The Standard Point Location Code (SPLC) is designed to provide each point originating freight and each point receiving freight in North America with a unique code number so constructed as to identify the point with its geographic location, using two digits to identify State, County and City and three digits to identify Sub-Code.

SPLC is based on a system of nesting recognized political entities and numbering them in a standard geographic pattern. The nesting system is State-County-City-Sub-Code. Different nomenclatures for areas equivalent to these four groups are substituted as they occur. Commonwealth, Province and Territory are synonymous with State while Parish, Municipio and Census District or Census Divisions are synonymous with County. Cities, Boroughs, Municipalities, Towns, Villages, named communities and rural areas, constitute the Cities and Sub-Codes. A point means a particular city, town, village, community, railroad station or other named area, which is treated as a unit for transportation purposes. Each point is identified by a nine-digit number. For U.S. and Canadian points, the nine-digit number may be broken down as follows:

• Part I The first digit of the code identifies a region.

• Part II The first and second digits of the code identify a State, Province or Territory, or a defined portion thereof.

• Part III The third and fourth digits of the code identify county, or its equivalent, as part of the area covered by the first two digits. When taken together, the first four digits of the code provide a unique number for each county, or its equivalent, or a portion thereof. 
   

• Part IV The fifth and sixth digits identify a point as Part Of the area covered by the first four digits of the Code.

• Part V If the seventh, eighth and ninth digits are 000, the point is not defined beyond the City level. If the seventh, eighth and ninth digits are other than 000, the point is defined at the Sub-Code level (see Sub-Code Structure below).

When taken together, the entire nine digits provide unique codes for points as defined above.

For Mexican points, the nine-digit number may be broken down as follows:

• Part I The first digit of the code identifies a region.

• Part II The first, second and third digits of the code identify a state.

• Part III The fourth, fifth and sixth digits identify a point within a municipio as part of the area covered by the first three digits of the code.

• Part IV If the seventh, eighth and ninth digits are 000, and the point is not defined beyond the City level. If the seventh, eighth and ninth digits are other than 000, the point is defined at the Sub-Code level (see Sub-Code Structure below).

When taken together, the entire nine digits provide unique codes for points as defined above.

Availability

SPLC is available on the internet as well as a fixed length field data file on CD-ROM. (Click here for a record layout.) The data file is sold on a calendar year subscription basis.

SPLC is owned, maintained and copyrighted by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc., 2007. All rights reserved. No part of the Directory and data files, except the SPL Code Assignment Request Form, may be copied or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. The data contained on the CD-ROM may only be used within the internal organization of the purchaser and may not be made accessible in any form to any outside parties without express written permission from NMFTA. License agreements are available to allow redistribution of the SPLC data. For further information, please write to the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc., 1001 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314.

Sub-Code Structure

To identify locations requiring definition beyond the city level, as defined above, the last three digits of the SPLC, known as the Sub-Code, are changed to a value other than 000. The Sub-Code consists of the last three digits of the SPLC and is assigned in conjunction with the first six digits of the SPLC. Certain groups of three-digit Sub-Codes are reserved for use as follows:

For example, Boston MA, is assigned nine-digit SPLC 142000000. Locations within Boston needing further definition would be assigned a nine-digit code, the first six digits of which would be the same as Boston's code to which the last three digits are changed to a value other than 000.

Example: Dorchester Center located within Boston needs further definition (last three digits other than 000)

142000017-Nine-digit code assigned Dorchester Center as example.

142000 -The "base" Is the first six digits Is the existing code for Boston.

017 -The three-digit "Sub-Code" Is added to the Boston code to further define.

142000017-Taken together the entire nine digits define Dorchester Center with a unique code.

NOTE-Currently there are no rail station Sub-Codes and that portion of the directory is published with 6-digits.