Glossary
Track & trace
Track & trace is the capability to follow a shipment's location and status in real time and to review its full movement history from pickup to delivery.
What is Track & trace?
"Tracking" is the live view of where a shipment is now; "tracing" is the historical record of where it has been. Together they give customers and operators confidence, enable accurate ETAs, and surface exceptions early.
In a TMS, track & trace is fed by GPS from a driver app and telematics integrations, and is often shared with customers through secure public tracking links that require no login.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between track and trace?
Tracking is the live, forward-looking view of where a shipment is right now and where it is heading; tracing is the backward-looking history of everywhere it has already been. A track & trace system provides both from the same data: the current position for live monitoring, and the full event log for proof, audits, and dispute resolution.
How does real-time tracking work in a TMS?
Location data comes from the driver app's GPS and from telematics/board-computer integrations. The TMS combines this with the planned route to show live position, status, and predicted ETA, which can be shared with customers via tracking links.
Can customers track a shipment without an account?
Yes. A TMS typically generates a secure public tracking link per shipment that a customer can open without logging in. It shows the current status, live map position, and ETA, and often the proof of delivery once completed — which cuts inbound "where is my order?" calls to support.
What is the difference between track & trace and telematics?
Telematics is the underlying vehicle technology — GPS, sensors, and board computers that report a vehicle's position and status. Track & trace is the shipment-level capability built on top of that data (plus the driver app and planned route) to show where a specific consignment is and when it will arrive.
See Track & trace in a real TMS
Transportial puts these concepts to work in one operational platform — planning, tracking, documents, and finance.