Walmart Must Arrive By Date (MABD) Explained

Who is this for?

Walmart suppliers who want to understand:

• Why POs are arriving late or getting flagged as infeasible

• How the Must Arrive By Date is calculated and what drives it

• How MABD connects to OTIF, and what is hurting their score

• What to do when dates need to change after a PO is already in routing

Every Walmart purchase order includes a date that tells you exactly when your product needs to be at the distribution center. That date is the Must Arrive By Date (MABD), and understanding it is foundational to shipping compliantly and protecting your OTIF score.

What Is the MABD?

The Must Arrive By Date (MABD) is a date included on every Walmart purchase order (PO). It represents the date on which the order is expected to arrive at the Walmart Distribution Center (DC). For DSD (Direct Store Delivery) suppliers, the MABD is the date the order is expected to arrive at the Walmart store rather than the DC.

The MABD is assigned in NOVA, Walmart's order management system, and it drives the entire Transportation Optimization process on the collect side.

How Does Walmart Determine the MABD?

Walmart works backward from the store to set the MABD. Here is the sequence:

1. Walmart's system determines when the product is needed on the store shelf.

2. From there, it calculates when the product needs to ship from the DC to the store.

3. From there, it determines when the product needs to be received at the DC. This is the MABD.

4. Finally, it determines when to place the order to the supplier, based on the lead time setting for that supplier's ship point to the ordering DC.

This backward planning means the MABD is not arbitrary. It is tied directly to real store demand, which is why missing it has downstream consequences for product availability.

How Is the MABD Calculated?

The MABD is calculated using a straightforward formula:

DNSB + In-Transit Days = MABD

The DNSB (Do Not Ship Before date) is the earliest possible date a PO can ship. It is set during PO creation using another formula:

DNSB = Review Day of Week + Processing Days

A few important rules govern this calculation:

• Processing Days must not be fewer than 4 days.

• In-Transit Days for each origin-to-destination pair are found in Ship Point Management (ASPEn/Supplier One).
  

• If the Review Day plus Processing Days lands on a day your Ship Point is closed, the PO cannot ship until the next operational day. This erodes available transit and can cause the product to arrive 2 or more days after the MABD. To fix this, adjust your Review and/or Processing days.

Getting this setup correct in ASPEn is critical. Transits will only be accurate if your Ship Point Template has been submitted to the First Mile Team so Transportation can set the proper alignments.

What is the MABD Compliance %?

The MABD Compliance % measures the percentage of orders that arrive by the MABD. It is a narrower metric focused entirely on the "on time" aspect of supply chain performance.

While MABD Compliance % is tracked, OTIF (On Time In Full) is the more complete and preferred measure. OTIF accounts for both whether the product arrived on time and whether the full ordered quantity was received.

How Does MABD Connect to OTIF?

Each PO has a delivery window tied directly to its MABD. That window is used to calculate your OTIF score. Understanding the difference between the two is important:

Walmart MABD VS OTIF

The short version: MABD is the date, OTIF is the score. Poor MABD management, such as wrong dates, late routing, or not being ready on the Carrier Pickup Date (CPD), will directly hurt your OTIF score.

Loads coded as Shipper Failure (for example, pushing out a pickup appointment) count against your OTIF score.

What Are the Rules for Confirming POs?

Before confirming a PO into routing, suppliers need to know the following MABD-related requirements:

• Standard POs can be confirmed up to 60 days before the MABD.
  

• Manual POs can be confirmed up to 30 days before the MABD. If a manual PO is received with fewer than 30 days until the MABD, confirm by 4:00 PM CST the next calendar day.
  

• The DNSB must be at least 3 business days in the future at the time of confirming, based on Ship Point operational hours.
  

• Do not confirm a PO if the product is not available to ship by the DNSB.

• A PO with an expired MABD cannot be confirmed into routing. Contact Replenishment to extend the dates first.

For new Ship Points, POs can begin shipping 45 days after the Ship Point Number has been granted.

How Does MABD Work in Routing and Optimization?

Once a PO is confirmed into routing, the MABD drives how Transportation Optimization builds loads.

• Transportation uses the MABD to determine the Load P/U (Pickup) Window, which is the range of dates a PO can be picked up and still arrive on time.
  

• After a load is assigned, the P/U Window is no longer relevant. Only the Carrier Pickup Date (CPD) matters at that point.
  

• Load dates are generated by calculating MABD minus Transit at the time the PO is routed.
  

• If a PO is routed with insufficient transit, the P/U Window may extend beyond the MABD. This is done intentionally to keep the PO feasible in optimization.

Do not open a ticket, reconfirm POs, or change the MABD while load-building is in progress. Changes at this stage will delay load assignment and pickup.

When Should I Expect Load Assignment?

• For POs under 90% of a full truckload (3,015 cube or 40,500 lbs): expect load assignment between 6 days before the P/U Window Start Date and 2 days before the P/U Window End Date.
  

• For POs at or above 90% of a full truckload: expect load assignment between 14 days before the P/U Window Start Date and 2 days before the P/U Window End Date.

If you are within 2 days of the Load P/U Window End Date and still have no load assigned, open a ticket in the Team Support Portal.

What Happens When the MABD Needs to Change?

If the MABD on a PO needs to be updated after the PO is already in routing, follow these steps:

1. Open a ticket in the Team Support Portal to cancel the current routing.

2. Contact your Replenishment Manager (or access NOVA directly, if you have access) to request an MABD and DNSB extension.

3. Once routing is cancelled and the new dates are confirmed, reconfirm the PO in the Transportation Supply Chain Portal (TSCP 2.0) with the updated MABD.

Important: Do not reconfirm POs or change the MABD in NOVA while routing is still active. This will delay load assignment and pickup.

Also note: any changes to the MABD after a PO is assigned to a load do not change the dates carriers are held accountable to. Load dates are locked at the time of routing.

What Are Common MABD Infeasibility Scenarios?

Infeasible POs are a common problem when MABD settings are off. Here are the most frequent scenarios and how to fix them:

MABD and Key Related Dates

It helps to understand how MABD fits alongside the other dates you will see on a PO:

Understanding and managing your MABD correctly is one of the most direct ways to protect your OTIF score, avoid routing delays, and keep your supply chain running smoothly with Walmart.

Getting your Ship Point settings right in ASPEn, confirming POs on time, and communicating with Replenishment when dates need to change are the foundational habits that will keep you compliant.

Struggling with Walmart deductions tied to MABD?

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