Document Retrieval

Document retrieval pulls carrier-held documents for a shipment directly from the carrier — such as the Bill of Lading, Proof of Delivery (POD), and invoices — without needing to log into the carrier's own portal.

How it works

Request documents for a dispatched shipment, optionally specifying which document types you want. Shipwell fetches the requested documents from the carrier and returns them once available.

Endpoints

• POST /document_query/ — request documents for a shipment.
• GET /document_query/{task_id} — check status and get the list of documents returned.
• GET /document_query/{task_id}/documents/{document_id} — download a specific returned document.
• POST /dispatches/{dispatch_id}/documents — send a document to the carrier for a dispatch.

Retrieved documents appear on the shipment's Documents panel, alongside any other documents on the shipment:

Automatic retrieval on delivery

Some documents, like the Proof of Delivery, can also be pulled automatically once a shipment is marked delivered — without needing to submit a separate document request.

Sending documents to a carrier

Document retrieval pulls documents from the carrier. Separately, some carriers also accept documents pushed to them — for example, sending a Bill of Lading or commercial invoice needed before pickup — using the /dispatches/{dispatch_id}/documents endpoint above.

API reference

Coming soon.

Next steps

See Supported Carriers for which carriers support document retrieval and eBOL.