Calculate instant international shipping costs from the U.S. by selecting a destination country above.

How do I track international shipping from the USA with LCL?

You can track your LCL shipment on the cargo consolidator's website used in your international shipping by either the booking number or the bill of lading number.

If you opt for direct shipping, you can track your cargo delivery using the container number on your bill of lading. The steamship line responsible for your international shipping can use this number to allow you to follow your shipment’s journey across the seas.

In contrast, tracking international LCL (Less Than Container Load) cargo can be somewhat more intricate. Unlike shipping a single parcel or a full container, LCL shipments often involve consolidating multiple shipments into a single container. This means that your cargo might be subject to manual tracking, especially if it includes transshipments—scenarios where your cargo is unloaded from one container and reloaded into another during its transit from the USA to its final destination. This process can introduce additional steps in tracking your shipment and may require more attention to detail to ensure you are informed about its status.

After you receive your bill of lading, keep your international shipment in mind and await the estimated day of arrival (ETA). The carrier's destination agent should contact your consignee a few days before the estimated arrival time (ETA) with an arrival notice. Typically, they will email this arrival notice to you in a PDF format.

However, if you did not receive an arrival notice several days before the Estimated Time of Departure (ETD), you need to contact the carrier's destination agent, as assigned by the ocean freight carrier, to recover your shipment from the U.S. goods at the destination. The agent's contact information is on your bill of lading.