Featured blog
Featured blog
Blog
Freight Forwarder sitting at a desk using OpenTrack on a computer
February 3, 2026

Alternatives to Building In-House Tracking Systems: Why Smart Companies Choose Well-Maintained Solutions

Commercial platforms like OpenTrack deliver faster implementation (weeks vs. months), better data quality through integration with 600+ carriers, and 70-90% cost savings compared to building custom tracking systems that require ongoing maintenance and specialized expertise.

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Blogs

ILA Strike
Logistics Technology Providers
Exporters
Importers
Customs Brokers
Trucking Carriers
Freight Forwarders
Exception Monitoring
Automated Reporting
Performance Analytics
Customer Portal
Document Management
Predictive Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Rail Visibility
Ocean Visibility
End-to-end Container Visibility
Blog
If you’re building agents inside a TMS, digital forwarder, or logistics co-pilot, OpenTrack’s APIs give you access to the same agentic intelligence we use internally — the reasoning layer of global supply chain visibility.
December 15, 2025
Why AI Agents use OpenTrack APIs
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
Whether you're managing thousands of containers for strategic accounts, coordinating drayage across multiple terminals, or navigating customs clearance under tight deadlines, explainability transforms visibility from a nice-to-have into a mission-critical tool.
December 5, 2025
OpenTrack's Data Explainability: Know Where Your Data Comes From and Why
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
When your CargoWise workflows are powered by OpenTrack data, you get the confidence of knowing your milestones and ETAs are current and correct.
December 1, 2025
OpenTrack CargoWise Integration: The best of both worlds
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
OpenTrack transforms detention and demurrage from cost centers into competitive advantages through systematic risk identification and proactive intervention capabilities.
November 25, 2025
How OpenTrack Eliminates Detention and Demurrage
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
The pattern is clear: Every logistics professional planning AI adoption is discovering that standardized, high-quality data infrastructure is the essential prerequisite.
November 13, 2025
To Be Reliable, AI Agents Need Reliable Data
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
OpenTrack's border crossing visibility converts a potential six-figure annual compliance liability into a negligible, predictable operational cost by automating the most error-prone and time-intensive aspect of rail border crossing compliance.
October 21, 2025
Cut your compliance liability with OpenTrack’s Rail Border Crossing Alerts
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
Professional visibility platforms offer a faster, more reliable path to achieving your visibility goals while allowing your team to focus on core business activities.
October 7, 2025
Buy vs. Build: Making the Right Choice for Container Visibility
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
We're introducing Map Routes, a feature that provides detailed visualization of container journeys across all transportation modes, from ocean shipping to rail and road transport.
October 7, 2025
Introducing Map Routes: See Your Container's Journey Like Never Before
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
Freight forwarder, NVOCC, and BCO customers can access battle-tested container tracking data across ocean, rail, and now drayage. And it’s all available in your existing OpenTrack dashboard, with zero setup headaches on your end.
August 3, 2025
OpenTrack Launches Free Drayage Visibility Add-on for all Customers
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
OpenTrack’s models adapt to the true shape of the data. By using a set of different machine learning models trained on historical dwell time patterns, current trends, and container-specific features, we’ve been able to issue a far more accurate rail ETD prediction.
June 24, 2025
Predictive Visibility: Finally, a reliable rail departure ETD
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
A centralized control tower for U.S. exporters, OpenTrack brings clarity, collaboration, and real-time insight to your global supply chain.
June 23, 2025
Why U.S. exporters need a control tower for ocean containers
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
In this article, we share a battle-tested approach to successfully rolling out monitoring and alerting software across your organization.
June 23, 2025
How to get your organization to adopt monitoring & alerting software: a proven approach
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
Last Free Day (LFD) accuracy directly impacts operational costs through demurrage risk management. A single day's error can result in substantial unnecessary charges that erode already-thin margins.
May 21, 2025
Terminal or carrier LFD? Why you need to track both
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
As rail shipping continues to face challenges from rising volumes, network congestion, and increasing customer expectations, having the most complete and accurate visibility possible is critical for logistics professionals.
April 2, 2025
How OpenTrack Outperforms Traditional Rail Visibility Solutions
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
In this article, I'll break down why seemingly inexpensive tracking options might be bleeding your bottom line dry.
February 13, 2025
The hidden costs of container tracking: Why cheap solutions cost more than you think
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
OpenTrack offers a solution tailored to the current needs of enterprise logistics companies. Let's examine the industry's progression and why OpenTrack is the tool of choice for many.
February 13, 2025
Why OpenTrack, Why Now: Meeting the Needs of Enterprise Logistics Companies
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
By integrating data from the rail carriers and building and developing our own ETA prediction algorithms we’re giving time back to the operators to focus on more important things.
February 13, 2025
A deeper look at the benefits of OpenTrack rail visibility
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Rail Visibility
Blog
When your team develops a deep level of trust in the underlying data, you unlock the power of automated monitoring and alerting to navigate supply chain disruptions with greater confidence.
December 3, 2024
Staying Ahead: How OpenTrack Helps You Navigate Supply Chain Disruptions
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Blog
At OpenTrack, we dedicate significant effort and resources to ensure high-quality data across all dimensions.
November 25, 2024
How OpenTrack Delivers Exceptional Data Quality
Freight Forwarders
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Blog
When a container arrives at the rail ramp, you don’t have much time to pick it up before demurrage starts accruing. That’s why it’s important to have accurate visibility into ETAs, LFDs, and availability.
August 21, 2024
Rail visibility is hard. OpenTrack makes it easier.
Rail Visibility
Predictive Visibility
End-to-end Container Visibility
Customs Brokers
Freight Forwarders
Blog
Ever wondered how sophisticated digital freight brokers have such great on-time delivery metrics even at massively increasing scale? Time to stop wondering. Here’s the system one freight broker uses to make sure they don’t miss pickups, schedule delivery appointments with minimal back-and-forth, and deliver on time.
July 17, 2024
OpenTrack’s Visibility and Exception Based Management Tools Boost On-Time Delivery for a Top Drayage Provider
End-to-end Container Visibility
Drayage Visibility
Exception Monitoring
Freight Forwarders
Trucking Carriers
Exploring what it was like for shippers before visibility became a thing and the role of visibility in modern shipping operations.
July 15, 2024
The Impact of True Visibility on Shipping Operations
Supply chains across North America are bracing for potential disruption to freight flow amid the looming threat of worker strikes.
June 27, 2024
Strike Looms As North American Dock and Rail Workers Remain Unhappy With Current Negotiations
Blog
Your operations depend on accurately knowing when shipments will arrive. Inaccurate ETAs are costing your organization time and money. OpenTrack’s ETAs can help. Our data shows that OpenTrack ETAs are more accurate than those provided by one of the other data sources alone.
June 25, 2024
Why OpenTrack ETAs are more accurate
End-to-end Container Visibility
Ocean Visibility
Predictive Visibility
Importers
Exporters
Containers obviously play a vital role in international shipping, and tracking them allows shippers and supply chains the opportunity to optimize the entire logistics process through planning, risk mitigation, and streamlined communication.
June 24, 2024
Using Ocean Container Tracking Software to Optimize Container Efficiency
How to take advantage of container tracking solutions to navigate peak seasons such as those of the retail, fashion, and office supplies industries.
June 21, 2024
Navigating Peak Season With Transparency: Resilience Across the Retail Sector
The freight economy is booming, and the industry is moving forward. Explore the latest news for shippers, freight forwarders, and BCOs across the global freight market.
May 31, 2024
Baltimore Gets Closure, Minnesota DOT Funding Rail Project, and Biden Continues Trade War With China
With approximately half of the total value of global trade transported via containers, container tracking software has become an invaluable asset not only to supply chain professionals but to all businesses involved in the global marketplace.
May 17, 2024
Ocean Container Tracking Software: The Value of Integrated Visibility Solutions
With only three months remaining until the start of peak season 2024, we’re taking a look at three key trends facing shippers, and how vital ocean container tracking software solutions provide them with the resilience needed to strategically navigate a volatile peak season.
April 30, 2024
Peak Season 2024: Three Trends for Shippers to Know
Our monthly news curation explores the latest developments across the global freight market, including a ship seizure and Russia entering the Red Sea.
April 29, 2024
Logistics vs. Geopolitics: Iranians Seize an Israeli Vessel, and Russia Enters the Red Sea
In a highly volatile port landscape, leveraging ocean container tracking for maximum performance can mean the difference between successful supply chains or operations rife with disruption.
April 16, 2024
Beyond the Sea: Ocean Container Tracking for Unparalleled Port Performance
The recent closure of the Port of Baltimore has prompted a significant redirection of cargo to alternative ports along the Eastern seaboard. In this blog post, we leverage OpenTrack data to examine where cargo is being diverted, how this affects ETAs, and how it impacts Port Performance.
April 3, 2024
A look at the immediate impacts of the Baltimore port closure
While disruption is nothing new for the global supply chain, the pace at which the industry is now being asked to contend with major disruptions is greater than ever. As a result of climate-change induced weather events, an increasingly hostile geopolitical landscape, and the threat of continued labor action, the supply chain is now facing a perfect storm.
March 29, 2024
The Perfect Storm: Ocean Container Tracking in a Volatile Logistics Landscape
The latest news in shipping, from U.S Mexico import surges to new partnerships in off-wind installations, and carriers across the Red Sea taking a hit.
March 27, 2024
Surge in U.S. Imports, Mexico-China Nexus, and the Red Sea Domino Effect
With virtually every global industry reliant in some way upon the smooth operations of maritime logistics hubs, today’s leading businesses are rethinking their approach to port performance.
March 22, 2024
In a Volatile Logistics Landscape, It’s Time to Rethink Port Performance
Navigate maritime complexities with OpenTrack's February newsletter – Declining Spot Rates, Red Sea Houthi Attacks, Maersk In Air Freight. Stay informed!
February 28, 2024
Declining Spot Rates, Red Sea Houthi Attacks, Maersk Goes Digital
As automotive manufacturers work to build efficient supply chains in an era of disruption, supply chain resilience is increasingly vital. With OpenTrack, automotive manufacturers can leverage innovative ocean container tracking solutions to build the efficient, resilient supply chains demanded by a highly dynamic global logistics landscape.
February 26, 2024
Ocean Container Tracking: The Key to Balancing Resilience and Efficiency in Automotive Supply Chains
OpenTrack & Cargologik Announce Strategic LogTech Partnership.
February 20, 2024
Cargologik taps OpenTrack for New Premium Logistics Visibility Offering
Whether it be the catastrophic impacts of climate change, an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape, or any number of threats to supply chain stability, today’s shippers are living in an era rife with disruptions.
February 9, 2024
The Era of Disruption: Leveraging Ocean Container Tracking in a Volatile Logistics Landscape
February 1, 2024
Maersk-Hapag Lloyd Co-Op, Red Sea Chaos, Rising Tanker Rates
As the global maritime supply chain continues to grapple with a season of disruptions, shippers and logistics professionals around the globe are struggling to build effective resilience strategies to mitigate the consequences of a volatile logistics industry.
January 19, 2024
Drayage Forecast: The Cascading Effect of the Crisis in the Red Sea
With Maersk and other major carriers diverting shipments around the Cape of Good Hope, which can add up to two weeks of additional transit time to shipments, shippers are under pressure to develop effective resilience strategies.
January 4, 2024
Red Sea Shutdown: Understanding the Supply Chain Crisis in the Red Sea
Recent disruptions in the Red Sea have sent shockwaves through the shipping industry, indicating that tanker and container shipping rates could be impacted.
December 28, 2023
Red Sea Chaos, Somali Pirates, Lead to Rising Container Rates
As the ILU advises its members to prepare for potential labor action, it’s time for shippers to look at their own preparations for an East Coast strike in 2024.
December 15, 2023
As Threats of an East Coast Port Strike Loom, Shippers Build Resilience
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the OpenTrack Weekly Transportation Digest! This week’s edition leads off with a look at a recent attack by Yemen rebels targeting shipping in the Red Sea. This roundup of the news and trends shaping the transportation industry also includes items on ports in Texas, New Orleans, and Oakland, as well as an update on the concern surrounding aging rail infrastructure in the United States.
December 6, 2023
Perilous Waters: Yemen Rebels Attack, Raising Shipping Chokepoint Risks
As West Coast volumes surge, shippers turn to OpenTrack's Ocean Container Tracking for real-time visibility, analytics, and proactive decision-making.
December 1, 2023
As Volumes Shift, Shippers Rely on Container Tracking
As the world contends with the fallout of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, we’re exploring how shippers can use freight visibility for resilience.
November 10, 2023
Leveraging Freight Visibility in Times of Global Conflict
As U.S. import numbers begin to increase, shippers are reminded once again of the need for end to end supply chain visibility. Is your business ready?
October 30, 2023
With Imports on the Rise Once More, Is it Time to Invest in Supply Chain Visibility?
In a volatile maritime environment, shippers are turning to ocean container tracking to bolster operations across the maritime supply chain.
October 13, 2023
How Ocean Container Tracking Software Optimizes Maritime Operations
Discover how technology is reshaping the future of drayage operations for greater efficiency and success in the world of logistics. Explore now!
October 6, 2023
Future-Focused Drayage: Building Effective Drayage Operations Through Technology

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