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 monitor your ocean freight status on the cargo consolidator’s website used for your international delivery by entering either the carrier booking number or your bill of lading (BOL) number.

If you opt for direct logistics services, you can track your containerized cargo using the specific container number found on your documentation. The steamship line responsible for your overseas transport uses this unique identifier to allow you to follow your freight’s journey across the seas.

In contrast, monitoring international LCL (Less Than Container Load) transit can be somewhat more intricate. Unlike shipping a single parcel or a full container, LCL consignments often involve consolidating multiple orders into a single unit. This means your merchandise may be subject to manual updates, mainly if it includes transshipments—scenarios in which your goods are unloaded from one vessel and reloaded into another during export from the USA to their final destination. This process can introduce additional steps in logistics visibility and may require more attention to detail to ensure you are informed about its current location.

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

However, if you did not receive an arrival notice several days before the vessel's Estimated Time of Departure (ETD), you need to contact the carrier’s destination agent, as assigned by the global freight provider, to recover your shipped items at the destination. The agent’s contact information is located on your bill of lading.