One list for every supplier
Paste or upload tracking numbers from suppliers and forwarders with your PO or part reference. Carriers are detected where the format allows, so mixed modes sit in the same list.
Inbound Shipment Tracking Software for Manufacturers and Distributors
Know which supplier shipments are late, which arrival dates moved and which parts will reach the dock in time, without opening a carrier site per PO. One exception-first list covers ocean, air, LTL and parcel inbound freight.
Public pricing, no contract, self-serve checkout.
Detected mode
Carrier
Choose carrier
Number check
Valid
Check digit does not match
Ship to ZIP
Timeline
Map
Predicted ETA
Alert settings
Create your account to see live events and ETA
Live events, the predicted ETA with its confidence range and the route map open in your account. Delay and exception alerts go to your email.
Your account is set up
Choose a plan to open your shipment workspace: your list across carriers, alerts, the predicted ETA and the rest of your tools.
Choose a planWe could not match this number to a known format. Check the digits, or choose the mode and carrier by hand.
Inbound shipment tracking software watches the freight your suppliers send you and tells you when an arrival moves or stalls, before the shortage reaches production or a customer order. ShipmentVisibility tracks ocean containers, air cargo, LTL, FTL and parcel in one list with predicted ETA and alerts, even when a supplier or forwarder booked the freight. It tracks shipments and does not replace your ERP. Plans start at $49 a month with no contract.
- Modes covered
- Ocean, air, LTL, FTL and parcel
- Container allowance
- 10 to 400 a month
- Commitment
- No contract
- Bulk entry
- CSV upload with PO reference, API on Pro
What a late inbound shipment really costs a plant
Most buyers learn a shipment is late when production asks where the parts are. By then the cheap options are gone.
Take a worked example. A supplier ships 6 pallets of components by LTL with a promised delivery on Thursday. The carrier moves it to Monday and nobody sees it. On Wednesday the planner finds out, and the choices are an expedited truck, an air freight top-up on the next order or a line that waits. If the same change was visible on the previous Friday, a planner could re-sequence the schedule or split the next shipment at normal rates. The numbers differ per plant, but the pattern is the same: the earlier the signal, the cheaper the fix.
Track what moves, ignore what does not
A plant may have hundreds of open inbound shipments, and 95 percent are on time. The useful view puts the few that moved at the top, with the PO reference next to each. For a single lookup use freight tracking, container tracking or LTL tracking.
Inbound tracking features for purchasing and supply planning
Each feature is tagged with the plan that includes it.
Predicted ETA on Growth and higher
A predicted arrival on each shipment gives planners a signal before the carrier updates. Treat it as a planning input and confirm critical parts with the supplier.
Alerts for late and moved arrivals
Email alerts come on every plan. Slack and webhook alerts on Growth send a changed ETA to the planner who owns that supplier, not a shared inbox.
Containers with their own allowance
Imported components often come by ocean. Containers have a monthly allowance from 10 on Starter to 400 on Enterprise, separate from LTL and parcel.
API and feeds on Pro
Push open shipments from your ERP or purchasing system and read status back through the REST API and webhooks, so planners do not retype numbers.
Seats for purchasing and receiving
Starter has 2 seats, Growth 5 and Pro 15, so buyers, planners and the receiving dock can see the same list.
Exception filter
In transit
Delayed
Exception
At terminal
Out for delivery
Delivered
Available for pickup
| Shipment | Mode | Carrier | Lane | Last event | ETA | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSKU1234565 | Ocean | Maersk | Shanghai to Long Beach | Discharge | Nov 6 | Delayed |
| 0412345678 | LTL | ODFL | Chicago to Atlanta | At terminal | Oct 20 | Exception |
| 020-12345675 | Air | Lufthansa | Frankfurt to JFK | Arrival | Oct 19 | At terminal |
| 1Z999AA10123456784 | Parcel | UPS | Reno to Denver | Out for delivery | Oct 19 | Out for delivery |
| LD-88213 | FTL | Truckload carrier | Dallas to Memphis | In transit | Oct 21 | In transit |
| CMAU4567893 | Ocean | CMA CGM | Rotterdam to Savannah | Gate out | Oct 22 | Available for pickup |
| 9400111899223100000011 | Parcel | USPS | Austin to Tulsa | Delivered | Oct 18 | Delivered |
ETA cardMSKU1234565
Nov 6
Nov 5 to Nov 8
+3 days since Discharge
Map
How buyers run inbound freight from one list
- Collect the numbers. Ask suppliers to send the container, PRO or tracking number with each ship notice, then upload them as a CSV with the PO reference.
- Check the carriers. Review what was detected and set the carrier yourself where prefixes are shared.
- Start the day with the exceptions. Read the top of the list, call the suppliers and carriers where something moved and re-sequence production where it matters.
- Close the loop at the dock. Delivered shipments leave the active list, so the receiving team sees what is actually due.
Importers with many boxes can go deeper in container tracking software, and teams with several carriers will like multi-carrier tracking.
Who buys inbound shipment tracking
Manufacturers with just-in-time parts
A missing component stops a line. Watching supplier freight by PO gives planners days to react instead of hours.
Distributors restocking by LTL
Pallets from many vendors arrive on different carriers. One list replaces a bookmark folder of PRO lookups.
Importers with overseas suppliers
Follow containers from the vessel to delivery, and link the PO so buyers see which order is on which box.
Teams paying for expedites
Air top-ups and hot shots are expensive. Seeing a slip earlier turns some of them into a re-sequenced schedule.
Plans for inbound freight by monthly shipment and container volume
Ocean containers have their own monthly allowance on each plan, and parcel, LTL, FTL and air share one shipment allowance.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | Shipments per month | Seats and history | Included tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $49 a month | $24 a month billed yearly | 100 parcel, LTL, FTL and air shipments plus 10 containers | 2 seats, 90 days of history | CSV upload, milestone timeline and email alerts |
| Growth | $149 a month | $74 a month billed yearly | 750 shipments plus 40 containers | 5 seats, 1 year of history | Starter tools, predicted ETA, Slack and webhook alerts, branded tracking page |
| Pro | $499 a month | $249 a month billed yearly | 4,000 shipments plus 120 containers | 15 seats, 2 years of history | Growth tools, API, carrier scorecards, client sub-accounts, TMS and ERP feeds |
| Enterprise | $1,499 a month | $749 a month billed yearly | 15,000 shipments plus 400 containers | Unlimited seats | Pro tools, SSO and SLA |
Every plan has self-serve checkout with no contract. Compare the complete feature list on shipment tracking software pricing.
Ways to follow inbound freight compared
Supplier portals and your ERP show what was planned. Tracking shows what carriers report.
| Option | Best fit | Buying model | Practical limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier websites and emails | A handful of shipments | No charge per lookup | One site at a time, no alerts, easy to miss a slip |
| ERP or purchasing module | Orders, receipts and invoices | Part of the ERP | Dates are usually the ones suppliers entered, not carrier events |
| Enterprise visibility platforms | Large networks with integrations | Quote-based annual contracts | Sized and priced for big programs, see visibility software pricing |
| ShipmentVisibility | Plants and distributors with 20 to 2,000 open inbound shipments | Public prices, monthly or yearly, no contract | Does not create POs or update your ERP |
Evaluating enterprise tools? Read our comparisons of project44 alternatives and FourKites alternatives.
Inbound shipment tracking questions
What is the best inbound shipment tracking software for a manufacturer?
The best inbound shipment tracking software follows every supplier shipment, whether it moves by ocean, air, LTL or parcel, and puts late and moved arrivals at the top of one list. ShipmentVisibility does this from $49 a month with no contract. It tracks freight and does not replace your ERP or purchasing system.
Can I track supplier shipments if I did not book the freight?
Yes. You only need the container number, air waybill, PRO number or parcel tracking number that the supplier or forwarder gives you. The carrier is detected where the format allows, so you can follow inbound freight booked by others, which is the normal case on FOB and ex works terms.
Does it connect to my ERP or purchase orders?
You can attach a purchase order or reference to each shipment, upload many at once as a CSV, and on Pro push and read shipments through the REST API and webhooks. It does not create purchase orders or change ERP records. Your ERP stays the system of record.
How early will I know a part is going to arrive late?
You see a changed carrier ETA as soon as the carrier reports it, and Growth and higher add a predicted ETA and Slack or webhook alerts. Tracking reflects what carriers report, so confirm critical parts with the supplier. The aim is days of warning instead of finding out at the dock.
How much does inbound shipment tracking software cost?
ShipmentVisibility starts at $49 a month, or $24 a month billed yearly. Growth is $149 a month, Pro $499 and Enterprise $1,499. Ocean containers have their own monthly allowance, from 10 on Starter to 400 on Enterprise. Every plan has self-serve checkout and no contract.
See late parts before the line does
Choose a plan, load your open supplier shipments and let the list show what moved. Growth adds predicted ETA and Slack alerts for each planner.