This transaction set enables railroad industry participants to request and distribute pricing information for freight services. Typically, a railroad company or freight pricing bureau sends this document to carriers, freight forwarders, or other authorized recipients to communicate rate structures, minimum charges, or pricing updates. The transaction uses the REN (Rate Request Information) segment to identify the nature of the pricing request, the DK (Docket Header) segment to establish the docket or filing reference, and nested SB and SC loops (Docket Level and Sub-level segments) to organize rates by geographic service areas and commodity classifications. Rate details are transmitted through the LX, RS, and RD segments, which denote assigned line items, rate subsets, and specific rate data respectively.

For example, Union Pacific Railroad might use the 460 transaction to distribute updated freight rates to regional freight brokers like CH Robinson. The message would include docket information referencing a specific rate filing, with the SB loop organizing rates by origin and destination regions, and the SC loop further breaking down rates by commodity type or service level. Within each sub-level, the LX loop with its RS (Rate Subset) segments would detail specific rates per ton-mile or per shipment, with any geographic modifications captured through the embedded GY (Geography) segments. The receiving broker then uses these rates to quote accurate shipping costs to shippers.