Shipment Tracking Software That Actually Works for Importers
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. Plans start free, with Pro at €49/month.
Most shipment tracking tools are built for e-commerce — printing labels, tracking parcels, managing last-mile delivery. If you import goods via freight forwarders and need to know where your ocean containers, air cargo, or road shipments are right now, those tools do not solve your problem. CARVO does.
Why Standard Tracking Tools Do Not Work for Importers
When you ship parcels from your own warehouse, tracking is straightforward — you print a label, scan it, and the carrier handles the rest. When you import goods from overseas, tracking is an entirely different challenge.
Your shipments are managed by freight forwarders who coordinate with shipping lines, airlines, customs brokers, and warehouses on your behalf. The tracking information lives in their systems, their emails, and their portals — not yours. To know where a shipment is, you email the forwarder. To know if documents are ready, you email the forwarder. To know if customs clearance is on track, you email the broker. Then you update your spreadsheet.
Importers do not need a label-printing tool. They need a single place to see every inbound shipment — the status, the ETA, the documents, the customs position — without chasing five different people across email and WhatsApp every morning.
How CARVO Tracks Your Import Shipments
Live Shipment Map
See every active shipment on an interactive map with animated routes from origin to destination. Ocean, air, road, and rail — all transport modes on one map. Click any shipment for a quick summary of status, ETA, and key details. The kind of visibility that used to require a dedicated platform costing thousands per month.
One Dashboard for Every Shipment
Every active shipment in a single view — status, ETA, origin, destination, freight forwarder, transport mode, and reference numbers. Filter by status, supplier, transport mode, or date range. Assign shipments to team members so everyone knows who is responsible for what. No more switching between email, spreadsheets, and forwarding portals.
Document Tracking and Completeness
Every import shipment needs 10–15 documents before it can clear customs. CARVO tracks which documents have arrived, which are missing, and which are overdue. When a bill of lading, commercial invoice, or certificate of origin is uploaded, it is matched to the correct shipment automatically. You see gaps before they cause delays.
Proactive Notifications and Morning Briefing
CARVO sends notifications when shipment statuses change, documents arrive, or deadlines approach. A daily morning briefing email summarises everything that needs attention today — ETAs arriving this week, overdue documents, approaching customs deadlines. You start each day knowing exactly what to focus on, without opening a single email thread.
Multi-Forwarder Coordination
Most importers work with more than one freight forwarder. CARVO lets you manage shipments across all of them from a single dashboard. Each shipment is linked to the right forwarder, broker, and warehouse. You can send document requests to any external party — they upload via a secure link, no account needed. Track which partners respond quickly and which need chasing.
Analytics and Transit Time Reporting
See average transit times by route, carrier, and transport mode. Track on-time delivery rates across your entire operation. Identify which routes are reliable and which are not. Supplier and carrier scorecards help you make informed decisions about who to work with — backed by your own data, not guesswork.
Import Shipment Tracking vs E-Commerce Parcel Tracking
Different tools solve different problems. Here's how the main categories of tracking software compare for an import team.
| Capability | E-Commerce Tracking Tools | Enterprise Visibility Platforms | CARVO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Online retailers shipping parcels | Global 3PLs and enterprises | European importers receiving goods |
| Transport modes | Parcel, last-mile | All (at enterprise scale) | Ocean, air, road, rail |
| Typical price | €9–€199/month | €50,000+/year | Free / €49 / €99 per month |
| Label printing | Yes (core feature) | Sometimes | No — importers don't print labels |
| Inbound visibility | Limited — outbound focused | Yes | Yes — built specifically for inbound |
| Document management | No | Sometimes | Yes — with AI extraction |
| Customs tracking | No | Regional | 27 EU countries |
| Freight forwarder coordination | No | Via EDI | Upload links, no account needed |
| Live map | Parcel tracking pages | Enterprise dashboards | Interactive map, all shipments |
| Setup time | Minutes | Months | Same day |
Built for Importers Who Already Have Freight Forwarders
CARVO is for you if
- ✓You import physical goods into Europe via freight forwarders
- ✓You currently track shipment status in spreadsheets or email
- ✓You work with multiple forwarders, brokers, or warehouses
- ✓You need to know where your goods are without chasing people
- ✓You want visibility without a six-figure enterprise contract
- ✓Your team has 1–5 people managing imports
CARVO is not the right fit if
- ×You ship parcels from your own warehouse (try ShipStation or Sendcloud)
- ×You need a freight booking or rate comparison platform (try Cargoson or Freightos)
- ×You are a global 3PL needing enterprise-scale visibility (try project44)
- ×You need AEO-level customs broker compliance tooling
Simple pricing
Start free. Upgrade when your team needs more. No annual contracts, no implementation fees, no enterprise sales cycle.
Free
1 seat
- ✓Core shipment tracking
- ✓Up to 5 active shipments
- ✓Document storage
- ✓Live shipment map
Pro
3 seats included (+€12/seat)
- ✓Unlimited shipments
- ✓AI document extraction
- ✓Landed cost calculation
- ✓EU customs checklists
- ✓Morning briefing
- ✓Priority support
Team
10 seats included (+€10/seat)
- ✓Everything in Pro
- ✓Team management
- ✓Roles and permissions
- ✓Audit trail
- ✓Analytics and scorecards
Frequently asked questions
How does CARVO track shipments without carrier integrations?+
Can I use CARVO alongside my freight forwarder's portal?+
Does CARVO support ocean, air, and road shipments?+
How is CARVO different from ShipStation or Sendcloud?+
What if my freight forwarder does not use CARVO?+
Can my whole team use CARVO?+
Is there a free plan?+
How quickly can I get started?+
Stop chasing emails for shipment updates
Start tracking every import shipment in one place. Free plan, no credit card, no sales call. Upgrade to Pro at €49/month when you need more.