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Spotlight PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 The EU e-invoicing mandate is here — France Sept 2026, Belgium Jan 2026, Germany 2025.

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X12 854 — Shipment Delivery Discrepancy Information

The 854 documents the discrepancy between the freight as tendered to the carrier and the freight actually delivered. It is the carrier's preferred instrument to notify OS&D — Overage, Shortage, Damage.

Purpose

The 854 is issued by the carrier (often an LTL or parcel) to notify a discrepancy observed at delivery: overage, shortage, or damage versus the tendered BOL. It carries the affected line, the discrepancy quantity, the presumed cause, and the time of detection. On the shipper side, the 854 feeds OS&D resolution directly: the claims team opens the claim or supplier-credit procedure.

The 854 does not carry the commercial claim itself (which goes through an 812 or a 920 claim) — it is an operational notification, not a financial document.

Envelope structure

The 854 travels in a functional group SD (Shipment Discrepancy). Didactic example in release 004010:

x12 example-854.x12 
ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*ACMECARRIER   *ZZ*ACMERETAIL    *260514*1700*U*00401*000000854*0*P*>~
GS*SD*ACMECARRIER*ACMERETAIL*20260514*1700*1*X*004010~
ST*854*0001~
BSD*PRO-7781*BOL-2026-998*20260514~
N1*SH*ACME WAREHOUSE 1*92*WH-001~
N1*CN*ACME RETAIL DC 5*92*DC-005~
N1*CA*ACME CARRIER*92*CA-077~
LX*1~
L5*1*GUITARS AND ACCESSORIES*4421*N~
L9*OS*5*EA**Overage 5 units at delivery~
SE*9*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000854~

The BSD (Beginning Segment for Shipment Discrepancy) opens with: PRO Number, BOL Number, detection date. The N1 segments identify Shipper, Consignee, and Carrier. The LX introduces lines in discrepancy, L5 describes the freight, and L9 carries the nature and quantity of the discrepancy with a standard category code (OS = Overage, SH = Shortage, DA = Damage).

Common segments

  • Header — ST, BSD (Beginning Segment for Shipment Discrepancy), DTM (detection date).
  • Parties — N1 loop (SH = Shipper, CN = Consignee, CA = Carrier).
  • Discrepant lines — LX loop with L5 (description), L9 (discrepancy description), L11 (PO, BOL).
  • Cause / attachment — NTE for a free-text cause, PWK for photo or report stored outside EDI.
  • Summary — SE.

Common pitfalls

  • Missing PRO Number: BSD01 must carry the carrier PRO; without it, the discrepancy cannot be linked to the shipment.
  • LTL-specific OS&D codes: NMFTA publishes a code list for L901; some LTLs use proprietary codes that must be documented in the Trading Partner Implementation.
  • Claim 920 confusion: the 854 notifies the discrepancy, not the financial claim. The 854 → 920 transition stays manual or is automated via a backend rule.

Documentation

The code 854 and the name Shipment Delivery Discrepancy Information are public and listed on x12.org/products/transaction-sets. NMFTA OS&D codes and the full loop structure are distributed via the X12 TR3 and the LTL routing guides.