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Open New Shipment, choose Container or Booking, enter the reference, and confirm the shipping line when the form asks for it. You can also add a customer name and tags so the shipment is easier to find later.

1. Choose New Shipment in the workspace sidebar.
2. Select Container, Bill of Lading, or Booking and enter the matching reference.
3. Optionally select the shipping line for a container; booking and B/L requests require it.
4. Add optional customer details or tags, then choose Start Tracking.

The shipment appears in your workspace as soon as the request is accepted. The first carrier milestones may take a little longer to arrive.

Related: Can I track containers, bookings, or Bills of Lading · How does CargoScope identify the shipping line

Yes. CargoScope accepts container numbers, booking numbers, and Bills of Lading. B/L tracking is included with every active paid plan, starting with Starter, and requires a supported shipping line.

Container tracking can detect the carrier automatically. Booking and B/L use supported shipping lines selected from CargoScope's carrier network.

Related: Should I use a container, B/L, or booking number · What is container tracking · How does booking tracking work

Use a container number for one physical box, a Bill of Lading to keep its discovered child containers together, or a supported booking number earlier in the move before every container is known.

A booking can later contain several child containers. CargoScope keeps those containers together under the booking while preserving each container's own events and status.

Related: What are child containers in a booking · Can I track containers, bookings, or Bills of Lading

Leave the shipping line blank only for Container automatic detection. Booking and B/L require a shipping line. An equipment-owner prefix can suggest a shipping line, but it does not confirm which line operates the shipment. Automatic container tracking checks the line when tracking starts.

If a booking is rejected, confirm both the booking number and the selected shipping line. The shipping line list in New Shipment is the current source of truth for booking coverage.

Related: How does booking tracking work · Why is my tracking reference not recognized

Yes. Open New Shipment and choose Bulk Import to paste rows or upload a prepared list. CargoScope validates the reference type and shipping line before it creates each tracking request.

Fix any rows marked invalid before starting the import. Each accepted new request uses tracking capacity under the workspace's current plan.

Related: How does tracking usage work · Why is my tracking reference not recognized

CargoScope gathers available carrier, terminal, rail, and inland records for your saved reference, then organizes confirmed milestones into one tracking journey. Active shipments refresh as new source data becomes available.

CargoScope normalizes different carrier wording so teams can read journeys consistently. Estimated guidance is shown separately and is never presented as a confirmed physical event.

Related: Where does CargoScope tracking data come from · What is the difference between confirmed and estimated events

CargoScope refreshes active shipments automatically, with timing adjusted to the shipment's stage. You can also use Sync when you need to check for the latest available carrier data.

A refresh can complete successfully without adding an event when the carrier or terminal has not published anything newer.

Related: What happens when I choose Sync · Why has my shipment not updated yet

The carrier may not have published a new milestone, a terminal or rail partner may be reporting late, or the shipment may be between reportable handoffs. This does not necessarily mean the cargo stopped moving.

1. Check Last updated and the newest confirmed milestone.
2. Make sure you are viewing the correct child container when tracking a booking.
3. Choose Sync once and allow the refresh to finish.
4. If a known carrier event is still missing, email support with the shipment reference.

Related: Why can carrier or terminal data be delayed · Why did Sync find no new updates · How do I contact CargoScope Support

Sync asks the shipping line for the latest straight away, then shows any newer confirmed milestones on the shipment. It never deletes valid history and does not use a tracking credit.

Use Sync once, then review the result. Repeating it immediately will not make an unpublished carrier event appear faster.

Related: Why did Sync find no new updates · How does tracking usage work

Last updated shows when CargoScope most recently refreshed the saved shipment. Data freshness helps you judge how recent the latest reliable information is for the shipment's current stage.

Neither value is the physical event time. Open Tracking Journey or Events to see when the carrier says a movement occurred.

Related: Why has my shipment not updated yet · What is Tracking Journey

Tracking Journey is the operational timeline built from the confirmed milestones available for the selected shipment or child container. It helps you read the move from origin through ocean, terminal, rail, and final equipment-return stages.

Expected events may appear as planning guidance, but they remain visually separate from confirmed carrier or terminal records.

Related: What is the difference between confirmed and estimated events · How do I switch between containers in a booking

Active shipments are still being monitored. Completed shipments have finished their tracked cycle and remain in Completed for seven days; Archived shipments then stop syncing and remain available as historical records.

Archiving does not erase the shipment. Use the lifecycle tabs above the shipment list to switch between Active, Completed, and Archived records.

Related: When does CargoScope mark a shipment Completed

Pending and Tracking mean CargoScope is establishing or following the journey; In Transit, Arrived, and Delivering describe the latest confirmed operating stage. At Risk means an exception needs review, while Completed and Archived describe finished records.

Open the shipment for the latest confirmed milestone and any alert details. The headline status is a summary, not a replacement for the full journey.

Related: What is Tracking Journey · When does CargoScope mark a shipment Completed

A confirmed event reports activity recorded by a carrier, terminal, rail operator, or inland source. An estimated event is planning guidance for what may happen next and must not be treated as proof that the movement occurred.

CargoScope keeps estimates visually distinct. Only confirmed milestones advance the shipment through its tracked lifecycle.

Related: Why did the ETA or an estimated date change · What is Tracking Journey

ETAs can move when a carrier revises its schedule, the vessel changes, a port call shifts, a transshipment changes, or a newer milestone changes the remaining plan. The latest ETA is useful planning guidance, not a guaranteed appointment.

Compare the newest confirmed event with the updated ETA to understand what changed. CargoScope preserves confirmed history even when future dates move.

Related: What is the difference between confirmed and estimated events · Why can carrier or terminal data be delayed

Departed · Vessel means the carrying vessel was recorded leaving a port. Arrived · Vessel means it reached a reported port; that port may be a transshipment stop rather than the final port of discharge.

Loading, departure, arrival, and discharge are separate milestones. A vessel arrival does not by itself mean the container is available for pickup.

Related: What are transshipment events · What is Tracking Journey

A transshipment is an intermediate port transfer. The container may arrive, discharge from one vessel, load onto a connecting vessel, and depart again before it reaches the final port.

A transshipment arrival should not be read as destination arrival. Check the route labels and the next connecting-vessel milestone.

Related: What do Departed · Vessel and Arrived · Vessel mean · Why did the ETA or an estimated date change

When the source provides them, CargoScope adds DCSA-style rail milestones: Loaded · Laden · Rail, Departed · Rail, Arrived · Rail and Discharged · Laden · Rail, one row for each move however many sources report it. Some carriers provide only the ocean and terminal portions.

Rail and inland events can be delayed because they come from different operating partners. Missing rail detail does not automatically mean the inland move did not happen.

Related: Why can carrier or terminal data be delayed · Where does CargoScope tracking data come from

Gated out · Laden is the DCSA-style name for a loaded container leaving a terminal or facility. Providers may call it Full Outgate, Full Outgated, or Delivered. It is close to the end of an import cycle, but the equipment may still be returned empty or street-turned afterward.

CargoScope keeps the shipment Active and monitors for up to 15 days for a valid Gated in · Empty or Street turn · Empty record, recording every move the line reports on the way. If the container starts its next trip first, the shipment completes. This protects teams from completing the equipment cycle too early.

Related: What do Gated in · Empty and Street turn · Empty mean · When does CargoScope mark a shipment Completed

Gated in · Empty means the empty container was recorded back at a depot or terminal after delivery. Providers may call it Empty Returned or Empty Ingated. Street turn · Empty means the container was reassigned directly to another move instead of following a standard empty return.

Both are valid end-of-cycle equipment events. CargoScope stops tracking new movement, keeps the shipment Active for a 24-hour settlement window, and then marks it Completed.

Related: What does Gated out · Laden mean · When does CargoScope mark a shipment Completed

CargoScope completes a shipment after a valid Gated in · Empty or Street turn · Empty settles for 24 hours, 24 hours after the container starts its next trip, or after the 15-day Gated out · Laden monitoring window finishes with its final check. An authorized user can also confirm completion manually when that action is available.

For a booking with child containers, the parent does not finish until every container captured for final monitoring has reached a valid end state. Completed shipments are not automatically reopened into a new carrier cycle by a late update.

Related: When does a booking with several containers complete · What is the difference between Active, Completed, and Archived

Container tracking follows one physical container by its four-letter, seven-digit equipment number. It is the most precise reference once the container has been assigned.

Select the operating shipping line. The container prefix identifies equipment ownership and is not reliable proof of the line operating the shipment.

Related: How does booking tracking work · Should I use a container, B/L, or booking number

Booking tracking starts from a carrier booking reference before every container number is known. Choose the shipping line manually; when the carrier links equipment to the booking, CargoScope groups those containers beneath it.

Booking coverage is narrower than container coverage. Use the supported carrier list shown in New Shipment, and switch to a container number when you need the most specific equipment journey.

Related: What are child containers in a booking · How does CargoScope identify the shipping line

Child containers are the individual equipment records linked to one tracked booking. CargoScope keeps the booking as the shared parent while each container retains its own milestones, route details, and current status.

A booking may gain child containers after tracking begins as the carrier publishes equipment assignments.

Related: How do I switch between containers in a booking · Why do containers in the same booking show different statuses

Open the booking shipment and use Choose a container in Tracking Journey. Selecting a different child updates the milestones and container-specific details without leaving the parent booking.

If an event seems missing, confirm that you are viewing the child container that actually reported it.

Related: What are child containers in a booking · Why do containers in the same booking show different statuses

Each container is reported independently and may use a different sailing, terminal, rail connection, or inland schedule. One child can therefore update or complete before another.

Use the child-container selector to review each journey rather than treating the parent's latest visible milestone as proof for every container.

Related: When does a booking with several containers complete · How do I switch between containers in a booking

A booking parent completes only after every child container captured for final monitoring has reached a valid end state. One completed child does not finish the entire booking while another child is still moving or being monitored.

CargoScope freezes the relevant child set when final monitoring begins so a late unrelated change does not move the completion target.

Related: When does CargoScope mark a shipment Completed · Why do containers in the same booking show different statuses

The carrier may not have assigned the equipment yet, may not have published the link, or may have changed the booking allocation. Sync the booking once and compare it with the carrier's current booking record.

If a known container still does not appear, email support with the booking reference and include the missing container number.

Related: Why has my shipment not updated yet · How do I contact CargoScope Support

CargoScope uses available shipping-line, terminal, rail, and inland records associated with your saved reference. The amount of detail varies because each operating partner publishes different milestones and locations.

CargoScope normalizes confirmed records and clearly separates planning estimates. It does not invent a physical milestone when the source has not reported one.

Related: Why can carrier or terminal data be delayed · What is the difference between confirmed and estimated events

Carriers, terminals, rail operators, and inland partners publish on different schedules. An event may be posted in a batch, corrected later, or delayed around handoffs, weekends, and time-zone boundaries.

CargoScope shows the latest confirmed journey while waiting. A delay in the feed does not by itself prove that the physical shipment is delayed.

Related: Why has my shipment not updated yet · Why does CargoScope differ from the carrier website

Yes. A source may omit a milestone, publish it after later activity, or correct its timestamp. CargoScope orders the journey using the best available event time and preserves valid confirmed history.

For a booking, also check the selected child container. A milestone reported for one child will not appear as that same confirmed event on every sibling.

Related: How do I switch between containers in a booking · What should I do if tracking information looks incorrect

The carrier website may have a newer display, use different wording, revise a timestamp, or show data that has not reached other operating feeds yet. Choose Sync once, then compare the same container and event time.

If the difference remains operationally important, email support with the shipment reference and describe the exact carrier value you expected to see.

Related: What should I do if tracking information looks incorrect · What happens when I choose Sync

The map visualizes known route points such as origin, ports, destination, and reported milestone locations. It does not provide GPS tracking for the container or vessel.

Ocean and terminal records often identify a port or facility rather than exact coordinates, so positions and connecting lines are approximate route context.

Related: Why is the map location missing or unexpected · Where does CargoScope tracking data come from

First confirm the selected child container, whether the item is confirmed or estimated, and the newest event time. Then choose Sync once; if the discrepancy remains, send support the shipment context and the value you believe is wrong.

1. Name the milestone, location, ETA, or status in question.
2. Include the time and source you are comparing against.
3. Include the affected shipment reference in your support email.

Related: How do I contact CargoScope Support · Why does CargoScope differ from the carrier website

Each accepted new tracking request uses one credit from the workspace's current plan or trial period. Credits reset each billing cycle for paid plans and do not depend on how many shipments are currently active or completed.

Syncing an existing shipment does not create another tracking request. Completing, archiving, or deleting a shipment does not refund the current-cycle credit. Bulk imports use capacity for each accepted new row.

Related: What happens when my tracking limit is reached · What happens when I choose Sync

Existing shipments and history remain available, but the workspace cannot add another tracking request until the next billing cycle, an admin credit adjustment, or a plan change. Open Billing in Settings to review the current limit and available options.

The message shown by New Shipment reflects the workspace's live entitlement, so use that rather than an older plan description or email.

Related: How does tracking usage work · Why can’t I add a shipment

A workspace keeps shipments, usage, billing, and team access together. Owners and admins can manage workspace settings and members; members can view shipments and tracking data but do not receive every management control.

An owner or admin can open Settings, choose Members, enter a colleague's work email, and select the appropriate role before sending the invitation.

Related: What should I do if I cannot access my account or workspace

The workspace bell highlights recent shipment items. Email preferences in Settings cover shipment, billing, workspace, and account security updates. Password resets and sign-in codes you request remain transactional. Support continues through your email inbox.

Shipment alerts link back to the affected record so you can review the underlying milestone or exception. For support requests, check the email address you used to contact the team.

Related: How will I know when support replies · What do the main shipment statuses mean

Use Share on a shipment to copy its customer-safe public view. Use Export or Print Journey for a file or clean timeline, and use the Exports section in Settings when you need workspace shipment data.

Exports and shared views reflect the shipment information available when they are created. A later carrier update will not change an already downloaded file.

Related: What is Tracking Journey

Confirm you are using the correct work email and sign-in method, then use the password reset option if needed. If the account opens but the workspace is wrong or unavailable, email support@cargoscope.io.

Include the workspace name and your sign-in email, but never send your password, one-time code, or other credentials to support.

Related: How do I contact CargoScope Support

Use workspace search to match a container, booking, customer reference, carrier, or route detail. Search covers Active, Completed, and Archived records; use the lifecycle tabs when you want to browse one group directly.

If a booking contains several child containers, searching a child container number opens the correct parent and selects that container's journey.

Related: What is the difference between Active, Completed, and Archived · How do I switch between containers in a booking

Check that the selected type matches the reference. A container number must be four letters followed by seven digits; B/L and booking requests require a shipping line.

1. Remove spaces and punctuation that are not part of the reference.
2. Confirm Container, Bill of Lading, or Booking is selected correctly.
3. For a B/L or booking, confirm the shipping line is in that reference type's supported list.
4. Confirm the B/L contains 6–30 letters or numbers and uses the carrier SCAC selected in the form.

Related: Can I track containers, bookings, or Bills of Lading · How does CargoScope identify the shipping line

The form may be waiting for a valid reference, a required booking or B/L carrier, workspace access, or available tracking capacity. Read the inline message first because it identifies the next correction.

If the reference and capacity are valid but the request still fails, retry once. Then email support with the reference type and the exact error text.

Related: Why is my tracking reference not recognized · What happens when my tracking limit is reached

Sync can succeed while returning the same carrier snapshot. That means no newer confirmed milestone was available at that moment, so CargoScope keeps the existing journey unchanged.

Check the selected child container and compare the latest confirmed event time. If the carrier already shows a newer operationally important event, report the difference to support.

Related: Why does CargoScope differ from the carrier website · Why has my shipment not updated yet

Open Tracking Journey and identify the newest confirmed milestone, then check whether a newer-looking item is only estimated. For bookings, switch through the child containers before deciding the parent status is incorrect.

Choose Sync once. If the summary still conflicts with the confirmed journey, email support and name the status you expected instead.

Related: What is the difference between confirmed and estimated events · What should I do if tracking information looks incorrect

A milestone may arrive without a usable location, or the source may identify only a port or facility rather than exact coordinates. CargoScope leaves unknown locations absent instead of guessing.

Use the event timeline as the operational record. The map is approximate route context and does not reproduce an exact sailed, rail, or truck path.

Related: What locations does the map show · What should I do if tracking information looks incorrect

Email support@cargoscope.io with your account email, tracking reference, and a description of the issue. Help also includes these searchable answers.

Include only the details needed to investigate. Never send passwords, sign-in codes, API keys, or payment card details.

Related: When should I email support about tracking · How will I know when support replies

Contact support when a known carrier event remains missing after Sync, the status conflicts with confirmed milestones, a booking is missing a known container, or an account or workspace problem blocks your work.

Normal carrier reporting gaps can take time, but you do not need to wait when the discrepancy affects a live operational decision. Explain that timing in your message.

Related: What should I include in a support message · What should I do if tracking information looks incorrect

Replies arrive in the email inbox you used to contact support. Check spam if you have not received a reply, and continue in the same email thread to keep the details together.

Reply in the same email thread to add details or follow up, so the team sees the whole request in one place.

Related: How do I contact CargoScope Support · How do shipment and support notifications work

Describe what happened, what you expected, and when it became important. If the issue concerns tracking, include the shipment or child container reference and the shipping line so the team can identify the record.

1. Name the container or booking and the carrier when relevant.
2. Identify the exact milestone, status, ETA, location, or action in question.
3. Mention the source and time you are comparing against.
4. Do not include passwords, one-time codes, billing credentials, or other secrets.

Related: How do I contact CargoScope Support · What should I do if tracking information looks incorrect