As port operators across the country continue to grapple with issues ranging from over-congestion to difficulties coordinating logistics between ports, shipping, and customers, real-time container tracking is a solution that promises to alleviate much of the problems that today's port operators face. In our white paper titled What Port Operators Should Know About the Value of Real-Time Container Tracking APIs, we take a detailed look at how real-time container tracking APIs function and the various benefits that they offer.

Download your free copy of this informative white paper today!

Or, if you would like to learn a little more about real-time container tracking and the benefits that it provides, read on for a condensed explanation of what port operators need to know about the value of real-time container tracking APIs.

What Are Real-Time Container Tracking APIs?

Real-time container tracking entails utilizing an application program interface (API) to track the location and status of cargo shipments in real time. This ability to always know the location and status of a shipment enables port operators to anticipate and mitigate issues such as shipment delays before they arise. Real-time container tracking also provides a high degree of transparency that allows shippers, customers, freight forwarders, and port operators to coordinate more efficiently with one another throughout the shipping process.

What Are the Benefits of Real-Time Container Tracking?

Real-time container tracking APIs offer many benefits to modern port operators, including benefits such as:

• Combating Increased Congestion – We have reached the point where shipping services can no longer keep up with market demand, creating historic congestion in ports across the east and west coasts. In light of this record level of port congestion, the increased transparency and ability to anticipate delays provided by real-time container tracking are more valuable than ever before.
• Anticipating and Reacting to Issues in Real Time – One of the biggest challenges for port operators is the inherent latency between when a shipment issue occurs and when port operators are made aware of the problem. Real-time container tracking APIs eliminate this latency, empowering port operators to anticipate and react to shipping issues as they happen without any costly delays.
• Reducing Demurrage and Detention Fees – Due to increased port congestion, many ports have begun to charge increased demurrage and detention fees for cargo left sitting at the port. By providing customers and shippers with complete transparency regarding the status of their shipment, real-time container tracking enables them to more efficiently manage their resources in a way that helps reduce the demurrage and detention fees.
• Resolving Inaccurate Early Return Dates – One common challenge for cargo owners and freight forwarders is the fact that the early return dates (ERDs) provided by ocean carriers don't always match the ERDs provided by port terminals. By allowing customers and freight forwarders to track the location of their shipment independent of any estimates provided by the port terminal or carrier, real-time container tracking can eliminate the issues caused by these discrepancies.
• Letting Customers Know When Cargo is Available for Pickup – Just because a container has been discharged from a vessel does not mean it is available for pickup by the customer; there are a number of processes and approvals that must be completed. By providing automatic updates regarding the status of a shipment, real-time container tracking allows customers to know precisely when their cargo is available for pickup.

Set Your Port Apart From the Competition With No-Code/Low Code Container Tracking APIs

Thanks to the numerous benefits that real-time container tracking provides to customers, carriers, and freight forwarders alike, implementing real-time container tracking APIs is one of the most effective ways for ports to differentiate themselves from the competition. In the past, creating a custom container tracking API was a complex and costly project that often took years to complete. Today, though, no-code/low code platforms enable port operators to create their own, fully-functional real-time container tracking APIs in a matter of days rather than years.

If you would like to learn more about how no-code/low code container tracking APIs are revolutionizing the process of real-time container tracking, be sure to download our informative white paper today. Or, feel free to contact us today to schedule a demo of our industry-leading real-time container tracking solutions.