Container Haulage Software: What Port Hauliers Need to Record

A container job looks simple on the planning board: one box, one trailer, port to customer and back. In practice it carries more references than almost any other haulage work. There is the container number, the shipping line, the terminal booking, the customs status, the seal, the empty return depot and the customer's delivery slot, and if any one of them is wrong the driver sits at the gate or the box comes back on the wrong day.

This guide is for small container hauliers weighing up container haulage software against the spreadsheet and WhatsApp groups. It covers what each job needs to record, how terminal booking systems shape the office routine, and which parts a general haulage system such as HauliK covers and which it does not.

What makes container haulage different from general haulage?

Most general haulage jobs have two ends: collection and delivery. A container move usually has at least three, and the middle one belongs to someone else. An import runs terminal, customer, then an empty return to wherever the shipping line nominates. An export runs empty depot, customer for loading, then back to the terminal for a booked slot.

Each leg has its own reference and its own clock: the terminal booking, the line's release and empty return instructions, the customer's tip time and the driver's hours. The planner is the only person holding all of it at once, which is why container offices end up with whiteboards full of numbers in three colours.

Port vehicle booking systems: what the office has to manage

The large UK container terminals run appointment systems for hauliers. The Port of Felixstowe describes its Container Booking System as a real-time appointment system for hauliers delivering or collecting containers, with each new booking checked so that wrong details are caught before a wasted trip. At DP World London Gateway the vehicle booking system is mandatory for all collections and deliveries, and access needs a signed agreement and a direct debit before login details are issued.

The booking rules have a direct cost when they go wrong. DP World Southampton's booking guidance lists a non-conformance charge of £59.84 for 2026 when, for example, no vehicle arrives within the booking time. It also says a booking can be moved forward or back by a maximum of six hours, and that peak booking charges apply from 04:00 to 07:00 and 12:00 to 18:00 on weekdays. Check the current tariff for each port you use.

The slot is a commitment with money attached. Keep the slot time and booking reference next to the driver and truck on the job, so that when a driver runs late on the previous drop the planner can see which slot is at risk while there is still time to move it.

The references every container job record should hold

Here is a working checklist for an import collection. Adapt it for exports.

On exports the order changes: empty release, loading time at the customer, then the export booking. The shipper is responsible for the verified gross mass of a packed export container under the SOLAS rules, and the GOV.UK guidance on verified gross mass says a container without one shall not be loaded on to the ship.

Free time, waiting and the evidence behind a charge

Container work generates more disputes over time than most. Shipping line charges for boxes kept too long sit between the line and its customer. Your exposure is usually narrower: waiting at the customer's door, a slot missed because the box was not ready, or a second trip because the empty depot refused the return.

Each of those is a charge you can only pass on if you can prove it. That means times captured as they happen: arrival at the customer, start and finish of tipping or loading, time the driver left, and a photo of anything that delayed the job. The detail on building a waiting time claim is in our guide to HGV waiting time and detention records.

Skeletal trailers, twistlocks and the walkaround check

Skeletal trailers take a beating in terminals, and twistlocks that are seized, damaged or not engaged are a classic finding. A driver who checks the tractor carefully but treats the trailer as the port's problem is a risk to your licence, because the trailer is on your job and under your control.

Build the trailer into the record. When the driver picks up a different chassis at the terminal or a customer yard, that trailer needs its own check before it moves, with the trailer number recorded against the job. If you run hired or pool chassis, our guide to roadworthiness checks on third-party trailers covers what to ask for and what to record. A photo of the locked twistlocks and the door seal at collection takes the driver a few seconds and settles many arguments later.

Questions to ask before choosing container haulage software

The useful questions are about your actual day, not the feature list.

1. Does the system book terminal slots, or do you still book in the port portal and copy the reference across?
2. Can the planner see the slot time, container number and empty return depot on the job without opening attachments?
3. Can the driver photograph the container, seal and twistlocks against the job, with a time and location stamp?
4. Does assigning a driver, tractor and trailer warn you when a document has expired or a vehicle is off the road?
5. Can you get a proof of delivery with a signature and photos to the customer the same day?

Port connectivity and job control are two different problems. Some operators need both in one product; many just need a clean job record and driver evidence, with slot booking left in the port's own portal.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need special software to do container haulage?

No. You need access to the booking systems of the terminals you use, and a reliable way to hold job references and driver evidence. Many small hauliers book in the port portal and keep everything else in a general haulage system.

Who pays if a terminal slot is missed?

Terminals that charge for missed or late slots normally bill the haulier account that made the booking, under their published tariff. Recovering it from your customer depends on your terms and on evidence of why the slot was missed.

What should a driver photograph on a container collection?

At minimum the container number, the seal, the locked twistlocks and any visible damage before leaving the terminal or yard.

Is the haulier responsible for an export container's weight declaration?

The shipper is responsible for the verified gross mass under the SOLAS rules. You still need the weight to plan a legal vehicle combination, so ask for it when the job is booked.

Where HauliK fits

HauliK is a general haulage system, not a port community system. It does not connect to terminal booking systems, book slots, read container status from the port or calculate shipping line charges. What it does on the Fleet plan and above is hold the job: customer, references and notes, collection and delivery points or a multi-stop journey, and the driver, tractor and trailer assigned, with warnings if a vehicle is off the road or a document has expired. Drivers complete walkaround and coupling checks in the app, and the proof of delivery app captures photos and a signature against the job.

If your office lives in port portals all morning and spreadsheets all afternoon, test whether one job record saves time. The haulage dispatch tools start from one vehicle, and the 14-day free trial needs no card.