The OpenTrack visibility platform is designed to track containers in real time on active voyages through integration with various data sources including ocean carriers, terminals, rail carriers, AIS tracking, and more.

Our advanced data report aggregation and exception detection runs continuously to provide complete, accurate, and timely updates including detecting issues like rolled cargo events.

IMPORTANT: In order for OpenTrack tracking to work successfully, we encourage our customers to initiate tracking at origin (ISF filing) because we cannot guarantee the same level of data quality for events that have occurred in the past.

This is especially true when a container has already arrived at the final discharge ocean port. In the case that a container is added for tracking post-arrival, we provide some feedback in the container detail view like this:

There are three ways to track containers in OpenTrack:

The tracking method you choose depends on how many containers you want to track, and how tracking fits into your team's process.

Click the links above or scroll down to learn more about your preferred tracking method.

If you want to track one Master Bill at a time, start here.

Note: If you add an MBL with the preceding SCAC code, OpenTrack will automatically identify the steamship line. Otherwise, you will need to specify the steamship line from the dropdown prior to adding the shipment.

OpenTrack will begin by identifying all the containers on your uploaded MBL. Once the system has "discovered" all the containers on your MBL, they will be added to your account. Once successfully complete, you can view the container data by expanding each MBL row:

You can click on a container number to expand the container detail view which will reveal all details about the container.

You'll want to track via Bulk Upload if you want to add multiple Master Bills and Containers at a time. We have a dedicated guide on the subject, but here's an overview:

Click the Download Bulk Import CSV Template button to download the template file.

Copy-paste your Master Bills into this template file, or use it as a reference to edit the column titles of your own file.

OpenTrack requires that you have at least one column at the beginning of your file:

If you include only the Master Bill field, each Master Bill must have a SCAC code prefix. Without this, OpenTrack won't know where to look for information about the Master Bill!

You can optionally add the following fields (as columns B and C) in your bulk upload file:

Be sure to include a SCAC code column if some of your Master Bills do not have a SCAC prefix.

When you upload a Master Bill, OpenTrack will automatically find and track all the containers on it. Even if you include a container number, we'll track all the containers we find on the Master Bill. If you only want to track specific containers, let us know.

Plus if you have any additional fields enabled, you'll want to make sure the headings are correctly formatted.

The easiest way to do that is to use our template, although of course feel free to reformat your own file.

First choose your file, then click the Upload icon to upload your file.

If there are any issues with the upload, we'll let you know. You can then remove the file, edit, and try again.

See all the Master Bills and containers you've tracked by clicking on Tracked Containers at the top.

We have documentation dedicated to helping you get up and running with our API. View our developer docs here.

Once an MBL has been discovered, you can search for your containers from the Explore page.

Click on Explore in the navigation bar and search for the master bill number or container number. Please note that recently tracked containers can take up to a minute to appear in these search results.

NOTE: If you are an API user, all data uploaded via the dashboard is also accessible via API and will generate webhook updates based on your subscription to these updates. The dashboard and API strive to provide data accessibility at parity with one another.

What happens if tracking an MBL doesn't work? It's most likely because the MBL number that you provided is not valid. OpenTrack only accepts the ocean carrier issued master bill of lading and will not process house bills or container numbers. If an invalid master bill is tracked, it will remain in a "LOCATING" state.

This can also happen because some carriers are slow to return information so OpenTrack will update this as soon as containers are successfully discovered at the carrier.

You can learn more about how to resolve tracking issues here.

As always, don't hesitate to contact us via email or Intercom if you have any questions.