Tracking airplanes and shipments have become very important in today’s global market. Speed of the delivery is sometimes crucial. And as airports and harbors are becoming more and more crowded, delivery delays are becoming more frequent. Sometimes your shipment could get stuck in a warehouse Kuwait for days, and if multiple carriers are involved in shipping your cargo, tracking it, will be very important. Especially if you have a delivery deadline, and you want to be able to notify your customer if there is a delay. Therefore, to stay on top of your shipping game, learn what are the best ways to track airplanes and shipments, and why you should do it.
Shipping is a complicated business
Getting merchandise to a customer seems like a simple thing. However, if you are new in the shipping business, you do not know how complicated it really is. There are many different laws and rules that regulate the shipping game, and they are all different in different countries. So things get way more complicated when you are shipping abroad. That is why working with reliable shipping companies in Kuwait is one of the crucial things when you are in the shipping business.
How items travel to a destination
But complicated regulations and paperwork are just a small part of what is really going on. The adventure begins once the cargo leaves its origin facility. And it will usually look like this. The shipping company will send a truck to pick up your shipment. If you decided on air freight, it will be brought to an airport. Or to a harbor if you decided for sea freight. Then it will be loaded to a ship or to a plane.
Sometimes, your cargo could change planes and ships several times before it reaches its destination. And it can be stored in different warehouses along the way. Once it reaches its destination it will again be loaded into a truck and then delivered, either to a warehouse or to a customer. Depending on your agreement with the shipper.
As you can see, getting cargo, especially to a distant destination is a very complicated process. It involves a lot of manpower, different equipment, vehicles, and facilities. Not to mention passing customs clearances. And because of such complexity, keeping up with a schedule is usually not possible. Therefore, because of the high probability of delays, it is crucial to track your airplanes and shipments.
Using your shipping company’s tracking system to track your shipment
Tracking your air freight shipment is sometimes crucial. Luckily, large shipping companies usually have their own systems for tracking air freight shipments. And all you have to do is to access their website and find the section for tracking shipments. You will have a number of your container, vehicle or shipment that you will use to track it. Even though, tracking systems are usually straightforward, if it looks like you would have a problem with understanding it, ask the company’s operators to help you out. They should give you detailed instructions on how to use their tracking system.
List of external websites and apps to track airplanes and shipments
Even though shipping companies have their own tracking systems, there are many independent websites and phone apps that you can use to do the same thing. Here is the small list of best airplane tracking websites and apps that you can find on the web:
- Flightradar24 has one of the best tracking systems that will help you to track airplanes and shipments accurately and with ease.
- Ship finder is something like a flightradar24, just for ships.
- utopiax.org
- track-trace.com
Use flightradar24 to track airplanes and shipments
Flightradar24 is the number one flight tracker in the world that will show you live air traffic from all over the world. It uses and connects different data from several different sources to give you the most accurate possible results. It will combine ADS-B and MLAT data, radar information, flight schedules, and statuses to generate the most accurate results. Besides a website, there is also an app available on the app store and on Google play as well.
Use ship finder to track you sea freight shipments
ShipFinder is an excellent app that you can use to track sea vessels of all kinds. It is using AIS feeds from passenger ships, cargo ships, and even small boats and yachts. You will have a live map available where you can watch ships move in real-time. Also, you can use it to find particular vessels using their number, name and even photo, speed, and dimensions. Even though there is a free version, it is very “lite”. So if you need this for your business, it is advisable to get the full version, which is currently around $6.05. It is available in the AppStore, as well as for Android and Windows phones.
Track airplanes using cargotracking.utopiax.org
Another helpful website that you can use to track airplane shipments is cargotracking.utopiax.org. You just need to have the AWB-number. You will see a list that you can use to visit the cargo tracking system of almost every major airline company in the world.
Use track-trace.com to track airplanes and shipments
track-trace.com is a similar website to the above. You will see a list of all major airline companies in the world. This website has a search bar in which you can enter your air cargo number. They will use the first three digits of your number to send the tracking request to the correct airline company. Or you can use the list to manually locate your airliner and visit their official website to track your shipment.
As you can see, tracking airplanes and shipments are not so hard to do today. The problem is that companies are not using these services. But it can be very important, especially if you want to be ahead of your competition. Therefore, use every available option to track airplanes and shipments, and control your shipping process from beginning to the end.