Overview
Drayage shipments involve transporting containerized cargo over short distances, typically between ports, rail yards, and nearby warehouses or distribution centers. This mode serves as a crucial link in multi-modal transportation, facilitating the movement of goods between ocean vessels, trucks, and rail. Drayage operations are time-sensitive and require precise coordination for container handling, customs clearance, and delivery schedules. Efficient management of drayage ensures smooth transitions across the supply chain, minimizing delays and demurrage costs.
Shipwell is tailored for drayage shipments and provides visibility and control over these shipments, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing manual effort. To initiate this service, please engage with your Customer Success Manager directly. This service may require an additional statement of work to turn on.
Initiating Container Tracking
⚠️ Important: A carrier does NOT need to be assigned to a shipment for container tracking to work. Container tracking is independent of shipment workflow status — it is driven by the reference fields (MBOL, Container ID, SCAC) entered on the shipment, not by assignment or dispatch status.
Users can initiate container tracking in any of the following three ways:
Master Bill Of Lading (MBOL) only. If the MBOL begins with the ocean carrier prefix (e.g., MAEU123456789), Shipwell will automatically extract the SCAC code — no separate SCAC entry required. If the MBOL does not contain a recognizable carrier prefix, the Ocean Carrier SCAC must be entered manually for tracking to initiate.
Master Bill Of Lading (MBOL) + Container ID + Ocean Carrier SCAC. Providing all three values improves tracking precision and is recommended when all data is available.
During Shipment Creation or post shipment creation, users can enter one of the above combinations into the required fields. Shipwell will recognize the MBOL/Container ID/Ocean SCAC and will initiate a tracking request and work to "locate" details on the MBOL. Locating container details can take up to an hour. Once located, Shipwell will display tracking details.
NOTE: In some cases, when tracking on the MBOL only, there is no container assigned yet to the MBOL. In these cases, tracking data may only be available with the Ocean carrier directly.
Container Updates
All container updates and milestone events will be displayed on the Shipment Details tab and the Shipment Tracking tab. Shipment details provide key dates and Shipment Tracking shows breadcrumb movement on the container. Updates are received from the tracking provider as they occur, and can happen multiple times throughout the day.
Key Milestone Fields (Shipment Details Tab)
Origin ETD — Estimated departure date from the origin location
Origin ATD — Actual departure date from the origin location
Port ETA — Estimated arrival date to the destination port
Port ATA — Actual arrival date to the destination port
Port LFD — Last Free Day before storage fees apply at the destination port
Loaded on Rail — Date the container was loaded onto a rail carrier
Final Terminal — Arrival date at the final rail terminal
Rail LFD — Last Free Day before storage fees apply at the rail terminal
Troubleshooting
Scenario | Answer |
Tracking not updating despite correct MBOL, Container, and SCAC | First validate the BOL# directly on the ocean carrier website. If correct, this may be a backend tracking integration issue. Contact support at CustomerSuccess@shipwell.com with shipment reference, MBOL, container ID, and SCAC. |
Does carrier need to be assigned to initiate tracking? | No. Carrier assignment and dispatch are NOT required for container tracking. Tracking is initiated by entering the MBOL (and optionally Container ID + SCAC) in the References section of the shipment. |
How long does locating take? | Up to 1 hour after entering reference fields. |
Shipment status is Quoting — can I still track? | Yes. Shipment workflow status (quoting, dispatched, etc.) does not affect container tracking. Tracking works as long as the MBOL is entered correctly. |
Why does tracking show tracking_not_setup? | This means the tracking request has not been initiated or the reference fields are missing/incorrect. Verify MBOL (and SCAC if MBOL does not have a recognizable carrier prefix) are entered in the References section. If fields are correct and tracking still fails, escalate to CustomerSuccess@shipwell.com. |
Master BOL vs Booking number | The MBOL value should be placed in the "BOL #" field to support tracking connection. Booking numbers alone are not sufficient. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I track if I only have the MBOL (not the container ID)?
A: Yes. MBOL-only tracking is supported. If the MBOL does not begin with a recognizable carrier SCAC prefix, also enter the Ocean Carrier SCAC manually.
Q: Does shipment status need to be Dispatched for tracking to work?
A: No. Container tracking is independent of shipment workflow status. A shipment in Quoting status will track just as well as one that is Dispatched, as long as the MBOL is entered correctly.
Q: Does tracking update retroactively?
A: Container tracking needs to be entered early in the container journey. If the MBOL was not entered until after the ship arrived, earlier ETA updates will not be available. However, all previous milestones and general container information will still populate when tracking is first initiated.
Q: How do I contact support if tracking is broken?
A: Email CustomerSuccess@shipwell.com or use the TMS Customer Support Portal. Your Customer Success Manager can also escalate on your behalf. See the TMS Support Portal article for more details.