Which LFD should I use?
✅ Answer: Destination LFD
If you're just looking for which LFD to pay attention to, start with OpenTrack's Smart Destination LFD. This shows the earliest of the LFDs reported by relevant sources.
If no relevant sources report LFD, we can generate one if you want us to (more on that below).
Where can I find Destination LFD? 🔍
👉 Explore
Enable the column Destination LFD.
Use the Destination LFD filter.
👉 Container Detail Summary (when you click a container number)
🚢 For non-Rail (non-IPI) containers:
Under the Ocean heading you'll find Last Free Day.
This is a Smart LFD that selects the earliest between Terminal or Line LFD.
🚂 For Rail (IPI) containers:
Under the Rail heading you'll find Last Free Day at Rail Facility.
This a Smart LFD that selects the earliest between Rail or Line LFD.
👉 API
There is no Destination LFD in the API. Instead, you can use some basic logic to generate it yourself if needed. Click here for more information on consuming LFD via our API.
What LFD does OpenTrack report?
Under the hood, OpenTrack reports three LFDs:
Terminal LFD
Rail LFD
Line LFD
Read on to find out more about each.
1. Terminal LFD: At the ocean port terminal 👷
This is the Last Free Day at the ocean port terminal. It applies only to containers which do not have a destination rail leg (i.e., they do not have an IPI destination).
Where can I find Terminal LFD? 🔍
👉 Explore
Enable the column Last Free Day.
Use the Port LFD filter.
👉 Container Detail Summary
Under the Ocean heading you'll find Last Free Day.
This is a Smart LFD that selects either Terminal or Line LFD.
👉 API
Returned as lastFreeDay.
Which sources report Terminal LFD?
2. Rail LFD: At the rail terminal 🚂
This is the Last Free Day at the final rail terminal. It applies only to containers with a destination rail leg (i.e., they have an IPI destination).
Where can I find Rail LFD? 🔍
👉 Explore
Enable the column Last Free Day.
👉 Container Detail Summary
Under the Rail heading you'll see Last Free Day at Rail Facility.
👉 API
Returned as lastFreeDayAtRailFacility.
Which sources report Rail LFD?
3. Line LFD: Reported by the Steamship Line 🚢
The Line LFD can apply either to the ocean terminal or the final rail terminal, depending on whether the shipment has a rail (IPI) destination. The difference is that it is reported by the Steamship Line.
Where can I find Line LFD? 🔍
👉 Explore
Enable the column Line Last Free Day.
👉 Container Detail Summary
Line LFD isn't separated out here. You'll see it as the Terminal or Rail LFD, but only if it's earlier than an LFD we got from another source.
👉 API
Returned as lineLastFreeDay.
Which sources report Line LFD?
We can also report Line Last Free Day directly from arrival notices you receive from the steamship line. Learn more about our Arrival Notice Processor here.
What happens if no source reports LFD?
✅ Answer: OpenTrack can generate it, either using a custom configuration or a sensible default.
When an LFD is generated, you’ll see the stars icon which you can hover for an explanation of how it’s calculated:
Configure custom terms taken directly from your contract.
For example, the custom rules might be: “If the customer is Target and the Terminal is GCT Savannah, then calculate Last Free Day as 7 days after Discharge.”
We can customize these rules based on your or your customer’s specific contract terms.
No contract? Use our sensible default terms.
Terminal LFD default formula
Deactivated by default. You can opt in by contacting OpenTrack customer success.
The default formula takes the Discharged date, adds 4 days, then adds another day.
Rail LFD default formula
Activated by default.
The default formula takes the Available At Rail Facility date and adds 24 hours.
What happens when OpenTrack gets different LFDs from different sources for the same container?
To be conservative, we default to the earliest one. You can always see the different LFDs (Terminal, Rail, Line) as columns in Explore and in the API.
What if there is a Terminal LFD reported on a container that has an IPI (inland rail) destination?
We capture the Terminal LFD on rail containers when the terminal reports it because there's a chance it may be useful, for instance in a land bridge operation. We leave it to your discretion whether this information ends up being useful or not.
In most cases, the Terminal LFD is usually meaningless because this rail container is on a through bill, so the real LFD to use is the Rail LFD. We've seen that in these cases, the terminal may report an arbitrary value for Terminal LFD since it will never be used.
❓ Still have questions? Don't hesitate to reach out to us via Intercom or at support@opentrack.co.