The Advance Shipping Notice (ASN) is an electronic data interchange (EDI) document sent by the shipper to the receiver before the physical arrival of a shipment. Its primary purpose is to provide detailed information about the pending delivery, including the specific seal number applied to the trailer or container. Upon arrival, the receiving clerk uses the ASN to verify that the physical seal is intact and that its number matches the one documented by the shipper, ensuring the shipment's integrity has not been compromised during transit.

A. Consignee document: This term is too general; it is not a specific, standardized logistics document used for verification.

B. Carrier freight bill: While a freight bill or Bill of Lading (BOL) may list the seal number, its primary function is as a contract of carriage, not the primary tool for the receiver's verification process.

D. Delivery receipt: This document is signed by the receiver after the inspection is completed to acknowledge receipt, not used to conduct the initial seal verification.

1. Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC). (2020). Standards for Certified Logistics Technicians (CLT). Critical Work Function 3: Receiving, Key Activity C: "Verify materials against shipping documents." The standards specify that receiving personnel must check physical characteristics, such as seals, against the information provided in advance shipping documents like the ASN.

2. Coyle, J. J., Langley, C. J., Novack, R. A., & Gibson, B. (2016). Supply Chain Management: A Logistics Perspective (10th ed.). Cengage Learning. Chapter 11, "Warehousing Management," describes the receiving process, where the ASN is a key information tool used to prepare for and verify the accuracy and integrity of incoming goods against the physical shipment (pp. 388-389).

3. GS1 US. (2018). GS1 US Implementation Guideline: An Introduction to the Advance Ship Notice. This guide details the function of the ASN (EDI 856 transaction set), explaining that it provides "information about the carrier and other shipment level tracking information" to the recipient ahead of arrival, which is used to streamline and error-proof the receiving process, including security checks like seal verification (Section 1.1).