Container Tracking for Small Forwarders: A Practical Workflow

The challenge

You're a small freight forwarder. Clients ask: 'Where's my container?' You check 4 different carrier websites, copy-paste status into WhatsApp, repeat 200 times a month. It's error-prone, slow, and feels amateur.

A 4-step workflow

1. 1Bulk-paste 50 container numbers into MariMetric, one per line
2. 2Bookmark each tracking page on a shared Notion page for the client
3. 3Subscribe to email alerts for each container — get notified the moment anything changes
4. 4When the client asks, just forward the link. No more copy-paste.

Which plan

For 50-200 containers/month with continuous monitoring, Starter ($19) or Pro ($49) fits most small forwarders. Pro includes REST API access so you can integrate with your existing TMS. If your volumes spike seasonally (think Chinese New Year), PAYG at $2/monitor lets you pay only for what you use.

Beyond the basics

• Share 1200×630 OG images in WhatsApp — clients see the status without clicking
• Use the DCSA v2.2 timeline as a talking point in customer calls
• Embed the tracking iframe on your own site (Pro+ tier)
• Export 30-day history as CSV for your monthly client report

When to upgrade to Business

Once you cross 200 active monitors or need 5-minute refresh, Business ($149/month) is the natural next step. The 99.9% SLA also matters once your client SLAs depend on tracking data being fresh.