EDI 990 (Response to Load Tender)

When a carrier receives an EDI 204 load tender, its TMS returns a 990 with an accept or decline code, usually within a contractually defined response window measured in minutes or hours. Some implementations also use the 990 to acknowledge cancellations or updates to a previously tendered load.

The 990 is what keeps routing guides moving: a prompt decline lets the shipper cascade to the next carrier instead of waiting on a silent timeout. Because tender acceptance rates feed carrier scorecards, automating 990 responses — rather than leaving tenders sitting in an inbox — protects both the relationship and the freight.