In 2022, global container throughput reached approximately 866 million TEUs, increasing the need for container tracking tools to help businesses and supply chains accurately monitor their shipments.
Transparency is a key driver in modern shipping processes. It is empowering businesses and supply chains to plan their operations with precision. And more of them are now leveraging container-tracking solutions to make international shipments as transparent as possible. The proliferation of container tracking tools in response to this demand has introduced a plethora of software solutions, each vying to enhance operational efficiency. However, not all of them have the ability and features to ensure a seamless tracking experience that guarantees transparency.
In this article, we will be exploring the benefits of a great container tracking tool and the best container tracking tools in the market in 2024.
Benefits of Container Tracking Tools
Tracking solutions are a game changer for modern shipping and supply chain operations. They have immense benefits for the shipping company and can be leveraged in a number of ways to ensure a seamless logistics process.
The following are some of these benefits:
Enhanced Visibility and Control
With container tracking tools, shippers and freight forwarders have access to the real-time location of the shipment.
This enhances their ability to track and know the status, including shipment milestones throughout the journey. With container tracking, shippers have a holistic view of their supply chain and can eliminate uncertainties. This way, they can identify potential issues or delays, from port congestion to poor infrastructural capacity, enabling the supply chain to operate seamlessly.
Enhanced visibility allows for effective risk mitigation.
Increased Efficiency and Cost Savings
Container tracking tools enhance logistics planning.
This means more shippers and businesses can leverage data from the container tracker to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the logistics operation. It allows close monitoring to perfectly time container arrivals and kickstart the next phase of the logistics and supply chain process. This way, shippers can avoid exceeding free time. And save costs on demurrage and detention charges.
Alongside effective logistics planning, the right container tracking solution also allows for better inventory planning, thereby reducing the risk of stockouts or excess inventory holding costs.
Improved Security
In 2023, cargo theft increased year on year by 57%. It is one of the highest increases in recent times.
The rise in cargo theft means there is a significant need to monitor cargo transport in real-time effectively. Some tools like Terminal49 go the extra mile and send alerts or notifications when a container deviates from the planned routes. This allows shippers, freight forwarders, and other stakeholders to take prompt action.
Container trackers provide historical data that can be leveraged to identify potential risks in trade routes or poor carrier performance.
Compliance
Documentation is a must-have in international shipping operations, and a single error can hobble the entire shipping operation. Freight tracking tools help with documentation, allowing for seamless shipping. It also helps to avoid fines and delays from customs.
Best Container Tracking Tools
In 2024, container tracking solutions will be much more important than ever before.
More containers are expected to be shipped, and more supply chains want to track their whereabouts effectively. Knowing the location every step of the way requires leveraging effective ocean-tracking software. But the question remains; what are the best container tracking tools to leverage?
Here, we will look at seven of them.
Terminal49
Terminal49 is your control center for container tracking.
The platform allows complete cargo visibility and risk management control throughout the intermodal transportation journey. It keeps your cargo moving safely and also helps reduce the cost of transportation by automating the entire freight tracking process, reducing errors, and saving time spent on monitoring. With Terminal49, you can expect standardized data from hundreds of sources into a single platform. This means the platform can integrate with any number of logistics solutions to streamline the entire logistics process up until delivery. It targets 100% completeness across milestones.
Terminal49 has tracked 1 billion-plus milestones to date across the entire North American Import Supply Chain.
Never worry about reviewing or monitoring the tracking status with automated tracking and alerts in one place. The logistics management team can achieve much more by reducing manual tasks, including effective schedule management with precise ETAs and LFDs. Terminal49 covers every mile in the shipping process. Your business is guaranteed end-to-end visibility of your container tracking status.
Terminal49 can provide customers all they need to know, whenever they need to know. It is the premier provider of container tracking data for the North American import supply chain, streamlining data across shipping lines, marine terminals, rail carriers, and vessels into one easy-to-use dashboard and data pipeline.
For efficient tracking, always have your container number and BOL number handy.
Terminal49 has a G2 rating of 4.9 out of 5.0
Gocomet
The Gocomet freight tracking solution is intuitive and easy to use.
It allows for international shipment tracking in real time on a single dashboard. With Gocomet, you can capture every shipment movement and assess your carrier performance with automated updates sent directly to your inbox. The platform allows for multi-modal tracking, and you can access actionable insights that help improve customer experience.
With Gocomet, you are sure of transparency throughout the entire shipping process.
It has a G2 rating of 4.6 out of 5.0
Flexport
Flexport tracking solution allows for real-time tracking of shipments.
Flexport coordinates global logistics from the supply chain to the customer door. It empowers businesses to ship anywhere, sell everywhere, and grow faster. With Flexport, businesses and supply chains have complete transparency at every shipping process step. This allows them to avoid delays, demurrage, detention, and any other issues that may arise during the shipping process.
With Flexport, you know about order management, real-time monitoring, and data management.
Flexport has a G2 rating of 4.4 out of 5.0
Tracey
Tracey is a shipping intelligence software and container tracking solution that helps businesses and supply chains simplify logistics by providing granular insights that reduce inefficiencies.
With Tracey, you have a platform that prioritizes customer satisfaction and easily predicts delays and ETAs. You get real-time notifications and updates on the state of your shipment. With the preliminary insights and relevant data on carrier performance the platform provides, shippers and businesses can save on setup costs, switching costs, and customer service costs.
With Tracey, you have real-time carrier recommendations tailored to your KPIs.
FourKites
FourKites claims to have the planet's largest supply chain data network and patented AI for tracking shipments.
FourKites, with its robust platform, ensures you have reliable and up-to-date information at every point along your global supply chain. The platform gives shippers, supply chains, and businesses actionable insights, connections, and clarity from tracking results. With Fourkites, you can be confident in the end-to-end global tracking of containers across multiple modes in real time. It also sends proactive alerts to logistics managers in case of delays/emergencies, further enhancing your trust and confidence in its capabilities.
Fourkite has a 4.5 out of 5.0 rating on G2.
Alpega
Alpega's cloud-based container visibility solution is a game-changer. It supports the transportation process from scheduling to tracking arrivals, all in one platform. The best part? It's automated, providing you with complete visibility on your shipping solution at any time.
Alpega has a 4.5 out of 5.0 rating on G2.
CogoPort
Cogoport's freight tracking solution promises convenience and transparency. It is a good tool or solution that can help streamline customer relationships by providing real-time detailed shipment information. All of these are available on the dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What features should I look for in an ocean tracking tool?
There are basic features that must be present in any good ocean-tracking application, and they include real-time tracking, alerts and notifications, historical data analysis, multimodal visibility, and reporting analytics. Ease of use is also very critical.
Q2: Which Container tracking tool is the best?
Container tracking tools can be difficult to rank but Terminal49 offers all you need to have a seamless shipping experience, ensure that customers are kept in the loop, and mitigate risks long before they become a problem. It goes well beyond transparency and syncs with the supply chain to optimize the entire operation. What more could you want in a container tracking tool?
Q3: Are ocean tracking tools secure?
Every good container tracking tool makes data security a priority. This way, they can prevent cargo theft. It is important to prioritize tools with robust security measures in place.
Q4: Can I integrate the ocean tracking system with other logistics software?
Yes, many ocean tracking tools offer integrations with other logistics software like transportation management systems (TMS) for a more streamlined workflow.
