The ClearMetal proprietary predictions algorithm is generated by a variety of sources including vessel satellite information, vessel schedules, ocean carrier EDI, etc. Each source is used by the algorithm to pattern match against historical performance and to understand edge cases. While ClearMetal has the ability to consistently generate new and update existing predictions, these predictions become less reliable if the input from these sources is delayed. Consequently, if an information source is sufficiently latent, ClearMetal prefers to warn you about the delayed input source rather than generate a new prediction.

Key information including milestones, locations, and transport plans come from the ocean carrier. When the Carrier is sufficiently delayed in sending information for a shipment, you will see one of two labels: Awaiting Carrier Confirmation or Outdated Prediction: No Recent Carrier Update.

The Awaiting Carrier Confirmation label will display in the application when the date of ClearMetal's prediction is close, but recent information from the Carrier about the shipment has not been received in our system. At this point, the ocean Carrier has twenty hours to send an update.

Example: Application of the Awaiting Carrier Confirmation Label

The ClearMetal ETA prediction is October 5. It is now October 5, but there has not been any updated information recently sent by the ocean Carrier. Instead of updating the ETA prediction, you will see the Awaiting Carrier Confirmation label. This ensures that you are aware the ocean Carrier has not sent new information recently but it is expected to be sent soon.

You will see this message on your timeline or in the Shipment Table.

The Outdated Prediction: No Recent Carrier Update label will display in the application when an update from the ocean Carrier was not received within that twenty hour window. Instead of generating a less-reliable prediction, we prefer to notify you that the Ocean Carrier has not sent us information recently.

You will see this message on your timeline or in the Shipments Table (including in the Download).

When an Ocean Carrier includes an event in a shipment’s transport plan, ClearMetal expects the Carrier to eventually report the date/time when that event actually occurs. For example, if the Carrier includes the “Available for Pickup” event in the transport plan, we expect the Carrier to eventually report the date/time for the actual “Available for Pickup” event. Carriers are usually diligent about this, but unfortunately there are cases when the carrier never reports this event. This leads to confusion, because you may be waiting weeks or months for that event to surface in the application, but it never appears. In other words, you are left wondering “What is the status of this trip? Is it still in transit? Is the trip completed?” 

To avoid this confusion, ClearMetal uses the Unknown Status label. This label is applied when ClearMetal detects that the most recent event in the transport plan was never reported by the Ocean Carrier. We use the term “unknown” because it’s unclear whether the event still hasn’t occurred and will eventually be sent to us or whether the event actually occurred but the carrier forgot to report it. As soon as we receive an additional status update from the carrier for that trip, this label will go away.

Note, if you are a new customer, this status may show up while we are in the process of ingesting all of your data.

You will see this message on the Container timeline, or the Shipments Table for Containers (including in the Download).