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Shipment Tracking, Visibility, and Documents

Track a shipment with the carrier in the Tai TMS — status, milestone dates, and location — and pull documents such as the POD and BOL.

This article explains how the Tai TMS tracks freight shipments with carriers — retrieving status updates, milestone dates, and location, and pulling documents such as the proof of delivery and bill of lading.

Overview

The Tai TMS gives you visibility into where a shipment is and what has happened to it by asking the carrier that is moving the freight. When an automated background check runs (or a user asks for an update), the TMS contacts the carrier, asks about the shipment using a reference number the carrier recognizes, and brings back the current status, key milestone dates, the shipment's reported location, and — where the carrier supports it — who signed for the delivery. Separately, the TMS can retrieve shipment documents such as the proof of delivery (POD) and bill of lading (BOL) from the carrier and attach them to the shipment. Because all of this information comes from the carrier, what you can see depends on what that carrier makes available.

How it works

Tracking is a "pull" model: the TMS goes to the carrier and asks. Carriers do not send the TMS updates on their own through this channel, so every tracking update you see was the result of the TMS asking the carrier.

Which shipments are tracked automatically. Automatic tracking runs for a shipment when its linehaul carrier has a tracking connection set up in the TMS and that connection is enabled and active. If a carrier has no tracking connection, or the connection is switched off, the TMS does not check that carrier for updates.

How the shipment is identified. The TMS looks a shipment up with the carrier using the reference numbers the shipment has on file. The most common are the pickup number (PU) and the PRO number, but the TMS can also supply a customer reference number, a tracking reference number, a secondary bill of lading number, a purchase order number, and a shipper reference number. Each carrier decides which of these it can search on, and the lookup only goes ahead if at least one of the references is one that carrier supports.

What comes back. The carrier returns its own version of the shipment's status, and the TMS translates that into one standard set of statuses so every shipment reads consistently no matter which carrier is hauling it. Along with the status, the carrier can report scheduled, estimated, and actual pickup and delivery dates, the shipment's reported location, and the name of whoever signed for the freight once it is delivered. The TMS applies the actual pickup and delivery dates, records the scheduled dates as the pickup and delivery appointment dates, notes the reported location, and saves the signer's name against the delivery.

How the status is applied to the shipment. For most milestones the standard status simply moves the shipment along its lifecycle — for example from committed and dispatched, to in transit, to out for delivery, to delivered. Some milestones are shown as an alert on the shipment rather than as a new status (see the rules below). In addition to the status, each tracking check that reports a location adds a point to the shipment's location history, labeled as coming from the carrier.

Documents. Document retrieval works the same way: the TMS asks the carrier for the specific document types wanted — for example the proof of delivery and the bill of lading — using the shipment's PRO number. The carrier returns the documents and the TMS attaches them to the shipment, marked as having come from the carrier connection. Documents are retrieved either when a user asks for them from the shipment, or by a scheduled background retrieval that goes through eligible shipments.

Business rules & limits

  • Visibility depends on the carrier. Tracking and document retrieval only work for carriers the TMS is integrated with, and the depth of information varies by carrier. Some carriers report rich status, location, and signed-by details; others provide much less. If a carrier does not support tracking or a particular document type, that information simply will not be available.
  • The carrier connection must be enabled. Automatic tracking requires the carrier's tracking connection to be set up and enabled; automatic document retrieval requires the carrier's document connection to be enabled. A carrier whose connection is disabled is skipped.
  • You need a reference number the carrier can search on. A shipment is looked up by reference numbers such as the pickup (PU) or PRO number. The carrier has to support at least one of the reference types supplied; if none are ones that carrier can search on, the lookup cannot be completed.
  • Updates are pulled on demand, not pushed instantly. The TMS retrieves status when an update is requested — either by a user action or by a scheduled background check — rather than receiving a live, real-time feed from the carrier. Between checks, the displayed status reflects the last successful retrieval, so there can be a lag between a real-world event and when you see it.
  • Requests to carriers are paced. When the TMS checks many shipments, it works through them in batches, and for carriers that limit how quickly they can be queried it spaces the requests out. This can add a little delay before a particular shipment is checked.
  • A check can come back with no new information. A tracking request may return nothing new — for example if the carrier has no update yet, the reference number is not yet in the carrier's system, or the request timed out before the carrier answered. An empty result is normal and does not mean the shipment has a problem; it is safe to check again later. Some carrier problems (for example the carrier returning an error message instead of tracking data) are reported back as an error message rather than an empty result.
  • Requests have a time limit. Each carrier lookup waits only a limited time for the carrier to respond (by default about 15 seconds, and no longer than about 75 seconds). If the carrier is slow, the request may end without an update; retrying usually succeeds.
  • Some milestones raise alerts instead of changing the status. A delay reported by the carrier raises a delay alert without changing the shipment's status. A customs hold or release, a pickup rescheduled for a second or third attempt, goods on hand at the origin or destination terminal, and a requested delivery appointment keep the shipment in transit and add an alert. A delivery refused by the consignee keeps the shipment at out for delivery and adds an alert. A delivery with a noted overage, shortage, or damage marks the shipment delivered and adds an alert. A shipment the carrier rejects goes back to the sent status with an alert.
  • A carrier's "complete" is recorded as delivered. When a carrier reports a shipment as complete, the TMS records it as delivered; the shipment's own complete status is reached through the TMS's normal process, not directly from carrier tracking.
  • Some carrier codes do not change the status. Carriers that report through standard electronic status codes can send a few codes (for example certain return, damage, or storage events) that deliberately do not map to a shipment status, so a carrier update can occasionally arrive without moving the status.
  • You get only the document types you ask for. Document retrieval returns only the document types requested and only those the carrier has on file for that shipment. Requesting a proof of delivery does not automatically return a bill of lading unless it is requested too.
  • Documents need a lookup number. Documents are looked up with the shipment's PRO number; for a few carriers and shipping platforms the secondary bill of lading number is used instead. Background document retrieval skips any shipment that does not have the number it needs for the lookup.
  • Documents supported. Depending on the carrier, retrievable documents can include the proof of delivery (POD), bill of lading (BOL), corrected bill of lading, carrier invoice or bill, inspection certificate, and carrier confirmation. Availability of any given type is up to the carrier, and each carrier supports its own subset of these types.
  • Carrier bills have restricted visibility. In the list of documents available from a carrier, a carrier bill is not shown to a user whose accounting organization is different from the organization that owns the carrier connection.
  • Multi-page documents are labeled by page. When a document comes back as several pages that share the same file name, the TMS numbers them in sequence (for example a proof of delivery arriving as two pages becomes clearly separated page files) so nothing is overwritten. Pages that already have distinct file names are left alone.
  • A carrier can correct your reference number. If the carrier returns a corrected reference (for example a corrected PRO number) with the tracking result, the TMS keeps the carrier's corrected value on the shipment.
  • Background document retrieval has a window. The scheduled retrieval looks only at delivered shipments whose final stop was reached within roughly the last two weeks and that are still missing a proof of delivery or a bill of lading. It asks for those two document types; other document types are retrieved when a user asks for them. A shipment delivered longer ago than that can still have its documents retrieved on request, but the background check will no longer pick it up.

Frequently asked questions

How does the Tai TMS know where my shipment is?

The Tai TMS retrieves shipment location and status directly from the carrier moving the freight. It looks the shipment up using reference numbers the carrier recognizes (commonly the pickup number or PRO number) and brings back the carrier's reported status, milestone dates, and location. Because the data comes from the carrier, the level of detail depends on what that carrier provides.

Why isn't my shipment status updating in real time?

The Tai TMS retrieves tracking on demand — when a user asks for an update or when a scheduled background check runs — rather than receiving a continuous live feed from the carrier. The status you see reflects the most recent successful retrieval, so there can be a delay between something happening in the real world and it appearing in the TMS. Requesting a fresh update pulls the latest information the carrier has.

Why is my shipment not being tracked automatically at all?

The Tai TMS only runs automatic tracking for a shipment when its linehaul carrier has a tracking connection set up and enabled. If the carrier has no tracking connection, the connection is switched off, or the shipment has none of the reference numbers that carrier can search on, there is nothing for the TMS to check. Some carriers also do not offer tracking to the TMS at all.

What reference number do I need to track a shipment?

A shipment is tracked using a reference number the carrier can search on. The most common are the pickup (PU) number and the PRO number, but depending on the carrier the Tai TMS can also use references such as a customer reference number, a tracking reference number, a secondary bill of lading number, a purchase order number, or a shipper reference. The carrier must support at least one of the reference types supplied, so if a lookup fails it is worth confirming the shipment has a reference that carrier recognizes.

Which documents can the Tai TMS retrieve from a carrier?

Depending on the carrier, the Tai TMS can retrieve the proof of delivery (POD), bill of lading (BOL), corrected bill of lading, carrier invoice or bill, inspection certificate, and carrier confirmation. You choose which document types to request, and the TMS returns only those the carrier actually has on file for that shipment. Not every carrier offers every document type.

I requested a proof of delivery but nothing came back — why?

The Tai TMS returns only the documents the carrier has available for that shipment at the time of the request. If a proof of delivery does not come back, the carrier may not have uploaded it yet (for example the shipment may not be delivered), the carrier may not support that document type, the shipment may be missing the PRO number used for the lookup, or the request may have timed out. It is usually worth trying again later once the document should be available.

What do the different shipment statuses mean?

The Tai TMS translates each carrier's own status into one consistent set of statuses so shipments read the same way regardless of carrier. These describe the shipment's journey — for example ready, sent, committed, and dispatched early on; on hand at origin or destination; a pickup rescheduled for a second or third attempt; a rejection by the carrier; in transit; delayed; held or released at customs; out for delivery; a requested delivery appointment; a delivery refused by the consignee; delivered (including delivered with a noted overage, shortage, or damage); and finally complete or canceled. When these are applied to the shipment, several of them appear as an alert on the shipment while the shipment itself stays at the closest lifecycle stage, such as in transit or out for delivery. This normalization lets you manage all shipments with the same status vocabulary.

Why did a carrier update not change my shipment's status?

In the Tai TMS, some carrier milestones raise an alert instead of changing the status (for example a delay, a customs hold, or a refused delivery), and a few standard carrier status codes are deliberately not mapped to any shipment status. In those cases the update is recorded but the shipment stays at its current lifecycle stage.

Does every carrier support tracking and document retrieval?

No. Tracking and document retrieval only work for carriers the Tai TMS is integrated with, and capabilities differ between carriers. A large number of carriers are supported, but some provide detailed tracking and documents while others provide limited information or none. When you onboard or dispatch with a carrier, the visibility you get will match what that carrier's systems expose.

A tracking check returned nothing — is my shipment lost?

No. An empty tracking result is a normal, expected outcome and does not indicate a lost shipment. It usually means the carrier has no new update yet, the reference number is not yet active in the carrier's system, or the request timed out before the carrier responded. The shipment keeps its last known status, and checking again later typically returns an update.