Portbase integration
Pre-notify containers at Rotterdam and Amsterdam terminals via Portbase HCN Road and get the terminal’s acceptance and TAR back on the stop.
What is Portbase?
Portbase is the Port Community System of the Dutch ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Road hauliers use its Hinterland Container Notification (HCN) Road service to pre-notify container pick-ups and drop-offs at deepsea terminals and empty depots before the truck arrives.
HCN Road replaced Portbase’s older Road Planning application, which was phased out in 2021. Pre-notifications can be entered in Portbase itself or sent system-to-system through the HCN API — the route Transportial uses.
Looking for the Portbase login? Your Portbase account and users are managed by Portbase, not by Transportial. Go to the Portbase login page
What syncs between Portbase and Transportial
- To Portbase
Pre-notification when you confirm a trip
For every stop at a Portbase terminal, Transportial creates the voyage (with the truck’s licence plate), a terminal visit with the ETA and a pre-notified handling per container: container number, booking number or PIN, shipping line (SCAC), full or empty, ISO size type, weight, tare and seal number.
- To Portbase
Updates and cancellations
While the trip is in transit, a changed ETA or container detail updates the visit and handling in Portbase. Cancelling the trip cancels the voyage.
- Into Transportial
Terminal responses
Every two minutes Transportial collects Portbase’s answers and shows them on the stop: handling accepted or rejected (with the reason), visit accepted, rejected, cancelled or completed, Portbase notifications and the Truck Appointment Reference (TAR) once the terminal issues it.
- Into Transportial
Terminal reference data
Terminals and depots are imported from Portbase with their EAN code, allowed modalities, whether a TAR or licence ID is required, and rules such as reefer, dangerous goods and cargo cut-off.
How to connect Portbase
Arrange HCN API access with Portbase for your company and obtain the access key ID and secret access key.
Add the Portbase integration in Transportial and enter both keys. The terminal list is imported automatically.
Plan container stops at the right terminal with the container data filled in (container number, PIN, shipping line, full or empty). Confirming the trip sends the pre-notification.
Typical use case
A container haulier collects an import container at a Maasvlakte terminal for an inland customer. The planner confirms the trip in Transportial and the pre-notification goes to Portbase with the truck’s plate and ETA. Minutes later the terminal’s acceptance, or a rejection such as an invalid PIN, is visible on the stop — so problems are fixed from the office before the driver is at the gate, not after.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I log in to Portbase?
On Portbase’s own login page (login.pcs.portbase.com). The integration doesn’t replace your Portbase account: it sends the road pre-notifications for you, so planners no longer have to type them into Portbase by hand.
Is this the same as Portbase Road Planning?
Road Planning was Portbase’s previous application for road pre-notification. It was replaced by Hinterland Container Notification (HCN) Road, and Transportial connects to the HCN API — so it notifies the current service.
Which modalities are supported?
Road transport. Barge and rail pre-notifications are not part of the integration today.
Does Transportial book time slots at the terminal?
No. Transportial sends the pre-notification and the ETA, and stores the Truck Appointment Reference (TAR) the terminal returns, but it doesn’t reserve slots itself.
Connect Portbase to your TMS
Transportial’s integration framework links your operation to Portbase and any other system you run.