OnTrac is a regional carrier providing next-day delivery services to businesses and consumers across the western United States. Known for reliable ground shipping solutions, OnTrac serves Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and parts of New Mexico and Montana.
This guide provides developers with the details needed to build OnTrac shipping capabilities into your ShipStation V2 API workflows. You can also connect your OnTrac account via the ShipStation API Platform.
OnTrac is migrating all legacy OnTrac customers currently using ShipStation to the new Unified OnTrac integration (V3). ShipStation has adopted this integration over the past several months and is consolidating the number of OnTrac integrations it supports, so all customers will transition to the updated system.
What this means for you:
- New account structure: Legacy accounts use a numeric Account Number; V3 uses Customer Branches (unique alphanumeric IDs) aligned to your current origin and injection locations.
- Tracking number changes: Current format starts with "D"; new format starts with "1LS." Coordination with your third-party tracking providers may be required.
- Invoice format updates: Invoices will move to a new format.
- ShipStation setup required: You must add a new OnTrac carrier integration in ShipStation.
Migrating in ShipStation:
- Contact OnTrac to request your new credentials. The new OnTrac API requires a different set of parameters than OnTrac Legacy or LaserShip.
- Once you have your new credentials, connect your OnTrac account via the Carriers page just like connecting any other carrier.
Carrier API Code: ontrac_v3
| Property | Type | Required? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
nickname | string | required | Used to identify your account in ShipStation V2 API |
ws_id | string | required | WSID |
ws_key | string | required | WSKey |
customer_branch | string | required | Customer Branch |
pickup_time | string | required | Pickup Time |
contact | string | required | Contact |
street_address | string | required | Address |
postal_code | string | required | Postal Code |
city | string | required | City |
state | string | required | State |
special_instructions | string | required | Special Instructions |
company | string | Optional | Company |
address2 | string | Optional | Address2 |
iso_country_code | string | Optional | ISO Country Code |
phone | string | Optional | Phone |
declare_piece_attributes_separately_for_every_shipment | boolean | Optional | Declare Piece Attributes Separately for Every Shipment |
attr_alcohol | boolean | Optional | Alcohol |
attr_dryice | boolean | Optional | DryIce |
attr_explosive | boolean | Optional | Explosive |
attr_two_persons | boolean | Optional | Two Persons |
attr_controlled_substance | boolean | Optional | Controlled Substance |
attr_refrigerated | boolean | Optional | Refrigerated |
attr_perishable | boolean | Optional | Perishable |
attr_norts | boolean | Optional | NoRTS |
attr_desktop_delivery | boolean | Optional | Desktop Delivery |
attr_hazmat | boolean | Optional | Hazmat |
attr_saturday | boolean | Optional | Saturday |
attr_sunday | boolean | Optional | Sunday |
attr_signature_required | boolean | Optional | SignatureRequired |
- Weight and dimensions are required for all shipments.
- Ship From and Ship To addresses must be complete and valid.
You can connect an OnTrac account via the ShipStation dashboard or programmatically via API.
To connect your OnTrac account through the ShipStation API Platform:
- Navigate to Settings > Carriers in your ShipStation dashboard
- Click Add Carrier and select OnTrac
- Enter your OnTrac V3 credentials
- Click Connect to complete the setup
For detailed step-by-step instructions, see our OnTrac connection help article.
POST /v2/connections/carriers/ontrac_v3
POST /v2/connections/carriers/ontrac_v3 HTTP/1.1
Host: api.shipstation.com
API-Key: __YOUR_API_KEY_HERE__
Content-Type: application/json
{
"nickname": "my ontrac account",
"ws_id": "your_ws_id_here",
"ws_key": "your_ws_key_here",
"customer_branch": "BRANCH123",
"pickup_time": "14:00",
"contact": "John Doe",
"street_address": "123 Main St",
"postal_code": "90210",
"city": "Los Angeles",
"state": "CA",
"special_instructions": "Call on arrival"
}A successful connection will return the carrier's carrier_id property in the response.
Once connected, you can retrieve your carrier configuration using the list carriers endpoint.
OnTrac supports rate shopping with ShipStation V2 API.
Available OnTrac services are provided below. Please note that carriers may update their available services at any time. To ensure you are always using valid services, you can use the list carrier services endpoint at any time.
| Service | API Code | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Ground Pickup Ontrac | ground_v3_ontrac | Tracking, Multi-Package |
| Ground Pickup None | ground_v3_none | Tracking, Same-Day Service, Multi-Package |
OnTrac supports the following package types for shipments:
| Package Type | API Code |
|---|---|
| Polybag | ontrac_v3_polybag |
| Custom Packaging | ontrac_v3_custom_packaging |
| Envelope | ontrac_v3_envelope |
You can also use custom package types with OnTrac.
OnTrac supports adding carrier insurance to shipments created with ShipStation V2 API. Review our insurance page for details on adding insurance to your shipments.
- Label sizes: 4" x 6"
- Label formats: PDF, ZPL
- Supports unicode characters: Yes
OnTrac supports adding custom label messages.
OnTrac supports creating multi-package shipments.
See our Multi-Package Shipping page for details about creating multi-package labels.
OnTrac does not support label branding.
OnTrac supports voiding labels with ShipStation V2 API.
See our Void a Label page for details about voiding labels with ShipStation V2 API.
OnTrac does not support paperless labels.
| Confirmation Type | API Code | Description |
|---|---|---|
| None | none | No confirmation requested. |
| Signature Required | signature | Signature is required for the shipment to be delivered. |
See our Delivery Confirmation page for more details about using the confirmation property.
OnTrac supports certain advanced options, which you can add to the shipment object when creating a shipment or label.
Specific advanced options supported by OnTrac include attributes for special handling requirements like alcohol, dry ice, hazmat, refrigerated items, and Saturday/Sunday delivery.
To ensure you always have the most up-to-date information about a carrier's advanced options, use the list carrier options call.
OnTrac does not require manifesting your shipments.
OnTrac supports scheduling pickups using ShipStation V2 API.
OnTrac supports receiving tracking updates. Review our Track a Package guides for details on tracking with the ShipStation V2 API.
See the Disconnect section in our Delete a Carrier page for the process of deleting or disconnecting a carrier from ShipStation V2 API.
If you disconnect a carrier account and reconnect it, the account will have a new carrier_id in ShipStation V2 API.