Trackers for International Cargo

Attach hardware trackers to multi-leg cargo for independent location and condition data.

For multi-leg shipments — especially those crossing customs, changing custody, or carrying high-value or sensitive cargo — driver-reported location isn’t always enough. A chrt tracker attached to a cargo item gives you an independent stream of position (and, on Tive devices, temperature and light) that survives every hand-off in the chain.

When forwarders use trackers

  • International air freight. Drivers change at the airline counter, again on the other side. A tracker stays on the freight through customs and arrives with it.
  • Cold-chain medical and pharmaceutical. Tive trackers report temperature alongside location so you have a record of cold-chain compliance for every leg.
  • High-value cargo. Trackers give you a continuous chain of custody view independent of the couriers’ driver apps.
  • Long ground hauls with hand-offs. Tracker shows the cargo’s position even when no driver is actively running a task.

1. Attach a tracker to cargo

Trackers are attached at the cargo level on an order, not the order itself — that way, each cargo item can carry its own tracker and the map shows where each piece is.

  1. Open the order at /orders/<order-ref>.
  2. Click Link Tracker on the cargo item you want to track.
  3. Enter the tracker’s 12-character ID.
  4. Pick the cargo item to link the tracker to.

The tracker appears on the cargo item’s detail and on the order’s Map tab as an independent marker.

2. See trackers on the map

On the order page, switch to the Map tab and open the layer toggle in the top-left.

  • Cargo by device — shows each tracker’s current position as its own marker, regardless of driver location. Use this view across every leg of a multi-leg shipment to see exactly where each piece is.
  • Task group by driver — driver location for the currently active ground segment.
  • Cargo by device + Task group by driver — combine layers to see both at once.

During flight segments, the driver track goes quiet (the flight is auto-tracked, not driver-tracked) but the cargo tracker continues reporting position from inside the cargo hold or on the aircraft — useful proof that cargo actually moved with the flight.

3. Read device condition data

For trackers that report condition data (Tive devices report temperature, light, and shock), open the tracker’s sheet from the order or from chrt.com/tracking/devices.

The device detail shows:

  • Current and historical location.
  • Battery state.
  • Temperature, light, and shock excursions over the trip.
  • The session ID the tracker is currently on.

See Standalone trackers for the full tracker device reference.

4. Share tracker data with the shipper

If you want the shipper to see the tracker alongside the order, use the Share tracking action on the order page. The public tracking link you generate includes both driver location and any attached trackers.

You can also share a tracker session directly with the shipper org so they get a long-running view across multiple orders — see Share tracking with a shipper org.

How to know it worked

  • The tracker appears on the cargo item’s detail card.
  • The Map tab shows the tracker as a marker (toggle on Cargo by device).
  • The tracker keeps reporting position during flight segments, when the driver track is inactive.
  • Condition data (on Tive) shows the device’s full history when you open its detail.

If something looks different

  • Tracker reports no position. The device may not have woken up yet. Most Tive trackers transmit on motion or on a fixed interval — check the device’s interval setting.
  • Tracker location is stale during a flight. Cellular trackers lose signal at altitude. Position resumes when the aircraft lands.
  • Tracker is linked but not on the map. Toggle on Cargo by device in the layer control. The default view only shows driver tracks.
  • Contact trackers@chrt.com for device-level issues.