How to get automatic shipment updates from your freight forwarder
How to get automatic shipment updates from your freight forwarder
To get automatic shipment updates, ask your freight forwarder whether they offer a tracking portal or automated email notifications at key milestones — departure, transhipment, arrival, and customs clearance. If they don't, use a shipment management platform that consolidates updates from multiple forwarders into a single dashboard with proactive alerts. Most importers waste hours each week chasing updates that should arrive automatically.
This guide explains what update methods are available, what to ask your forwarder for, and how to build a notification system that works regardless of how many forwarders you use.
CARVO is a shipment management platform built for small and medium European importers. It replaces the spreadsheets, emails, and WhatsApp groups that import teams use to track their shipments, manage supplier documents, and stay on top of customs deadlines.
Why importers spend so much time chasing updates
The typical update cycle for a European importer looks like this: you email your freight forwarder asking for a status update. They reply 12 to 48 hours later with a one-line response. You forward it to your warehouse team. Someone updates the spreadsheet. The information is already hours old by the time anyone acts on it.
Multiply this by 20, 50, or 100 active shipments and your logistics team spends a significant chunk of every week doing nothing but gathering information — not acting on it, not making decisions, just gathering it. It's one of the main reasons importers outgrow their spreadsheets.
According to industry surveys, logistics teams at small and medium businesses spend an average of 6 to 10 hours per week on manual shipment status tracking. That's a full working day lost to a task that should be automated.
What "automatic updates" actually means
There are several levels of automation for shipment tracking. Not all of them require expensive technology.
| Update method | How it works | Effort for importer | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Email from forwarder (manual) | Your forwarder sends you an email when they remember | Zero setup | Low — depends on individual diligence |
| Forwarder portal | Log into your forwarder's online platform to check status | You check manually | Medium — data is there but you have to look |
| Forwarder portal with email alerts | Portal sends automatic emails at milestones | One-time setup | Good — if the forwarder's system is current |
| Carrier tracking (direct) | Track containers or AWBs directly on the carrier's website | Manual per shipment | Good for ocean; less reliable for air and road |
| Shipment management platform | Centralises all shipments with proactive notifications | Initial setup | Best — works across all forwarders and carriers |
Most forwarders offer at least a basic portal. The problem for importers using multiple forwarders is that each portal only shows that forwarder's shipments — you still need to log into 2, 3, or 4 different systems to get the full picture.
What to ask your freight forwarder
Before investing in new technology, start by asking your forwarder what they already offer. Many forwarders have tracking capabilities that their clients never use because nobody asked.
Questions to ask:
Do you have an online tracking portal? If so, can I get login credentials for my team? Most large and mid-size forwarders have one. Smaller forwarders may not.
Can you set up automatic email notifications at key milestones? Specifically: booking confirmed, departed origin, arrived at transhipment port, departed transhipment, arrived at destination port, cleared customs, delivered to warehouse. Not all forwarders can automate all of these, but departure and arrival notifications are baseline.
Can you provide tracking references (container numbers, AWB numbers, booking references) at the time of booking confirmation? This lets you track directly with the carrier as a backup.
Do you support EDI or API data sharing? Larger forwarders may be able to push structured data directly to your systems. This is relevant if you use a shipment management platform that can ingest forwarder data automatically.
What format do your status updates come in? Some forwarders send formatted status reports; others send unstructured emails. Knowing this helps you decide whether you need a system to normalise the information.
How carrier tracking works
Even without your forwarder's help, you can track ocean shipments directly using the container number or bill of lading number on the carrier's website. Major ocean carriers — Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, COSCO, Yang Ming, ZIM — all provide free online tracking.
For air freight, tracking is less standardised. You'll need the air waybill (AWB) number and can check the airline's cargo tracking page. Coverage varies — some airlines provide detailed milestone tracking, others show only departure and arrival.
For road freight within Europe, tracking depends entirely on the haulier. Some provide GPS tracking; many don't. This is a gap that affects the final leg of many import shipments.
The limitation of carrier tracking is that it only covers one leg of the journey. A shipment from Shenzhen to your warehouse in Düsseldorf might involve an ocean carrier (Shenzhen to Rotterdam), a port operator (Rotterdam), and a road haulier (Rotterdam to Düsseldorf). Carrier tracking covers the middle piece but not the first mile or last mile.
How to build a shipment notification system
The most effective approach for a European importer handling 10 to 200 shipments per month combines three layers:
Layer 1: Forwarder notifications. Set up whatever your forwarder offers — portal alerts, automated emails, milestone notifications. This is free and requires minimal effort. Even imperfect automation is better than manually chasing every update.
Layer 2: Carrier tracking as backup. For high-value or time-critical shipments, track the container directly on the carrier's website. This gives you a second source of truth if your forwarder is slow to update.
Layer 3: A central dashboard. Use a shipment management platform that pulls all your shipments into one view — regardless of which forwarder or carrier handles each one. The platform should send you proactive notifications when something needs your attention: an ETA has changed, a document is overdue, a customs deadline is approaching, or a shipment has been held.
This layered approach means you're not dependent on any single forwarder's system. If you use two forwarders and three carriers across your active shipments, you still see everything in one place and get alerted automatically when something needs action.
What notifications actually matter
Not every shipment event deserves a notification. Too many alerts creates noise; too few means you miss things. The right balance depends on your operation, but these are the events that consistently matter for European importers:
Always notify:
- ETA changed by more than 24 hours (affects warehouse planning)
- Shipment arrived at destination port (triggers customs preparation)
- Customs hold or clearance delay (needs immediate action)
- Document overdue — BL, certificate of origin, or customs declaration not received by expected date
- Shipment delivered to warehouse (closes the loop)
Notify if relevant:
- Vessel departed origin (confirmation that goods are moving)
- Transhipment completed (for multi-leg ocean routes)
- Customs cleared (good to know, but not always actionable)
Don't notify (just log):
- Container loaded at origin
- Vessel in transit (no action needed)
- Routine carrier updates that don't change the ETA
Frequently asked questions
How do I track a shipment if my forwarder doesn't have a portal?
Use the container number or bill of lading number to track directly on the ocean carrier's website. For air freight, use the AWB number on the airline's cargo tracking page. This gives you departure and arrival milestones without relying on your forwarder.
Can I track shipments from multiple forwarders in one place?
Yes. A shipment management platform like CARVO centralises all your shipments regardless of which forwarder handles each one. You see one dashboard with every active shipment, and receive notifications from a single system.
What is EDI and should I ask my forwarder about it?
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is a standard for exchanging structured business data between systems. Some larger forwarders can send shipment status updates via EDI, which can be ingested automatically by your systems. It's worth asking about if you handle high volumes, but most SMB importers get more value from a portal or platform-based approach.
How quickly should my forwarder respond to status queries?
For urgent queries (customs holds, delivery delays), expect a response within 2–4 hours. For routine status checks, same-day response is reasonable. If your forwarder consistently takes more than 24 hours to reply, raise it in your next performance review.
What tracking information should I share with my customers?
Share the ETA and any changes to it. Most customers don't need carrier names, container numbers, or routing details — they need to know when their goods will arrive and whether that date has changed. Proactive communication about delays builds trust.
Do I need GPS tracking for my shipments?
For ocean freight, vessel AIS (Automatic Identification System) data provides near-real-time position tracking — this is how carrier websites show vessel locations. For road freight, GPS tracking depends on the haulier. It's useful for high-value or time-sensitive last-mile deliveries but not essential for every shipment.
CARVO sends European importers automatic notifications when shipment ETAs change, documents are overdue, or customs deadlines are approaching — across all forwarders, in one dashboard. No more chasing emails.
Last updated: 14 April 2026
Sources
- Container tracking — major ocean carriers — Maersk (representative example; all major carriers offer similar tracking)
- Freightos Baltic Index (FBX) — global container freight rate benchmark and market data