You pretty much expect that when your container is loaded on a ship, it will eventually arrive at the terminal where you want it to be delivered.

Sometimes, though, containers have unexpected detours. That’s when having visibility into your container status and location information becomes a critical tool in quickly resolving the problem before potential fees and fines accrue.

Just last week we witnessed a small hiccup in one container’s path to its destination. One of our customers was expecting their container to arrive at a terminal on the East Coast. As we were tracking the container on its journey, everything was going as expected - until the container was off-loaded at a completely different part of the country.

Because we track all of the information related to an import container, including vessel information, schedules, destinations and ETAs, we were able to notify the cargo owner that their container had been dropped off at the wrong location before they even knew that something had gone wrong.

This kind of thing doesn’t happen very often, but it can happen, and it does. Without visibility into your container status and location, trying to track down what’s happened with your container can be a time-consuming and frustrating experience.

Luckily, in this case, the error was discovered quickly and the shipping line took full responsibility. The cargo owner received their container promptly, fine-free, stress-free, and with visibility into its new shipping route all the way.