Skip to main content

Purolator

Purolator is a Canadian shipping carrier that provides domestic and international courier and freight services. Use this integration to display real-time Purolator shipping rates to customers during checkout and to generate quotes when processing orders.

How to set it up​

Where to find it: Admin → Settings → Shipping → Purolator

When you'd use this: When you need to offer Purolator shipping options to customers in Canada, the United States, or internationally, and want to show accurate rates based on package dimensions and weight.

What you need first:

  • A Purolator account with API access credentials
  • Your Purolator registered account number and billing account number
  • Access to Purolator's web services (production or test environment)

Set it up:

  1. Navigate to Admin → Settings → Shipping → Purolator
  2. Enter your Purolator registered account number in the accountNumber field
  3. Choose the appropriate product version:
    • Courier v2 for standard parcel shipments
    • Freight v1 for LTL (less-than-truckload) freight shipments
  4. Configure authentication credentials if required by your Purolator agreement
  5. Save the configuration
  6. Test the integration by creating a test order and verifying that rates appear at checkout

Configuration options​

FieldWhat it doesDefaultRequired
accountNumberYour Purolator registered account and billing account number used for rating and paymentNoneYes

Using it day-to-day​

For Courier (parcel) shipments:

  1. When a customer adds items to their cart and proceeds to checkout, the system automatically requests rate quotes from Purolator
  2. The integration determines the appropriate service based on origin and destination:
    • PurolatorExpress for shipments within Canada
    • PurolatorExpressU.S for shipments between Canada and the United States
    • PurolatorExpressInternational for all other international shipments
  3. Purolator returns rates including base price, surcharges, and taxes
  4. The customer selects their preferred service level and completes checkout
  5. The selected rate is stored with the order

For Freight (LTL) shipments:

  1. The system sends freight estimates for larger shipments using the Expedited LTL service type
  2. Each package in the shipment is submitted as a line item with weight and dimensions
  3. Purolator calculates the freight rate including accessorial charges
  4. If a valid rate is returned, it appears as "Expedited LTL" in the shipping options

What gets sent to Purolator:

  • Sender address (postal code, city, province, country)
  • Receiver complete address
  • Package details: total weight (converted to kg), dimensions (converted to cm), piece count
  • Shipment date and account information

What comes back:

  • Service ID and description
  • Estimated delivery date and transit days
  • Base price, surcharges, and taxes itemized
  • Total price

Troubleshooting​

No rates appear at checkout

  • Verify your Purolator account number is entered correctly in the configuration
  • Check that origin and destination addresses include valid postal codes
  • Ensure package weights and dimensions are specified (required for accurate rating)
  • Confirm your Purolator account has API access enabled

Freight estimates return zero or no results

  • Freight estimates require the shipment date to be specified
  • Verify all packages have weight and dimensions entered
  • Check that the shipment qualifies as LTL freight (typically over 150 lbs)
  • Ensure both sender and receiver addresses include company names

International rates not showing

  • Confirm the destination country code is valid (2-letter ISO code)
  • Verify your Purolator account is authorized for international shipments
  • Check that the service type logic correctly identifies international destinations

Rates are incorrect or unexpected

  • Weight must be in grams (automatically converted to kg for Purolator)
  • Dimensions must be in millimeters (automatically converted to cm for Purolator)
  • Surcharges and taxes are included in the total price returned
  • Residential delivery, fuel surcharges, and other accessorials may apply based on Purolator's current tariff

SOAP errors or connection failures

  • Verify the Purolator web services endpoint is reachable: https://webservices.purolator.com
  • Check that authentication credentials are current and not expired
  • Confirm your IP address is whitelisted if Purolator requires it
  • Review SOAP request/response logs for specific error codes returned by Purolator