Shipping Labels

Nightly carrier manifest automation

End-of-day SCAN forms for USPS and End-of-Day documents for UPS, generated automatically per warehouse so your driver always has what they need.

Why manifests matter

A manifest is a single document with all of a day's shipments listed and one scanable barcode. The driver scans that barcode once and every shipment on it gets an "Accepted" event in tracking. Without a manifest, each label has to be individually scanned (which slow days at the post office often skip), so packages can sit "Pre-Shipment" for days. Manifests are how you make sure your tracking timeline starts on time.

The nightly job

Every night at 10 PM Pacific, ShipWave generates one manifest per (warehouse, carrier) for every label purchased that day. USPS manifests use EasyPost's SCAN form API. UPS End-of-Day documents are generated via UPS's pickup API. FedEx and DHL handle manifesting on their side—no document needed from us.

Where to find them

Manifests live at Admin → Manifests, sorted by date. Click any manifest to download the PDF. Print it the next morning and hand it to the driver along with the packages. The driver scans the manifest barcode once and you're done.

Manual "Generate Now"

If you have a same-day pickup and don't want to wait for the 10 PM cron, hit Generate Now on the Manifests page. Pick the warehouse, carrier, and date range, and ShipWave produces the manifest on demand. You can generate multiple manifests in the same day (one per pickup, for example) without issues.

Reissuing manifests

If you miss a pickup and the driver doesn't take that day's packages, you can't reuse yesterday's manifest—it's tied to the original date. Reissue the manifest with today's date by clicking Regenerate, which voids the old one and produces a fresh document. The labels themselves stay valid.

FAQs

Do I need a manifest if I drop packages at the post office counter?
No. Counter dropoffs are scanned individually. Manifests are for scheduled pickups and bulk handoffs at the carrier's sortation facility.
What if my driver refuses the manifest?
Some rural USPS drivers don't carry scanners. In that case, the package will still ship—it just gets its first scan at the next facility. Your tracking timeline starts later but everything else works the same.
Can I include labels from multiple warehouses on one manifest?
No. Manifests are scoped per warehouse because they tie to a physical handoff at a specific location. If you ship from 3 warehouses, you get 3 manifests per carrier per night.
Is there a fee?
No. Manifest generation is free. The carrier doesn't charge for SCAN forms or EOD documents.

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