Reefer loads into Walmart: what it takes to get received

By Todd Cunningham · Last verified September 26, 2026 · Sources at the bottom

Quick answer: Walmart scores suppliers on On-Time In-Full (OTIF). Prepaid loads must arrive inside the Must Arrive By Date (MABD) window.[3][4] Collect loads must be ready when Walmart’s carrier shows up.[3] Walmart’s own documentation of OTIF, transportation and ASN rules lives in Retail Link and Walmart Academy.[1] Fresh produce, meat, seafood and floral going into Walmart food DCs need wireless temperature recorders linked to the PO.[6]

Reefer is all we do. We run your loads into Walmart from PO to POD, and someone’s on it 24/7/365.

Walmart publishes most supplier rules inside Retail Link, which isn’t public. Some facts on this page come from third-party summaries or from Walmart documents posted by other companies. Check them against your Retail Link documents, your PO and your buyer’s instructions. Walmart can change its rules, so check the date above.

1. Order, PO and routing

What Walmart requires

  • Prepaid or collect. On prepaid freight, you pick and pay the carrier. On collect freight, Walmart arranges transportation.[8]
  • Collect shippers set up in TSCP. Walmart’s supplier onboarding checklist says collect shippers must create or request ship points in the Transportation Supply Chain Portal (TSCP) before they can route orders.[1]
  • Routing timing on collect loads. Third-party guides report the following.
    • Routing requests are due by 4 PM CT the day after the PO is received.
    • For D94 produce, routing is due at least two days before the ship-on day.[3]
    • Collect POs are confirmed in TSCP 2.0 using “Confirm Shipment.”[9]
  • OTIF targets. Since February 1, 2024, the reported targets are 90% on-time for prepaid, 98% on-time for collect (ready for pickup) and 95% in-full.[3][5]
  • The fine. Third-party guides report a 3% cost-of-goods charge on non-compliant cases.[4]
  • Where Walmart documents it. Walmart Academy (in Retail Link) covers OTIF, ASN, transportation and the Supplier Quality Excellence Program (SQEP).[1]

Where loads go wrong

  • A prepaid load is booked outside the MABD window.[7]
  • A collect load isn’t ready when Walmart’s carrier arrives.[3]
  • Late collect pickups get reported against the supplier. Suppliers use TSCP’s Late Load Notification screen for this.[9]

How Cyan handles this

  • We start with one lane and learn how it really runs before we quote it. That covers freight terms, the MABD window, receiving hours and dwell rules.
  • Pickup gets planned backward from the MABD window, not forward from when the product is ready.
  • We check the origin against our weekly Market Intel, so you know if trucks are tight where you ship from.
  • If the MABD window doesn’t work with the transit, we say so before the truck is booked.

2. Scheduling the appointment

What Walmart requires

  • Stay inside the MABD window. The delivery appointment has to fall inside the MABD window. The window varies by department and delivery type (MABD to MABD-3).[7]
  • Prepaid carriers schedule in Walmart’s scheduler. For Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) centers, Walmart says appointments are made in Scheduler 2.0 through Retail Link. Appointments must be canceled or rescheduled at least 24 hours ahead, or a fee may apply.[2] That page covers WFS fulfillment centers. Verify the rules for grocery DCs in your Retail Link Shipping & Routing Guide.
  • Perishable collect loads. An unofficial copy of Walmart’s 2025 Shipping & Routing Guide describes an Auto Confirm option for perishable suppliers.[10]

Where loads go wrong

  • The appointment is booked for the day the truck can get there instead of a day inside the MABD window.
  • A late-night breakdown means a reschedule inside the 24-hour window, and nobody is awake to work it.

How Cyan handles this

  • We deliver to the appointment and keep the receiver updated if anything changes.

3. Pickup at your dock

What Walmart requires

  • Receiving pulp ranges and trailer set points. Walmart’s Appendix D lists an acceptable receiving pulp temperature range and a suggested trailer set point for each perishable commodity.[11] Examples:
Commodity Receiving pulp range Trailer set point
Berries (blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, strawberries) 33–40°F 34°F
Lettuce (Boston, green leaf, iceberg, romaine) 33–40°F 34°F
Bananas, premium 56–62°F 58°F
Boxed beef (Walmart) 28–36°F 30°F

Source: Walmart and Sam’s Club “Appendix D: Temperature Standards,” © 2023, from a copy posted by a supplier.[11] Use the current version from Retail Link.

  • Wireless temperature recorders. Walmart’s Cold Chain Compliance Requirements say all fresh produce, meat, seafood and floral suppliers must use Emerson GO wireless temperature recorders on pre-cooled inbound shipments to its food DCs, food import centers, fresh solution centers and food cross docks.[6]
    • Frozen, dairy and deli are not included “at this time.”
    • HACCP product needs one sensor per PO. Meat, produce and floral need at least one sensor per trailer.
    • Each recorder must be linked to its PO in Emerson’s system.
    • Placement: on the face of a pallet, 2–3 feet down from the top, away from the air chute discharge. Not on the trailer wall, not facing the trailer door at the tail, and not lying flat on top of a pallet.[6]
  • Write down the temperature. Under FDA’s Sanitary Transportation rule, the shipper must give the carrier the operating temperature in writing, including pre-cooling. The carrier must pre-cool the trailer as specified.[12]
  • Run produce continuous. University of Florida’s reefer transport handbook says to use Continuous Run for fresh produce and chilled meat. It also says product should already be at or near its carrying temperature when loaded.[13]
  • Pallets and packaging. Walmart’s pallet and packaging rules sit in its SQEP documents in Retail Link.[1]

Where loads go wrong

  • The recorder is on the load but isn’t linked to the PO, or it’s stuck on the trailer wall.[6]
  • The set point on the display doesn’t match the commodity’s suggested set point.
  • Product loads warm and the unit can’t pull it down in transit.[13]

How Cyan handles this

  • Temp rules agreed up front: set point, pulp or continuous-run rules and precool are agreed before a truck is assigned.
  • Before-dispatch check: we verify the trailer is right for the load, the unit is precooled, the set point matches the commodity, and the carrier understands the temperature requirements.
  • Carrier check: safety, insurance and reefer history. We don’t use Conditional-rated carriers.
  • Proof from every pickup: on every load, pulp temps and the seal number go on the BOL, and we get a photo of the reefer display before the truck leaves.
  • We remind you to place the Walmart recorder correctly and link it to the PO before the truck leaves.

24/7/365 in practice

If the truck checks in at 1 AM with a warm box or the wrong set point, someone at Cyan answers. We get it fixed before the load goes on, or we swap the truck.

Shipping into Walmart? Get a lane review. Send us one lane. We’ll walk it stage by stage (appointment, temp, paperwork) and tell you where it could break. No rate pitch. Grab 30 minutes with Alex or check your lane.

4. In transit

What Walmart requires

  • Excursion data. Walmart’s cold chain program lets suppliers receive temperature data from Emerson on loads that have excursions.[6]
  • Collect-load tracking. TSCP 2.0 is Walmart’s portal for collect shipments.[9][14]
  • Carrier duty under FSMA: if the shipper or receiver asks, the carrier must show it kept the load within the operating temperature.[12]

Where loads go wrong

  • A reefer alarm or temperature drift goes unnoticed overnight, and nobody knows until the recorder data comes back.
  • The ETA slips and nobody updates the appointment until the MABD window is gone.

How Cyan handles this

  • Tracking with a person on it: GPS and reefer-status data from our tracking partners. When a ping goes stale, someone chases it.
  • Your platform: where it applies, we work inside the visibility platform you or your customer already uses.
  • Exception playbook: when a temperature reading, ETA, route or appointment moves outside plan, we contact the carrier, confirm the facts, coordinate recovery and keep you informed.
  • Breakdowns: backup carriers, cold storage partners or a reroute, with you kept posted.

24/7/365 in practice

It’s 3 AM and the reefer alarms. We call the driver and confirm the reading. Then we decide on repair, reroute or transload, line up the backup, and tell you while there’s still time to protect the MABD window.

5. Arrival and receiving

What Walmart requires

  • Arrive on time, not early or late. Third-party guides say Walmart can penalize early deliveries as well as late ones on OTIF.[4]
  • Receiving temperatures. Walmart’s Cold Chain Compliance Requirements point to Appendix D for required receiving temperatures.[6][11]
  • Unloading. Unloading and lumper practice at Walmart grocery DCs isn’t in the public documents we found. Ask your buyer or the DC.
  • Receiving and acceptance are Walmart’s call. The DC runs its own receiving process and decides whether the load is accepted.

Where loads go wrong

  • The truck arrives a day early to be safe, and that counts against on-time.[4]
  • A load is refused before dawn, and the shipper doesn’t hear about it until the next business day.

How Cyan handles this

  • Clean start: trailer, precool and set point are checked before the load rolls, and the pulp temps, seal number and reefer display photo from pickup are on file.
  • If Walmart refuses the load: we handle what comes next and keep you posted the whole way.
  • We pull the reefer unit’s temperature record for the trip and send it to you.

24/7/365 in practice

Walmart DCs receive around the clock. If your load is refused at 4 AM, Cyan picks up. We start working the problem right then, so there’s a plan before your team is in.

6. After delivery: POD, OTIF, chargebacks and claims

What Walmart requires

  • OTIF scoring and chargebacks. OTIF is scored monthly. A third-party explainer reports that Walmart moved chargeback billing to quarterly in February 2024.[15]
  • Collect-freight post-audit claims. An unofficial copy of Walmart’s 2025 Shipping & Routing Guide describes “Post Audit Claims” for not following routing rules on collect freight.[10]
  • Disputes. The dispute process and deadlines are in Retail Link. We couldn’t find a public source.
  • Records: FSMA requires sanitary transportation records to be kept for 12 months beyond the use of the agreement or procedure.[16]
  • Carrier claims. A carrier can’t set less than 9 months to file a cargo claim.[17] A written claim must identify the shipment, assert liability and demand a specific or determinable amount.[18]

Where loads go wrong

  • An OTIF charge shows up months later, and no one kept the appointment record, gate times or POD.

How Cyan handles this

  • Your documents come back to you: we return the POD and lumper receipts on every load.
  • Deductions: when Walmart charges back for something on a load we ran, we help you fight it with the appointment record, arrival times and pickup proof (pulp temps, seal number, reefer display photo).
  • Closing out: delivery confirmation and a closed-loop handoff, with chain-of-custody documentation from pickup through delivery.
  • If there’s a cargo claim, we help file it with the carrier under D&L Transport’s claims process.

FAQ

What is MABD at Walmart?

MABD is the Must Arrive By Date. Third-party guides describe a delivery window that runs up to the MABD and varies by department and delivery type.[7] Check the window for your department in Retail Link.

What are Walmart’s OTIF targets?

Third-party sources report that since February 1, 2024, the targets are 90% on-time for prepaid loads, 98% on-time for collect loads and 95% in-full.[3][5] Your Retail Link scorecard is the authority.

Does Walmart require temperature recorders on reefer loads?

Walmart’s Cold Chain Compliance Requirements say fresh produce, meat, seafood and floral going into its food DCs need Emerson GO wireless recorders linked to the PO. Frozen, dairy and deli are not included “at this time.”[6]

What’s the difference between prepaid and collect at Walmart?

On prepaid freight, the supplier picks and pays the carrier. On collect freight, Walmart arranges the carrier, and collect shippers set up ship points in TSCP.[1][8]

What does Cyan do if a Walmart load has a problem at night?

We answer. Cyan covers loads 24/7/365. A reefer alarm, a breakdown or a refused load gets worked when it happens, whether that means a backup truck, cold storage or finding the load a new home. You hear it from us first.

Rules that apply at every receiver

  • FSMA: give the carrier the operating temperature in writing, including pre-cooling.[12]
  • Continuous run: use it for fresh produce and chilled meat.[13]
  • Claims: carriers must allow at least 9 months to file.[17]

The full stage-by-stage list is in our free Reefer Receiver Readiness Checklist.

Related: Produce · Protein · Dairy · Frozen · How We Track · FAQ · Costco playbook · All receiver playbooks

Know where your Walmart lane could break before it costs you a load.

Seven quick questions about one lane, with a plain-English result right away. Check your lane.

Rather just talk? Grab 30 minutes with Alex · (909) 972-1006 · 24/7/365

Sources

  1. Walmart, GFR Supplier Onboarding Readiness Checklist (TSCP ship points for collect shippers; Retail Link and Academy topics). https://corporate.walmart.com/content/dam/corporate/documents/suppliers/apply-to-be-a-supplier/supplier-checklist.pdf
  2. Walmart Marketplace Learn, WFS: schedule delivery appointments (covers WFS fulfillment centers). https://marketplacelearn.walmart.com/guides/Walmart%20Fulfillment%20Services%20(WFS)/Shipping%20to%20WFS/wfs-inbound-orders-schedule-delivery-appointments
  3. SPS Commerce, “Walmart’s OTIF Performance Metrics” (third-party). https://www.spscommerce.com/community/articles/walmart-otif-metrics
  4. 8th & Walton, “Walmart OTIF” (third-party). https://www.8thandwalton.com/blog/walmart-otif/
  5. Forbes, Steve Banker, Feb 1, 2024 (third-party). https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebanker/2024/02/01/walmart-lowers-its-shipping-requirements-but-suppliers-still-struggle/
  6. Walmart, “Cold Chain Compliance Requirements” (© 2023 Walmart; copy posted by a supplier, Classic Harvest). https://www.classicharvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WMTempTales.pdf
  7. SPS Commerce, “OTIF – How to Meet Delivery Appointments” (third-party). https://www.spscommerce.com/community/articles/otif-how-to-meet-delivery-appointments
  8. SPS Commerce, “Should I Use Prepaid or Collect Shipping in Walmart?” (third-party). https://www.spscommerce.com/community/articles/walmart-collect-vs-prepaid
  9. SupplierOne HelpDocs, “Type 20 PO Process” (third-party). https://supplierone.helpdocs.io/article/myupvqpa81-type-20-po-process
  10. Walmart Shipping & Routing Guide 04-2025 (unofficial copy on Scribd). https://www.scribd.com/document/978809937/Shipping-and-Routing-Guide-04-2025
  11. Walmart & Sam’s Club, “Appendix D: Temperature Standards for Receiving and Storage of Perishable Commodities” (© 2023 Walmart; copy posted by a supplier, Classic Harvest). https://www.classicharvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/WMProduceTemps.pdf
  12. 21 CFR 1.908, Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food (FDA). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-1/subpart-O/subject-group-ECFRe79dfa68f350fd3/section-1.908
  13. University of Florida IFAS, HS1328 “Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck or Rail.” https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1328
  14. SPS Commerce, “Tracking Shipments at Walmart: TSCP 2.0” (third-party). https://www.spscommerce.com/community/articles/tracking-shipments-the-tspc-20
  15. CargoLinked, retail vendor compliance explainer (third-party). https://cargolinked.com/blog/retail-vendor-compliance-routing-guides-chargebacks
  16. 21 CFR 1.912, records under the Sanitary Transportation rule. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-1/subpart-O/subject-group-ECFRaa3787a56167350
  17. 49 U.S.C. 14706(e). https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section14706&num=0&edition=prelim
  18. 49 CFR 370.3. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-370

Cyan Logistics is a freight broker and authorized agent of D&L Transport (MC#512099). This page summarizes public documents about Walmart’s supplier rules and federal rules. It is not Walmart guidance or legal advice.