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Meet LongShorty, the crew member who never goes home
LongShorty connects to terminal, rail, and steamship-line systems around the clock, tracks what each one says about your containers, and updates your record. No tab-hopping across terminal websites.
Why it matters
Connects, tracks, updates you.
Tracking a container today means living in browser tabs. eModal for one terminal, APM for the next, then PNCT and Maher, then the rail leg, then Maersk and MSC for the ocean leg. Every site has its own login, its own layout, its own session timeout. You paste a container number, read a status, copy it into your sheet, and start over. Per container, all day.
LongShorty reverses that. It connects to supported sources and writes container and vessel status into your workspace, with the contributing source kept visible beside the result. When sources disagree, a fixed precedence settles it: terminal, then rail, then forwarder, then steamship line (SSL).
Rail arrives three ways: a direct CSX connection, rail milestones carried by steamship-line sources such as ONE and Maersk, and BNSF or CN credentials you provide for your own accounts.
LongShorty is the backbone under every screen. Each source uses the acquisition method its provider supports, and every adapter runs with monitoring, documented rules, and controlled deployment on an isolated production host — on-premises, because several terminal systems refuse datacenter traffic outright.
How it works
From signal to action.
- 01
It signs in for you, around the clock
LongShorty connects to terminal, rail, and steamship-line systems continuously. No human keeps a dozen logins and sessions alive.
- 02
It reads the source directly
Connected sources span terminals, rail, and steamship lines. The acquisition method varies by provider and is reviewed as the source changes.
- 03
It reconciles by precedence
When two sources report different status, LongShorty applies a fixed order: terminal over rail over forwarder over SSL. The record shows the most authoritative answer, not the most recent one.
- 04
It updates you
Status lands in your live record and in a branded panel per source, so it reads the way it would on the site itself. Where you have asked to be told, the change reaches you rather than waiting to be found.
What's inside
The details that carry the weight.
Connected intermodal sources
Supported sources span terminal, rail, and ocean workflows. Exact live coverage and acquisition methods are confirmed against each operator's lanes.
Source-appropriate acquisition
Adapters use a provider-supported API when one is available and a controlled browser workflow when the source requires it. The current method is documented per adapter.
Branded source panels
Each source appears in its own panel, styled like the site it came from. Operators trust what they read without re-learning a layout for every terminal.
Source precedence ladder
A fixed hierarchy — terminal, then rail, then forwarder, then steamship line — decides which source wins on conflict. The record stays consistent across every container.
Documented adapter behavior
Each adapter carries source-specific operating rules and monitoring, so a provider change can be reviewed without turning the shared record into a black box.
Operational safeguards
Built into the workflow.
- 01
Supported terminal, rail, and steamship-line sources connect into one operating record.
- 02
When sources overlap, the record keeps the contributing facts visible and applies a documented precedence.
- 03
Coverage and acquisition methods are confirmed for each rollout.
Every persona depends on it. Carriers, freight forwarders, and BCOs (Beneficial Cargo Owners) all read from the same auto-updated record, which makes this engine the backbone of intermodal tracking.
Questions
Good to know.
Is this screen-scraping?
It depends on the source. Conterminal uses provider-supported APIs when available and controlled browser acquisition when required. Because providers change, we confirm the current method and coverage for the sources in your rollout.
What happens when two sources report different statuses for the same container?
A fixed precedence resolves it: terminal first, then rail, then forwarder, then steamship line (SSL). The record shows the most authoritative source rather than the most recent or the loudest one.
How far does this scale?
Coverage expands source by source. Supported lanes, expected refresh behavior, acquisition methods, and rollout boundaries are confirmed before onboarding.
See it live
See LongShorty on your own freight.
Bring a handful of container numbers and we'll show you this capability working on your real operation.