Mastering Freight Shipment Tracking: How to Always Know Where Your Cargo Is

• Satellite Tracking: Offers global coverage with real-time updates, though it's costly and can be impacted by weather conditions.
• Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Tracking: Required for road freight in many regions, it provides real-time location and driving hours but is limited to specific vehicles.
• IoT Device Tracking: Offers precise location and environmental data but requires robust network connectivity.
• GPS (Global Positioning System): Common for road freight, providing real-time tracking but can lose signal in remote areas.
• RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification): Useful in warehouses and for container tracking, but requires close proximity to a scanner.
• Barcodes/QR Codes: Cost-effective and widely used, though they lack real-time data and require manual scanning.

Neurored TMS & SCM integrates these technologies to provide comprehensive, multimodal tracking, ensuring visibility across all stages of the journey.

Tracking your shipment through traditional methods can often be a tedious process:

1. Identify Your Shipment: Gather essential details like your tracking number, carrier information, and shipment date.
2. Visit the Carrier’s Website: Navigate to the specific carrier’s tracking page. This may involve visiting multiple sites if you’re using different carriers.
3. Enter Tracking Information: Manually input your tracking number into each website’s search tool.
4. Monitor Progress: Regularly refresh the tracking page to check for updates. These updates can often be sparse between checkpoints.
5. Communicate with Stakeholders: Manually inform relevant parties about the status based on the agreed service agreement. Even if there's no tracking update frequency specified, your business may need to communicate with stakeholders who are anxious about the status of their shipment. This will require additional time and coordination.

1. Login to Your App: Simply log in, and all your shipments, across all modes of transport, are at your fingertips.
2. View Shipments: Instantly access all tracking details linked automatically to your orders, no manual input is needed.

Even with the best tracking, delays can happen. Here are the common reasons:

Operational Issues (Carrier-Specific)

Problems like equipment failure or labor strikes within a specific carrier can lead to significant delays.
Neurored’s Freight Booking Tool enables you to quickly book alternative carriers, ensuring your shipments stay on schedule despite operational issues.

Customs and Regulatory Hold-ups

Delays at customs can be unexpected and costly, often due to incomplete or incorrect documentation.
Ensure all documentation is accurate and complete. Neurored tracks compliance and provides alerts for potential issues, allowing for quick resolution.

Weather Disruptions

Severe weather events, such as hurricanes or snowstorms, can significantly delay shipments, especially when routes are obstructed or conditions are unsafe.
Use weather tools integrated within Neurored TMS & SCM to anticipate disruptions and adjust routes proactively.

Global Supply Chain Disruptions

Events like the Suez Canal blockage or the COVID-19 pandemic can disrupt entire supply chains, causing widespread delays.
Neurored helps you navigate these challenges by rerouting or rescheduling shipments accordingly. Using the Freight Booking Tool, you can maintain flexibility by managing multiple carriers and routes to reduce risk.

Who Can I Appeal to When My Shipment is Late?

When delays occur, knowing who to contact is crucial:

1. Contact the Carrier: Start by reaching out to your carrier’s customer service team with your tracking number and shipment details. They can provide immediate updates and initiate corrective actions.
2. Engage with your Freight Forwarder: If you use a freight forwarder, they can act as your intermediary, liaising with carriers to expedite the resolution of delays. Neurored’s system simplifies this communication by integrating tracking and contact details into a single platform.
3. Appeal to Legal Authorities and Regulatory Bodies: Depending on your location and the mode of transport, different regulatory bodies can assist in cases of significant financial loss or contract breaches:
   1. Maritime Transport: In the U.S., you can contact the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). Internationally, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) or your local maritime authority can assist.
   2. Air Freight: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) or your country’s Civil Aviation Authority can handle air freight disputes.
   3. Rail Transport: The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) oversees railway safety and interoperability, but specific claims or disputes are generally managed by national railway authorities.
   4. Road Transport: For road freight, claims are often handled by the national transport ministry or department in the country where the issue occurred.
4. Make an Insurance Claim: If your shipment is insured, promptly contact your provider to initiate a claim. Neurored can assist by generating customized reports and the required documentation for processing insurance claims, ensuring a smooth and efficient claims process.