investigation is a separate action with a separate scope. Commerce started it on September 2, 2025, and 

 followed on September 26. It asks whether imports of personal protective equipment, medical consumables, and medical equipment threaten national security. The comment period closed on October 17, 2025, during which 817 comments were filed. 

The notice clearly draws the line with the action on pharmaceuticals. Prescription drugs, biologics, and specialty drugs are all excluded, because Commerce examined those imports separately. Everything else in the clinical supply chain is in scope, including: 

Commerce listed twelve criteria, with two of them pointing at sourcing structure rather than product type. The first is how far United States imports lean on a small number of suppliers or countries. The second is whether domestic capacity can realistically grow. A company that buys components from one or two countries sits closer to the center of that inquiry than one with a broad supplier base. 

According to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the Commerce Secretary has 270 days from the start of an investigation to report findings to the President. The President then has 90 days to decide whether to act. Counting 270 days from September 2, 2025 puts the report deadline near May 30, 2026, which passed roughly five months ago. 

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Curated articles written by supply chain experts to help suppliers win at retail.

Prepping for Walmart Audits

Overview

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