Business Central shipping carriers are reached through connectors, not through Business Central itself, so the honest answer to “do you support my carrier” depends on which connector you use. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central records a Shipping Agent and a Shipping Agent Service on each shipment, but it has no carrier connection of its own. Dynamic Ship adds that connection through pluggable carrier-integration connectors, each of which reaches a different set of parcel, LTL and regional carriers in different countries. This article explains how the connector model works, how coverage differs for parcel and freight, and how to verify a specific carrier before you commit.
How does Business Central connect to a shipping carrier?
Business Central connects to a carrier only through an integration, because the standard Shipping Agent record is a description, not a connection. The Shipping Agents page in Business Central holds a code, an account number and a tracking URL. Microsoft’s own description of the feature is modest: “You can set up a code for each of your shipping agents and enter information about them,” as the shipping agent setup guidance for Business Central puts it. Nothing on that page requests a rate or a label, because nothing in standard Business Central does.
An integrated shipping app closes the gap by mapping each Shipping Agent and Shipping Agent Service to a live carrier account. When a packer requests a rate or a label from a sales order or Warehouse Shipment, the app sends the addresses, package dimensions and weights to the carrier and writes the price, label and tracking number back to the Business Central document. That is what Dynamic Ship does, and the app page for carrier-integrated shipping for Business Central describes the full workflow.
The word “carrier” hides an important distinction, though. Dynamic Ship does not build one integration per carrier. It builds integrations to connectors, and connectors come in two shapes.
What is the difference between a carrier connector and a multi-carrier platform?
A carrier connector talks to one carrier’s own API, while a multi-carrier platform is a third-party service that already talks to many carriers and exposes them through one API. Dynamic Ship supports both, and the difference matters when you count carriers.
| Connector type | What it connects to | Examples listed on the Insight Works shipping hub | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct carrier connector | A single carrier’s rating and label API | FedEx; Amazon Vendor Direct Fulfillment for orders Amazon routes to you as the vendor | You ship on one contracted carrier account and want that carrier’s full service list |
| Multi-carrier parcel platform | A service aggregating many parcel carriers behind one API | EasyPost Parcel (the most commonly used connector), ShipStation | You ship on several parcel carriers, want rate shopping across them, or want discounted rates without your own contracts |
| Multi-carrier freight platform | A service aggregating LTL and FTL carriers, sometimes with brokerage | 2Ship LTL Parcel, Banyan FTL LTL Parcel, Echo LTL, C.H. Robinson (LTL, FTL and customs brokerage per its feature page) | You ship pallets and want LTL quotes from several carriers in one request |
| Other listed connectors | Platforms whose mode and region you confirm on the connector page | Freightview, Pitney Bowes, Priority1, MachShip, TechSHIP, RocketShipIt and others, plus custom connectors | Your existing shipping platform or a regional one already appears on the hub |
The practical consequence is that “how many carriers does Dynamic Ship support” has no single number. The app page describes the reach as “hundreds of parcel, LTL, and FTL carriers” rather than publishing a count, because one multi-carrier platform can add dozens of carriers in a single connector. The 2Ship connector page, for instance, advertises “Access to Over 300 LTL and Parcel Carriers,” all reached through 2Ship’s own account and configuration rather than through separate Dynamic Ship connectors. The shipping apps hub for Business Central lists more than twenty connectors by name, with the mode (parcel, LTL, FTL) in several connector titles, and it is the page to check first.
A first-hand configuration detail: on the Business Central side, the Dynamic Ship carrier record correlates to the standard Shipping Agent, and each connector needs its own carrier account configuration with credentials issued by the carrier or platform. Insight Works does not hold those accounts for you, and account approval can take days rather than minutes.
Which parcel carriers work with Business Central shipping?
Parcel coverage is the broadest, because parcel carriers publish APIs and the multi-carrier platforms aggregate them. Parcel, in the NMFTA’s definition, “is designed for smaller, lightweight shipments, typically under 150 pounds,” per the parcel versus LTL shipping explainer. That is the territory of the national parcel carriers and postal services.
Within the connectors listed for Dynamic Ship, parcel coverage arrives two ways:
- Directly, through a carrier connector such as FedEx, where you use your own FedEx account and negotiated rates.
- Through a platform, where EasyPost or ShipStation supplies access to several parcel carriers under one login. EasyPost is the connector most documented in the Insight Works knowledge base.
The Insight Works article on rate shopping carriers for Business Central names UPS, DHL, FedEx, USPS, Canada Post and Purolator among the carriers Dynamic Ship integrates with, and it is explicit that your own contract still applies: “If you have negotiated rates with, say, DHL, you will see those rates in Business Central when using Dynamic Ship.” UPS deserves a note because the route matters at setup time. The feature page on UPS shipping for Business Central states that “UPS for Dynamics 365 Business Central requires the EasyPost connector for Dynamic Ship,” so the UPS account sits behind that connector rather than one of its own. For any other parcel carrier, verify against the connector’s own carrier list before promising it to a customer.
Order Ship Express, the free sibling app, covers domestic parcel through a single rating service rather than through these connectors, and the app page for free parcel shipping for Business Central positions it as the shipping app “for anyone shipping parcels domestically.” This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central. Its own carrier list and rate shopping limits are published on that page, so check there rather than assuming parity with Dynamic Ship.
Label output works the same way regardless of connector. Dynamic Ship generates the carrier label, and the feature page on carrier shipping labels for Business Central explains printing as PDF or directly to a label printer through the PrintNode Connector PowerTool. This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central.
Which LTL and freight carriers work with Business Central shipping?
LTL and FTL coverage comes almost entirely through freight platforms, because individual LTL carriers rarely offer the kind of self-service API that parcel carriers do. Less-than-truckload, again per the NMFTA, “accommodates large, heavy shipments that don’t require a full truckload,” with shipments typically weighing between 150 and 10,000 pounds.
The connectors whose hub listings name freight are 2Ship LTL Parcel, Banyan FTL LTL Parcel and Echo LTL, and the C.H. Robinson feature page adds full truckload, less-than-truckload, intermodal, freight forwarding and customs brokerage. Each aggregates carriers and returns quotes, and Dynamic Ship prints the bill of lading from the Package Worksheet using the license plates created during packing. The connector page for LTL and parcel freight shipping in Business Central shows what a freight platform adds: consolidated LTL options, scheduled pickup and delivery, printed labels and bill of lading documents, and accessorial detail such as tailgate or white-glove service.
Two operational realities to plan for:
- Provider terms. The connector is a separate agreement with the platform provider rather than with Insight Works. Confirm the current terms with the platform before you commit.
- Configuration dependence. Freight results depend on the platform’s configuration and on local carrier and regulatory restrictions. Dynamic Ship sends the shipment; the platform decides which of its carriers can quote it.
Which carriers are available outside the United States?
International coverage is strongest where a connector is either global by design or built for a region. Dynamic Ship transmits customs data from Business Central master data to the carrier electronically: item value, tariff number, country of origin and weight default from the item card and General Ledger Setup onto the Customs Card, and the carrier returns a commercial invoice ready to clear customs. For US export documentation, the feature page on international shipping for Business Central describes recording the ITN, AES number or exemption code in the EEL/PFC field on the Customs Card. That handles the paperwork; the carrier still has to be reachable.
Within the listed connectors, the regional picture looks like this:
- North America: FedEx directly; EasyPost and ShipStation for parcel aggregation; 2Ship, Banyan, Echo and C.H. Robinson for freight. Canada Post and Purolator are both named among the carriers Dynamic Ship integrates with, reached through the connectors above rather than as connectors of their own.
- Amazon vendors: Amazon Vendor Direct Fulfillment for orders Amazon routes to you as the vendor.
- Everywhere else: coverage depends on whether a global or regional platform on the hub carries the local carrier. The hub lists connectors beyond the North American names above, MachShip and Cario among them; open the connector page and then the platform’s own carrier list rather than assuming.
Dynamic Ship is licensed per shipping location, so a company with a warehouse in Ontario and another overseas can run different connectors at each location under the same app.
How do I verify that a specific carrier is supported?
Verify in three steps, in this order, before promising a carrier to a customer or a warehouse manager:
- Check the connector list. Open the shipping apps hub on dmsiworks.com and find the connector that names your carrier, or the platform you already have an account with.
- Check the platform’s own carrier list. For a multi-carrier platform, the platform decides which carriers it carries in your country. The Insight Works page tells you the platform is supported; the platform’s site tells you whether your regional carrier is on it.
- Confirm the account prerequisites. Ask the platform what account type, credentials and approval time the carrier needs.
If the carrier appears on none of those lists, ask Insight Works or your Microsoft partner rather than assuming it is impossible. Connectors are pluggable, and the carrier list changes.
Frequently asked questions about Business Central shipping carriers
Do you support UPS, FedEx, Canada Post or a regional carrier?
FedEx has a direct connector, and UPS is reached through the EasyPost connector. Insight Works also names DHL, USPS, Canada Post and Purolator among the carriers Dynamic Ship integrates with. Regional carriers depend on whether a listed platform carries them, so check the platform’s carrier list for your country.
Which API integrations support LTL?
2Ship, Banyan, Echo and C.H. Robinson are the connectors whose Insight Works pages name LTL or FTL. Parcel-only platforms such as EasyPost do not quote freight.
What freight forwarders are included?
Dynamic Ship connects to freight platforms and brokers rather than to individual forwarders. C.H. Robinson is the connector whose feature page describes brokerage and customs clearance support; a forwarder you already use is worth raising with Insight Works before you assume it is excluded.
Does the free app support the same carriers as Dynamic Ship?
No. Order Ship Express covers domestic parcel through a single rating service, and its published carrier list is narrower than the connector network behind Dynamic Ship. Dynamic Ship adds direct carrier connectors, freight platforms, LTL and FTL modes, and international shipping. Compare the two app pages for the current lists.
Can I use my own negotiated carrier rates?
Yes. Direct carrier connectors use your own account and contract, and Insight Works states that negotiated rates you hold with a carrier are the rates you see returned in Business Central. Multi-carrier parcel platforms can also supply their own discounted rates if you have no contract of your own.