Freight Tracking

The side of the indistry that deals with freight tracking is a major boon to customers of all transport and logistics companies who need to know the status of a package or cargo they have shipped. So let's look at what is available to the individual or company who needs to keep track of a shipment and the benefits and drawbacks of the different freight tracking systems that are available.

Most major freight forwarding companies provide their own tracking service which can easily be accessed via the Internet. On the smaller scale of things, companies such as UPS, DHL and FedEx all provide their customers with the ability to track their packages anywhere in the world and be informed of delivery times and confirmation or receipt of the package.

On a larger scale, the big cargo companies also provide their clients with the ability to track the progress of shipments of all sizes, from single pallets right up to entire container loads. The service is generally free to the client and a valuable tool for keeping tabs on where any shipment might be at any given time.

But what about smaller concerns which do not have their own tracking service available for their clients. In many cases, smaller companies will avoid using the bigger forwarders in order to cut costs and this is often passed on in the lack of real-time tracking ability. There are, however solutions to this in the form of online freight tracking software. Certain software packages can be either purchased outright or leased on a monthly fee basis for the period that it is required. The price of such software varies according to its level of sophistication, real-time tracking functionality and available user definable admin functions providing the user with greater or lesser flexibility.

It can be seen that there is a trade off in the form of costs and balancing the pros and cons of either option. On the one hand, making use of a larger company and paying the extra costs brings with it the additional benefit of having free real time goods tracking ability. On the other, a company that makes regular and frequent shipments may actually recoup the costs of purchasing their own computer tracking program by saving on using smaller freight forwarding companies to handle their shipments.

To the individual who may only be sending an isolated package occasionally, the best option would be to use one of the larger shipment companies such as UPS, DHL etc who provide a free tracking service as there would be little to be gained from purchasing tracking programs that would in the long run see little use.

Ultimately, the right choice must be made by finding the correct balance between the long term costs of using certain services and the convenience of a free, real time freight tracking service, or of the viability cost wise of purchasing your own software to do the job for you.