Embedded Files
A MSL is composed of three shipping addresses, Ship From, Ship To, and Consignee. Additionally, the MSL contains a 2D barcode with line item information and miscellaneous data about the shipment it is referencing. The MSL also holds human readable information about the most basic aspects of the cargo, weight, size, priority, and various other type codes and port codes.
To create an MSL with the On-Demand software, click the MSL tab on the left side of the window. When entering new shipments you should always click File > New to begin a new label.
Them MSL creation form is divided into three sections. Label, Line items, and Miscellaneous.
The Label section controls the actual printed data on the MSL, the shipping addresses, port and type codes, priority, weight, size, number of pieces, etc. The Line Items
The Line Items tab contains all the information that will be stored as line item data in the 2D barcode on the MSL.
The Miscellaneous section holds the TCMD fields, or transportation and Control Movement Document.
MSL Label Form
IMPORTANT: On-Demand is no longer available. We do offer same-day MSL's via our website order form.
A Military Shipping label or MSL is an exterior container shipping label with a 2D PDF-417 barcode used by the DoD to track and organize all incoming shipments.
Label Section
The label tab defines the information that will be printed on the face of the military shipping label. This section helps you generate a TCN, format your shipping and delivery dates, encode the shipping addresses into a 2D barcode, and generate and encode RFID into your MSL.
When entering addresses into the From, To and Consignee fields, you may click the Save icon to store an address and DoDAAC. The next time you need to use that address, complete the DoDAAC field and click the Find icon to recall the address.
In addition to saving and recalling addresses, On-Demand can help you generate a TCN. Click the Generate button next to the TCN field to create a new TCN based on your CAGE code and shipment date. Each time you click the generate button a new TCN will be created. Each TCN gets a unique serial number that resets every day.
Click on the Size (cubic ft): link to open a dialog that will allow you to enter the dimensions of your package. The size form will automatically calculate the size in cubic feet of your shipment.
The Delivery By and Date Shipped fields can be set by clicking the drop-down arrow to display a calendar. If you are required to use a three-digit RDD code, you may disable the Delivery By selector by deselecting its checkbox.
The remainder of the fields on the MSL Label form are optional unless they are specified in your contract. TAC (Transportation Account Code), POD (Port of Debarkation), POE (Port of Embarkation), FMS (Foreign Military Sales) are all used for overseas or non-CONUS shipments.
If you are using 4"x6" labels with embedded RFID, you may enable the MSL with RFID checkbox to encode RFID into your MSL. If you are applying your MSL to your exterior pallet you should set the Type field to Pallet. If your MSL is not part of a palletized unit load you should set your Type field to Case. The serial number field will automatically find the next available serial number when you print the label.
If your shipment contains more than one part you can click the Add icon at the top of the form in the Piece Number Generator. If you click the Add Pieces... menu item you will be prompted to input a number of pieces. Enter your total number of pieces and click the OK button. You will now be able to scroll through and edit each piece by using the arrows to the left and right of the piece number field. You can also delete a piece by clicking the Delete icon.
Line Items
The Line Items tab contains information about the individual line items packaged in the shipment. If you fill out this section before creating your additional pieces all subsequent pieces you add will copy the line item information from your first piece. It is important to remember to complete your line item data before you add multiple pieces.
You may have up to ten line items in each package. We recommend that you stick to one line item per pack to avoid troublesome data entry issues in the Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) that come along with multi-packs. Each line item contains a Supply Document Number, NSN, Quantity and Unit of Issue (UI), Routing Identifier Code, Condition Code, Distribution Code, and a Unit Price. Shipments of ammo also require a DoDIC and a Lot Number.
Note: The Quantity and Unit of Issue field requires that you include the quantity followed by the two-character unit of issue code with no space. For example: 25ea. Also, the the Unit Price field requires you to enter the Unit Price in the form of the dollar amount, a decimal point and two decimal amounts followed by the currency code. For example: 375.00USD.
Miscellaneous
The Miscellaneous tab contains the TCMD (Transportation and Control Movement Document) data. This data is encoded into the 2D PDF-417 barcode on the MSL.
Each field in the TCMD section has a format requirement. When you click on a blank field you will see a number beneath that field such as "an5." The first letter or two define the type of characters that may be used in the field. (a) represents alphabetical characters, (n) represents numeric only characters, and (an) represents both alphabetical or numeric characters. The next part of the format requirement will be a number that defines the minimum and maximum length of the field. The range can either be a single number, a "..." followed by a number, or a number followed by "..." followed by another number. A single number expresses the minimum and maximum number of digits, for example an5 means exactly 5 alphanumeric characters. A "..." followed by a number allows for no minimum length, for example an...5 means between 1 and 5 alphanumeric characters. Finally a number followed by "..." followed by another number requires a minimum of the first number, up to a maximum of the last, for example an3...5 means between 3 and 5 alphanumeric characters.
MSL Line Items Form
MSL Miscellaneous Form
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