Container Tracking¶
See the latest terminal status of a container (CN Rail, Termont / Port of Montreal, or MGT Racine/Cast) from the order list, without logging in to the terminal websites.
Overview¶
Container Tracking (also called Track & Trace) checks your containers at the terminal on a schedule, stores the latest status, and shows it in a popup when you click the tracking icon on an order.
- Three separate add-ons -- one per tracking source. Each source is shown and checked only when its own add-on is on for your account (see Add-ons and Options).
- CN Rail -- containers at a pickup terminal named CN.
- Termont (Port of Montreal) -- containers at a pickup terminal whose name contains TERMONT or VIAU.
- MGT (Racine/Cast) -- containers at a pickup terminal whose name contains RACINE or CAST.
- Automatic checks -- the system checks in-progress orders at those terminals on a schedule. You never trigger a check yourself.
- Change history -- every change to the key tracking fields is recorded and shown at the bottom of the popup.
- Auto-fill -- for Termont and MGT, blank order fields (seal, weight, steamship line, size, customs released) are filled in when new terminal data arrives.
- Alerts and bulk updates -- status-change alerts are covered in Container Alerts; updating ETA and Last Free Day on many orders at once is covered in Tracking Bulk Update.
Quick Start¶
- Go to Orders (or Dispatch).
- Find the order. In the Container# column, click the tracking icon ( red train for CN, blue ship for Termont, orange ship for MGT). Its tooltip reads Check container status.
- The tracking popup opens. A green header means the container is available (CN: de-ramped; Termont / MGT: ready for pickup). Check the Customs line before you dispatch.
- Click Close when done.
Tip
The icon depends on the order's pickup terminal, not on the container number. If there is no icon, check the pickup terminal first. See No tracking icon on an order.
Access & Permissions¶
Each part of the feature has its own rule:
- Tracking icon on Orders -- needs permission to change container status on orders (the same permission as the inline container status edit).
- Tracking icon on Dispatch -- shown to everyone who can open Dispatch.
- Tracking popup -- needs full permission to manage the order (view-only access to an order is not enough).
| Role | Access |
|---|---|
| Admin | Icon on Orders and Dispatch, popup |
| Manager | Icon on Orders and Dispatch, popup (own offices) |
| Dispatch / Customer Service | Icon on Orders and Dispatch, popup (own offices) |
| Accountant | Icon on Orders and popup (own offices) only when your account lets accountants manage orders. This is on by default and set by UTX. No access to Dispatch |
| Customer | No tracking icon, no popup |
| Driver / Broker / Yard Worker | No tracking icon, no popup |
| Garage | No access -- this role has no access to orders |
How to get there:
- Orders or Dispatch -- tracking icon in the Container# column.
- Dispatch -- the Alerts button opens the Container Alerts page, where each container number also opens the tracking popup. See Container Alerts.
Don't see any tracking icons?
Your account may not have the tracking add-on for that terminal. Each source (CN, Termont, MGT) is a separate add-on. Contact UTX support to enable it.
Which Containers Are Checked¶
The system checks an order's container only when all of these are true:
- The add-on for that source is on.
- The order is in progress: status New, App. Taken (shown as App. Made on the Orders tabs), or Dispatched.
- The order was created on or after the Order Archive Cutoff Date in Settings (see Application Settings).
- The order's pickup terminal is one of the terminals set up for that source.
- The container number is not blank and is not N/A.
- The container has not already left the terminal:
- CN: skipped once its waybill status is Departed or Completed.
- Termont / MGT: skipped once its transit state is Out.
A container number that is on several orders is checked once.
How often? The checks run automatically on a schedule set by UTX. Use the Updated ... ago line at the bottom of the popup to see when that container was last refreshed.
Completed orders
The icon can still appear on a Completed order, and the popup still shows the last data stored for that container. It is no longer refreshed, because only in-progress orders are checked.
The Tracking Icon¶
The icon sits in the Container# column, before the container number and the HAZMAT / scale / damaged labels.
| Icon | Source | Shown when |
|---|---|---|
| Red train | CN Rail | CN tracking add-on is on and the pickup terminal is a CN terminal |
| Orange ship | MGT (Racine/Cast) | MGT tracking add-on is on and the pickup terminal is a Racine or Cast terminal |
| Blue ship | Termont | Port of Montreal tracking add-on is on and the pickup terminal is a Termont / Viau terminal |
Rules on the Orders page:
- You need permission to change container status on orders (see Access & Permissions). Without it, you see the container number with its status label but no icon.
- If the container number is longer than 20 characters (for example several numbers separated by
/), there is no tracking icon. Each/becomes a line break so the numbers are shown on separate lines. - The icon is shown even before a container number is entered. In that case the popup says the container was not found.
On the Dispatch page the same icon appears in the container column for every order at a tracking terminal, for everyone who can open Dispatch, whatever the length of the container number.
The Tracking Popup¶
Click the icon to open the popup. Its layout depends on the source. Fields with no data show a dash (—). Both layouts have a Container Tracking tab, the Updated ... ago line, the change history table, and a Close button.
How the source is chosen
The popup picks the source from the start of the order's pickup terminal name:
- CN CN Rail
- TERMONT or VIAU Termont
- RACINE or CAST MGT (Racine/Cast)
It then looks up the stored tracking data for that source and the order's container number. If nothing is stored, the not-found popup opens instead.
CN Rail popup¶
Header: train icon and container number, with CN Rail, the size, and Empty/Full underneath. The badge on the right shows the status.
| Header color | Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Green | DE-RAMPED / AVAILABLE | The CLM status contains "De-ramped": the container is off the train |
| Blue | The current CLM status (or TRACKING if there is none) | Anything else: in transit, at the yard, not yet de-ramped |
Orange bar (CN): appears when CN reports a customs status and the customs description does not contain "release". It reads Customs Hold: followed by the customs status, with the hold description underneath.
Sections:
| Section | Fields |
|---|---|
| Status & Location | CLM Status, Event Location, Last Event (date and time, when known), Destination, Lot Location (when known), Customs |
| Container Details | Equipment Type, Size, Empty/Full (blue Full or gray Empty label), Gross Weight (KG), Net Weight, Waybill Status -- each shown only when CN sends it, except Empty/Full |
| GPS Location | Position, Location, GPS Time -- only when CN sends a GPS position |
| Bill of Lading | BOL Number, Shipper, Consignee, Commodity -- only when CN sends a BOL number |
| Key Dates | Destination ETA, Last Free Day (see Last Free Day colors) |
| Technical Details (click to expand) | EDI 214, EDI 322, CLM Code |
The Customs field shows No customs info (gray) when there is nothing, a green check and the description when the description contains "release", or an orange warning triangle and the description (or hold status) otherwise.
What does De-ramped mean?
De-ramped means the container is off the train at the CN yard. A green header with DE-RAMPED / AVAILABLE is the signal to plan the pickup -- after checking the Customs line for a hold.
Termont / MGT popup¶
Termont and MGT (Racine/Cast) use the same layout.
Header: cube icon and container number, with the source (Termont or MGT (Racine/Cast)), the shipping line, and size and type underneath.
| Header color | Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Green | READY FOR PICKUP | The terminal reports the container as available for pickup |
| Red | NOT AVAILABLE FOR PICKUP | Any other answer, including no answer |
Orange bar (Termont / MGT): shows the terminal's hold message (for example "On Hold - Not available for pick up") whenever the terminal reports one. It is a terminal hold, which may or may not be customs-related -- check the Customs line for the customs status.
Sections:
| Section | Fields |
|---|---|
| Status & Availability | Terminal (the terminal section), Customs, Customs Date (when known), Hold/Perm (when known) |
| Container & Vessel | Shipping Line, Vessel, Voyage, Origin, Size / Type (when known), Empty/Full |
| Carrier Timeline | IN -- ship icon, vessel name, arrival date and time. OUT -- carrier type icon (vessel, truck, or rail), carrier name, date and time. A row with no carrier and no date reads Not yet departed (this can also appear on IN when no arrival data is known) |
| Key Dates | Destination ETA, Last Free Day (see Last Free Day colors) |
| Technical Details (click to expand) | Visit State (Active, Departed, or Unknown when not reported), Transit State (In, Out, or Unknown), Seal Number, Gross Weight (KG), Booking/BL |
The Customs field works the same way as on the CN popup: No customs info, a green check when the description contains "release", or an orange warning triangle.
Last Free Day colors¶
The Last Free Day in the Key Dates box is colored by how many days are left:
| Color | Days left |
|---|---|
| Green | 3 or more days |
| Orange | 1 or 2 days |
| Red, light red background, EXPIRED | The Last Free Day is today or earlier |
EXPIRED shows on the Last Free Day itself
The popup marks the date EXPIRED from the Last Free Day onward, including the day itself. Treat it as "pick up today at the latest".
Storage and demurrage after the Last Free Day
Once the Last Free Day has passed, the terminal or steamship line may start charging storage or demurrage. The exact charges and when they start depend on the terminal and the line, not on UTX Freight. Plan pickups before the date shown.
Change History¶
At the bottom of the CN and Termont / MGT popups, a table lists changes the system recorded for that container, newest first.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Tracker | The tracking source, for example CN or POM (Port of Montreal / Termont) |
| Changes | Each changed field with its old and new value |
| When | Date and time of the change |
Only these fields are tracked:
| Label in the table | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Status | CN CLM status |
| Destination ETA | ETA reported by the terminal |
| Last free day | Last Free Day reported by the terminal |
| Pickup availability | Termont / MGT available for pickup (Yes / No) |
| Visit state | Termont / MGT visit state; CN waybill status |
| Transit state | Termont / MGT transit state (In / Out) |
| Customs status | Customs hold status |
| Customs description | Customs description (for example a release or hold reason) |
Changes to other data (vessel, seal, weight, location and so on) update the popup but do not appear in the history.
The first 5 rows are shown. If there are more, click Show all to see the rest.
Auto-Filled Order Fields¶
When new Termont or MGT data arrives for a container, the system fills in blank fields on every in-progress order with that container number.
When it runs:
- Only for Termont and MGT (Racine/Cast). CN data never fills order fields.
- Only when the terminal data for that container changed (or is new) since the last check.
- Only on in-progress orders (New, App. Taken, Dispatched) created on or after the archive cutoff that have the same container number.
- Only fields that are blank on the order. Existing values are never overwritten.
| Order field | What is filled |
|---|---|
| Seal Number | The seal number from the terminal |
| Weight | The terminal's gross weight followed by KG (for example 24000 KG) |
| Steamship Line | The steamship line whose name matches the terminal's shipping line (not case-sensitive). If there is no exact match, a line whose name starts with the terminal's value. Nothing if there is no match |
| Container Size | The container size whose name equals the terminal's size, written either as 40 or 40'. Nothing if there is no match |
| Customs released | Set to Yes when the terminal's customs description contains "release" |
ETA and Last Free Day are never auto-filled
Tracking does not copy the ETA or Last Free Day to the order. Use the bulk update tools (CN Tracking and Port Tracking on Dispatch) to apply them. See Tracking Bulk Update.
Alerts and Bulk Updates¶
- Container Alerts -- open from the Alerts button on Dispatch. Lists pickup-ready, customs-released, LFD-approaching and departed alerts, upcoming Last Free Days, and the health of each tracking source. Click a container number there to open the same tracking popup. See Container Alerts.
- Bulk update -- the CN Tracking and Port Tracking buttons on Dispatch. See Tracking Bulk Update.
FAQ / Troubleshooting¶
Container not found¶
Solution
The popup titled Container Information says This container number was not found. and There is no information available at this time. It means no tracking data is stored for that source and container number. Common causes:
- The container has not been checked yet (new order, or the terminal does not know it yet).
- The container number on the order is blank, N/A, or has a typo.
- The order is not in progress, or was created before the Order Archive Cutoff Date, so it was never checked.
- The container number on the order has extra characters (for example several numbers in one field), so it does not match the stored container number.
- The tracking add-on for that source was off when the container was at the terminal.
- The pickup terminal name does not start with CN, TERMONT, VIAU, RACINE or CAST. See Managing Terminals.
No tracking icon on an order¶
Solution
Check, in order:
- Pickup terminal -- it must be a tracking terminal: its name must start with CN, TERMONT, VIAU, RACINE or CAST. See Managing Terminals.
- Add-on -- the add-on for that source must be on.
- Permission -- on Orders you need permission to change container status. Customers, drivers, and accountants without order management do not see the icon.
- Container number length -- on Orders, numbers longer than 20 characters have no icon.
If you just created or renamed a terminal and the icon still does not appear, contact UTX support.
"Container status opens in a popup"¶
Solution
The tracking popup only works from a click inside the app. If you open its address directly (for example from a bookmark), you are sent back to the previous page, or to Container Alerts, with the message Container status opens in a popup. Click the container number in the list to see it. Click the tracking icon or the container number instead.
Data seems out of date¶
Solution
Look at Updated ... ago at the bottom of the popup. It changes each time the terminal returns data for that container, even if nothing changed. If it is old:
- The order may no longer be in progress, or the container is marked departed (CN Departed / Completed, Termont/MGT transit Out) and is no longer checked.
- The terminal may not be returning data. Check the source's health card on Container Alerts.
Customs hold still showing after release¶
Solution
Customs information comes from the terminal and updates only on the next successful check. If it stays on hold after several checks, confirm with the terminal or your customs broker.
Best practices¶
Best Practices
Name terminals carefully. Start each tracking terminal's name with CN, TERMONT, VIAU, RACINE or CAST.
Enter one container number per order. Long multi-number entries (over 20 characters) lose the tracking icon on Orders, and tracking looks up the whole field as one container number, so it is unlikely to be found.
Green header = check customs, then dispatch. On CN, de-ramped does not mean customs is released -- read the Customs line.
Use bulk update for dates. ETA and Last Free Day are not copied to orders automatically.