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What is a waybill?
Operationally, the waybill is the shipment record/instructions used to move the freight.
Railroads may ask shippers to submit shipping instructions through:
- customer portal,
- EDI,
- API,
- other carrier tools.
UP's onboarding guide calls out Waybill Management after the car is loaded.
BNSF describes its shipping-instructions tools as transmitting bill-of-lading/waybill data.
Common shipping-instruction fields
- car initial/number,
- origin,
- destination,
- shipper,
- consignee,
- commodity,
- weight,
- routing,
- payer,
- special instructions,
- hazmat data/certification where applicable.
Bad data can hold the car.
What is interchange?
If two railroads are needed:
Railroad A → interchange → Railroad B
The car is physically tendered/received between carriers at an agreed junction/terminal.
A short line may connect an industry to a Class I.
What is interline?
A shipment involving more than one railroad.
Pricing/documentation can be:
- through/interline,
- separately arranged,
depending on commercial setup.
Common rail tracking events
Wording varies, but you may see:
Placed Car delivered to customer.
Released Customer says ready.
Pulled Railroad picks up.
Arrived Car arrives at yard/station.
Departed Car leaves yard/station.
Interchange delivered One railroad tenders car to another.
Interchange received Receiving railroad accepts it.
Constructively placed Available but not physically placed under carrier rules.
Actual placement Physically at consignee/industry.
ETA vs schedule
Rail ETAs are estimates based on:
- current events,
- planned train service,
- yard/interchange,
- local switching.
A car can move hundreds of miles and then wait for local service.
Why a car may look like it went “backward”
Classification networks are not straight-line truck routes.
A railcar can move:
- to a major yard,
- be classified,
- then depart on a different line.
The geographically shortest route is not necessarily the operating route.
When tracking stops
Check:
- Was the car released?
- Are shipping instructions complete?
- Is there a hold?
- Is it waiting local pull?
- Is it in interchange?
- Is there a bad order/mechanical issue?
- Is destination unable to accept?
Contact the carrier with:
- car number,
- waybill/shipment ID,
- last event,
- expected move.
Data integration
Large shippers may exchange railroad data through:
- portal,
- EDI,
- APIs.
UP explicitly supports those three approaches in onboarding.
Hazmat note
Hazardous-material shipping papers/instructions require specific regulated information and certification.
Use PHMSA rules, not a generic waybill template.
Bottom line
Rail tracking is a sequence of events attached to a car/waybill, not continuous GPS.
Related:
- How a carload rail shipment works
- Railcar order, spot, load, release and pull
- How to avoid rail freight delays
Trying to read a car's history?
Send the car initial and number and the lane, and we will help you work out what the events are saying and where the car is in its trip.
Request a Freight QuoteReferences
- UP onboarding / Waybill Management: https://www.up.com/shipping/onboarding-steps
- BNSF Shipping Instructions Help: https://www.bnsf.com/ipower/apps/helpfiles/ShippingInstructions/shippinginstructionshelp.html