What you need to get started

Before getting started with BBX/BBE you will need:

• Agreed contract with DHL Express to use BBX/BBE service. 
• BBX/BBE to be enabled on your DHL Express Commerce profile. If you are not set up to use BBX/BBE please reach out to your local Country support team using the 'Submit a Ticket' option when logged in. (Click on your Profile name in the top right hand corner and select 'Submit a Ticket' from this menu) Alternatively, contact your DHL Express account manager. 

About DHL Express BreakBulk Service

Breakbulk offers a door-to-door shipping solution that centers around consolidating shipments at their starting point, bundling them into a singular substantial shipment. These aggregated shipments are then dispatched from one customs zone to another, allowing for the streamlined clearance of the consolidated package as a solitary entry upon arrival at the destination customs zone facility.

Once the shipment successfully navigates through customs procedures, DHL undertakes the task of deconstructing the consolidated shipment into its individual orders (referred to as the baby shipments), thereby facilitating the final leg of the delivery journey.

To facilitate this consolidation process, DHL Express Commerce offers support in generating a DHL parent waybill (WB) for the consolidated package, as well as child WBs (also referred to as baby shipments) for the individual packages.

Criteria for shipping BBX/BBE on DHL Express Commerce

• Shipping to a single gateway per destination country.
• Ability to provide line items details when creating baby shipments.
• All line item values must be provided in the same currency.
• Only DEC customs invoice can be used when creating the mother waybill, DEC will consolidate all line items.
• When shipping BBX/BBE to multiple countries it's only possible to have one open Parent ID at a time.
  • If you ship BBX/BBE to multiple countries simultaneously, consider utilising child accounts. Alternatively, complete all shipments to one destination before moving on to the next.

Enabling BBX/BBE Mother WB Address and account number

DHL Express will provide you with your BBX Mother WB address and  account number. The BBX Mother WB address is a DHL location and will be the receiver on your parent label. 

Once BBX is enabled on your profile, you can set up your BBX Mother WB address and account number by following the below steps:

1. Go to Settings > Couriers > DHL Express
2. Scroll down to BBX/BBE Parent shipping locations and select 'Add new' 
3. Add the Mother WB address and account number (FOC Account Number) provided by DHL.
4. Select the countries this address should apply to (i.e. the countries of your baby shipment's final destination). 
5. If the address is associated with BBE, please tick the DHL Economy Breakbulk checkbox.
   
6. Click Save

Processing a BBX/BBE shipment

1. Generate the Parent ID and Pallet ID

The parent ID pertains to the entire shipment, while the Pallet ID corresponds to the identification of each individual pallet within the shipment. A single shipment can encompass multiple pallets.

1. In the new orders tab select the orders you wish to assign the same Parent ID and Pallet ID. The destination country for these orders will need to match your BBX/BBE location set up in the DHL Express settings. 
2. Select 'BBX/BBE' from the bulk action 
3. Select 'Generate Parent ID'
4. Select 'Generate Pallet ID'
5. Click Save
6. Your shipments will now be assigned a Parent ID and Pallet ID. You can view the Parent ID and Pallet ID within an order.

Note: You can only generate 1 Parent ID at a time. You will need to complete all steps below before you are able to generate another Parent ID. 

2. Print child shipment labels 

Once you have assigned your Parent ID and Pallet ID number you can start processing your child AWBs. Before printing your child shipments please ensure you have item descriptions, weights, and values as these are mandatory - you will not be able to generate a parent label if your child shipments do not contain item details.

1. Select your orders with BBX/BBE product code. 
   Quick tip! You can create a saved view or filter your orders in the search bar by entering BBX.
2. Select 'Print shipping labels'
3. Your orders will move to the printed tab. 

3. Create Parent label 

When you have printed your child shipment labels, the next step is to create your parent label. Before creating your parent label please ensure you have printed all relevant child shipments - there is no option to redo this step and add additional child shipments. This is the label that will go on the outside of the pallet. To create your parent label follow the below steps:

1. Navigate to the printed tab
2. Select your BBX/BBE orders
3. In the bulk action select 'BBX/BBE' 
4. Select 'Confirm' in the pop up
5. Your parent label will download or print to your dedicated printer
6. Your child shipments will move to the shipped tab. An order will be created in the printed tab with the parent label details. Within this order you can reprint your parent label or view the parent label tracking details. 

4. Manifest child shipments 

To move your parent order to the shipped tab select the order from the printed tab and manifest. Your parent order will now be in the shipped tab alongside your child shipments. 

FAQs

How do I generate a new pallet ID if I have multiple pallets?

We would recommend packing as you print your labels so that you are able to assign orders with a new pallet ID if necessary. If you require an additional pallet ID you can generate a new ID in the new tab. Select the orders you wish to assign the new pallet ID and select 'BBX' from the bulk action. You can then enter your Parent ID and generate a new Pallet ID. Alternatively, if your shipments in the new tab already have a Parent and Pallet ID assigned, you only need to generate a new Pallet ID. 

I am attempting to print my parent label but I receive an error that my orders do not have item descriptions. What do I do? 

As the Parent shipment is an international shipment DHL Express requires the item details for the items within the child shipments. It is important that before you assign your Parent ID, Pallet ID and print your child shipments, you check they have the correct item details (description, weight and value). If you do not import these details from your eCommerce platform, our Product Catalogue has an override feature that will automatically fill these details. Learn more about the Product Catalogue here. 

When printing my parent label I receive an error saying I do not have a suitable BBX/BBE address for the selected orders destination set up for this country. What should I do? 

Refer to step 2 in the set up guide. It is necessary to set up the warehouse address that DHL Express has provided for your BBX shipments. You can assign countries that this address relates to. Check that the countries of your child shipments are assigned to your BBX Address. 

Can I print my parent label when my child shipments have different Parent IDs?

No, when generating your parent label you can only use one Parent ID. Select the orders relating to each Parent ID and generate your parent label separately.

I have multiple BBX/BBE locations set up in my DHL Express settings. I want to process orders for both of these locations. Can I process these orders at the same time?

No. You can only generate 1 parent ID at a time. This means you will need to follow steps 1 - 4 for each BBX/BBE location separately.