Use DHL Freight's road freight API's to create your road freight order/booking and receive your barcode labels for your shipments.
For public tracking you can use the UTAPI - Shipment Tracking Unified API, that allows you to track your shipment across all DHL Group Business Units (including DHL Freight). You can also receive your DHL Freight invoice details via a push API.
To start using DHL Freight APIs, please validate below pre-conditions:
- You already must have an account with DHL Freight (a so called Invoice Address ID), your freight product codes and your additional services names. Assure yourself you have this already. If not, please get in contact with your country sales representatives or Customer Service.
- For now, below Booking related API's only apply to standard domestic and international road freight products inside Europe. For Sweden domestic transports and for Sweden Parcel products, please go here: Sweden API Farm.
- Sales Invoice Push API can be used independently for all invoices you received from DHL Freight. Since this is a push API with different logic, do not combine this API in your APP with below described transportation related API's.
- Your technical setup, operational setup and acceptance tests should be done first in Sandbox environment of DHL Developer Portal. Once all done, you have to handshake with your country sales representatives, country API on-boarder or Customer Service about go-live date and any other preparations if needs.
Each of above API's are described in more detail on the respective API Reference pages
Best for:
- Creating your barcode labels (GS1 or ANSIFACT)
- Creating other documents e.g. CMR, shipment list
All documents are returned in base64 that you need to convert into PDF.
Precondition:
- For existing DHL Freight business customers with a valid contract.
- For domestic and international palletized road freight transport orders (> 35 kg) across Europe.
Best for:
- Creating domestic and international palletized road freight transport orders (> 35 kg) across Europe with DHL Freight.
Precondition:
- For existing DHL Freight business customers with a valid contract.
Best for:
- Providing access to the shipment status at any time
- Integrating all types of DHL shipments
- Multiple shipments (e.g. eCommerce, Express, Freight, Letter, Parcel, etc.)
Best for:
To validate which DHL Freight additional services can be combined to each product and how they can be combined with each other.
Precondition:
- For existing DHL Freight business customers with a valid contract.
- For domestic and international palletized road freight transport orders (> 35 kg) across Europe.
Sales Invoice Push API enables customers to receive invoice data from DHL Freight.
Best for receiving:
- Sales Invoice
- Credit Notes
- Correction Invoice
Push API is a three step process.
- Register for Push API subscription
- Provide your URL callback details (POST /subscription/invoice)
- Start to receive messages pushed from DHL to your API
Other HTTP methods such as GET & PATCH are created for supporting you with fetching subscription details & modifying configurations.
Best for:
- Determining DHL Freight (Europe) available product codes for your business region
Precondition:
- For existing DHL Freight business customers with a valid contract.
- For domestic and international palletized road freight transport orders (> 35 kg) across Europe.
Best for:
- Determining available DHL Freight product code(s) and estimated or committed delivery date for a requested pickup date and departure/arrival country.
- Only for road freight groupage shipments that are transported via DHL Freight terminals. Relevant only for terminal based operations (TBO), not relevant for part/full loads (non-Terminal based operations / NTBO).
Precondition:
- For existing DHL Freight business customers with a valid contract.
- For domestic and international palletized road freight transport orders (> 35 kg) across Europe.
Here are some tips that'll show you, how to navigate through the Developer Portal to find the APIs, fitting best to your business:
Browse API catalog:
Filtering APIs: If you browse through the API catalog you can use the left side filter navigation to enclose the shown APIs.
If you know the Division in which the product your API serves lies, please check the Division box to filter the APIs (e.g. DHL Freight). Another common way is to filter APIs by Service Type (e.g. Location / Shipping / Transportation / Tracking).
APIs Business Use Cases: Now, that you have filtered the APIs to a smaller amount, you should have a closer look at the API Teaser. The section "Best for" explains the business use case of the API and you'll find also the geographical location, where the API is available. You can find even more information of the API use case.