International tracking – Understanding your tracking status
Nov 4, 2024
5 min.
Transparent tracking is crucial, especially for international shipments. Tracking makes it possible to follow shipments from origin to destination, whether they are parcels, pallets or documents.
However, the various shipping service providers formulate their tracking statuses differently, and they do not always mean the same thing. In this article, we will show you what the different shipment statuses mean internationally and what advantages harmonised tracking offers, as offered by LetMeShip, for example.
Understanding tracking status
Let us take a look at some of the common status messages for international tracking provided by large transport companies such as DHL, FedEx and UPS.
In Transit
- DHL: Shipment picked up
- FedEx: Picked up
- UPS: Origin Scan
The shipment has been picked up and is on its way to the nearest logistics centre.
International Release
- DHL: Processed for release
- FedEx: International Release
- UPS: Origin Scan
The shipment has been released for international transport.
Origin Country Departed
- DHL: Facility in origin country departed
- FedEx: International Release – Export
- UPS: Origin Scan
The package has left its country of origin and is on its way to its international destination.
Arrived at international hub
- DHL: Arrived at sorting facility
- FedEx: At destination sorting facility
- UPS: Arrived at facility
The shipment has been released for international transport.
Customs clearance
- DHL: Customs status updated
- Import FedEx: International shipment released – Import
- UPS: Customs has released the shipment
This important status indicates that the package is going through customs in the destination country or has left it.
Delivered
- DHL: Shipment delivered
- FedEx: Delivered
- UPS: Delivered
The package has reached its final destination and has been handed over to the recipient.
Understanding tracking status
Let us take a look at some of the common status messages for international tracking provided by large transport companies such as DHL, FedEx and UPS.
Detailed Custom Status Updates
On top of tracking statuses, the major shipping carriers also share customs status updates:
DHL Customs Notification
- Clearance: Indicates that a customs clearance procedure has been initiated.
- Customs status update: Indicates a change in customs status, which could be a progress or a possible issue.
- Customs Clearance Completed: Indicates that the shipment has successfully cleared customs and is ready to continue its journey.
FedEx Customs Notifications
- International shipment release: Indicates that the shipment has been released by customs.
- Clearance Delayed: Indicates that there is an issue delaying customs clearance.
- In the clearance process: The shipment is being actively processed by customs.
UPS Customs Status Updates
- Customs has released the shipment: Indicates that the shipment has passed through customs.
- Exception: This may indicate a customs-related issue that needs to be resolved.
- Customs-held: The shipment is being held for further inspection or documentation.
As you can see, although the tracking status information and customs status updates of the shipment tracking are similar for all providers internationally, the wording, the degree of comprehensibility and the meaning sometimes vary. These differences can lead to confusion, especially if a company works with different shipping companies.
The advantages of harmonised international tracking
In international B2B shipping, track and trace is a crucial tool for making data-driven decisions. The easiest way to do this is with harmonised status messages:
- Improved communication: A unified language for tracking makes it easier to understand shipment status, regardless of the carrier used.
- Easier analysis: With standardised data across all providers, companies can more easily compare their performance and make data-driven decisions about carrier selection.
- Better customer experience: Customers who deal with multiple suppliers that use different carriers can better track their inbound shipments.
Multi-carrier shipping platforms with integrated and harmonised tracking, such as LetMeShip, provide support here. You receive standardised shipment status updates by email and can also view the shipment status of the shipping service provider directly on the LetMeShip platform at any time. We explain all the advantages of a multi-carrier platform in the blog article ‘Save on shipping costs – with a strong multi-carrier shipping partner’.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about international tracking
How can a business track shipments across several carriers?
A business shipping with several carriers otherwise checks each carrier portal separately. Multi-carrier platforms consolidate this: on LetMeShip, every shipment booked through the platform carries a harmonised tracking status, whether DHL, UPS or FedEx transports it, so status wording stays comparable across carriers.
What does the tracking status “customs status updated” mean?
A shipment showing “customs status updated” has had its customs status changed in the destination country – this can mean progress in clearance or a problem requiring documents. DHL uses this wording; FedEx describes comparable situations as “In the clearance process” and UPS as “Customs-held”.
Why do carriers word tracking statuses differently?
Carriers built their tracking systems independently, so DHL, FedEx and UPS describe the same physical event with different wording – a pickup appears as “Shipment picked up”, “Picked up” or “Origin Scan”. The events are comparable, the labels are not, which causes confusion for companies using several carriers.
Why is an international shipment held in customs?
Shipments are held in customs when documents are incomplete, the declared value or HS code is implausible, or the goods require a permit. The carrier then requests the missing information from sender or recipient. A complete commercial or proforma invoice with value, HS code and country of origin prevents most holds.
Is customs clearance included in the estimated transit time?
Carriers quote estimated transit times for transport itself and exclude delays caused by customs. A correctly documented business shipment usually clears without noticeable delay, while missing documents or a query from customs can hold it for several days. On LetMeShip, the customs assistant creates the customs invoice from the booking data.
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