Container Tracking

Overview #

Trackberry provides live tracking for your shipments — whether they're traveling by sea or by air. Once a shipment has a transport reference (Bill of Lading number or Air Waybill number), Trackberry automatically tracks it and displays:

• An interactive map showing the route and current position
• A progress bar with departure, transshipment, and arrival points
• ETA/ETD dates with delay indicators
• A timeline of events (port calls, flight legs, customs clearance, etc.)
• Carrier and vessel/flight information

Tracking data updates automatically via webhooks and periodic polling, so you always see the latest status.

Setting Up Tracking #

Ocean Shipments #

To track an ocean shipment, you need a Bill of Lading (B/L) number or booking number. This is typically extracted automatically from your transport documents — but you can also enter it manually.

1. Open the shipment
2. Set the transport type to Ocean
3. Enter or verify the B/L number in the transport reference field
4. Tracking begins automatically

Trackberry registers the shipment with the tracking provider and starts fetching data. The first update usually appears within a few minutes.

Air Shipments #

For air cargo, you need an Air Waybill (AWB) number.

1. Open the shipment
2. Set the transport type to Air
3. Enter or verify the AWB number in the transport reference field
4. Tracking begins automatically

Tip: If a transport document (Bill of Lading or Air Waybill) is uploaded to the shipment, Trackberry will attempt to extract the reference number automatically. You can always override it manually.

Reading the Tracking View #

Once tracking data is available, a tracking panel appears on the shipment page.

Map #

The interactive map shows:

• Route segments — The path from origin to destination, including transshipment stops
• Location markers — Green for origin, amber for transshipment ports, red for destination
• Current position — A highlighted marker showing where the vessel is right now (ocean only)

For ocean shipments, the route follows actual shipping lanes. For air shipments, routes are displayed as curved arcs between airports.

Progress Bar #

Below the map, a progress bar shows how far along the shipment is:

• The origin (Port of Loading or departure airport) is on the left
• The destination (Port of Discharge or arrival airport) is on the right
• Any transshipment ports appear in between
• A ship or airplane icon shows the current position along the route
• Dates are shown below each stop — if the ETA has changed from the original estimate, both dates are shown with a delay badge (e.g., "2 days late" or "1 day early")

Status #

The tracking status tells you where the shipment is in its journey:

Event Timeline #

Click to expand the event timeline at the bottom of the tracking panel:

• Ocean shipments show container-level events: loaded on vessel, vessel departed, vessel arrived, discharged, gate out, etc.
• Air shipments show flight events: received from shipper, departed, arrived, customs cleared, delivered, etc.

Each event shows: - A status indicator — green for actual (confirmed), gray for estimated - The event location with a country flag - The date and time - Flight number (for air shipments)

Multi-leg Routes & Transshipments #

Many shipments don't go directly from A to B — they pass through intermediate ports or airports where cargo is transferred to another vessel or flight. Trackberry handles this automatically.

How Routes Are Built #

Trackberry constructs the full route from multiple sources:

1. From documents — Packing lists, phytosanitary certificates, and transport documents provide origin and destination information
2. From tracking data — The tracking provider reports transshipment ports and intermediate stops
3. Route reconciliation — Trackberry chains legs into the correct sequence, deduplicates overlapping segments, and fills in missing details

What You See #

The route is displayed as a vertical timeline on the shipment page:

• Green dot — Origin (Port of Loading / departure airport)
• Amber dots — Transshipment ports or intermediate stops
• Red dot — Destination (Port of Discharge / arrival airport) with ETA

Each segment between stops shows: - Transport type icon (ship, plane, or truck) - Transport mode label (Ocean freight, Air freight, Road freight) - Vessel name, flight number, or truck reference - Carrier name

The header shows the total number of legs (e.g., "Route · 3 legs").

Transport Types #

A single shipment can combine different transport modes. For example, a shipment might travel by truck from the packing house to the port, then by ocean to the destination port, with a transshipment at an intermediate port:

🚛 Road — Packing house → Port of Loading
🚢 Ocean — Port of Loading → Transshipment Port
🚢 Ocean — Transshipment Port → Port of Discharge

Ocean vs Air Tracking #

Automatic Updates #

Tracking data stays current through two mechanisms:

1. Webhooks — The tracking provider pushes updates to Trackberry the moment something changes (e.g., vessel departure, ETA revision, arrival confirmation). This is the primary update method.
2. Periodic refresh — As a backup, Trackberry polls for updates every 6 hours to catch anything a webhook might have missed.

You don't need to manually refresh — just check the "Updated X ago" timestamp on the tracking panel to see when data was last synced.

Public Tracking #

The tracking map and status are also visible on the public tracking page — anyone with the tracking link can see the live position and status of the shipment without logging in.

Delay Predictions #

Trackberry uses AI to predict potential delays for your shipments by monitoring real-time disruptions at each location along the route — ports, airports, and transshipment hubs.

How It Works #

For each active shipment with tracking data, Trackberry queries real-time intelligence sources for current disruptions at every location on the route. It checks for:

• Weather events — Storms, fog, floods, or extreme conditions affecting operations
• Labor actions — Strikes, work stoppages, or slowdowns at ports or airports
• Port/airport congestion — Backlogs, vessel queues, or terminal delays
• Geopolitical disruptions — Sanctions, route closures, or regulatory holds
• Infrastructure issues — Equipment failures, terminal outages, or closures

Only verified, current disruptions are reported — not historical events or seasonal generalizations.

Risk Levels #

Where Predictions Appear #

Delay predictions are shown in a Delay Predictions panel on the shipment page, but only when risk is elevated (medium or higher). If all locations report low risk, nothing is displayed.

Each prediction shows: - The risk level badge (color-coded) - A summary of the situation - Individual risk factors with their category (Weather, Labor, Congestion, etc.), location, and impact level - Source links for further reading (expandable)

When Predictions Update #

Predictions are refreshed automatically: - After tracking updates — When new tracking data arrives (e.g., vessel departure, ETA change), predictions are re-evaluated - Every 12 hours — A scheduled refresh checks all active shipments for new disruptions

The "Updated X ago" timestamp on the panel shows when predictions were last refreshed.

FAQ #

How quickly does tracking data appear after entering a reference? Usually within a few minutes. The shipment needs to be registered with the carrier's system first. If the reference isn't found immediately, Trackberry will retry automatically.

What if the tracking shows "Not Found"? The reference number may not yet be in the carrier's system (common for future bookings), or it may be incorrect. Double-check the reference and try updating it.

Can I track a shipment that's already en route? Yes. Enter the B/L or AWB number and Trackberry will fetch all available historical data, including past events.

Does tracking work for all carriers? Tracking coverage depends on the carrier. Most major ocean carriers and airlines are supported. If a carrier isn't covered, the tracking status will show as "Untracked".

How accurate is the ETA? ETAs come directly from the carrier and are updated as the voyage progresses. They can shift due to weather, port congestion, or schedule changes — Trackberry shows both the original and revised dates when they differ.