Colivelo Tracking Explained: 9 Scan Milestones From Pickup to Proof of Delivery

Every Colivelo shipment passes through nine tracked scan milestones. Each milestone is GPS-stamped, timestamped, and visible in our tracking portal at /track-shipment. Here is the full journey, in order:

• Milestone 1 — Pickup Confirmed

  The driver scans the shipment at your facility. GPS coordinates and timestamp are recorded.

• Milestone 2 — Departure from Origin

  The shipment departs our origin facility with departure time and ETA calculation.

• Milestone 3 — Port Arrival

  For ocean shipments, cargo arrives at the port and is scanned into the terminal.

• Milestone 4 — Ocean Transit

  The container is loaded onto the vessel and departs. This segment takes 14–21 days to Europe.

• Milestone 5 — Port of Entry Arrival

  The vessel arrives at the destination port and the container is discharged.

• Milestone 6 — Customs Release

  The shipment clears customs through our centralized EORI number — see Customs Brokerage.

• Milestone 7 — Out for Delivery

  The shipment is on the final delivery vehicle.

• Milestone 8 — Delivered

  The shipment has been delivered to the consignee address.

• Milestone 9 — Proof of Delivery

  A signed, timestamped, photographed POD is uploaded to the tracking portal.

Each scan milestone serves a specific purpose. The pickup scan confirms the correct cargo was collected from the right location at the agreed time. The departure scan starts the transit clock and triggers an ETA calculation.

For ocean freight, the port arrival scan confirms the cargo has been received at the terminal and is queued for vessel loading. The ocean transit scan fires when the container is on the vessel and the vessel has departed. During this phase, tracking updates are less frequent because the vessel is in open ocean.

The port of entry arrival scan confirms the container has been discharged at the destination port. The customs release scan is critical: it means the shipment has cleared all import formalities. The out-for-delivery scan tells you the shipment is on its last leg, and the delivered scan confirms receipt. The POD scan includes a signature, timestamp, and photograph of the delivered cargo.

If your tracking has not updated for several days, it is usually normal. The most common reasons: ocean transit (14–21 day crossing with no container-level scans), a customs hold (routine inspection taking 1–3 days), or a weekend or holiday (scans do not occur on weekends or local holidays).

Colivelo's proof of delivery includes three elements: a signature from the person receiving the cargo, a timestamp confirming when the delivery occurred, and a photograph of the cargo at the delivery location. This three-part POD is your evidence that the cargo was delivered to the right place at the right time in the right condition.

For high-value shipments, the POD photograph is especially important. It documents the condition of the cargo at the moment of delivery, which is critical for any insurance claim. If the cargo appears damaged in the POD photo, you can immediately initiate a claim through our claims process — and our 14-day claims walkthrough explains what happens next.

Colivelo's tracking system can send automated alerts at each milestone. You can configure alerts to be sent to multiple email addresses so your team and your customer both receive updates. Alert options include pickup confirmation, port arrival, vessel departure, port arrival at destination, customs release, out for delivery, and delivered with POD photo. To set up proactive alerts, enter your email addresses during booking or add them through the tracking portal.

Alerts plus the milestone table above mean you never have to wonder where a shipment stands — enter your tracking number and the timeline tells you, or let the emails tell you first.