Every morning the automation counts the free days left on each import container and emails the importer and the operations team 3 days and 1 day before free time ends. Containers already past it go on a daily list with the running charge.
Typical results
3 + 1 days
Warnings before free time runs out
≈4.5 hrs/wk
Manual free-time checking removed
Daily
Running charge list for overdue containers
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
A forwarder with 150 import containers a month tracks free time in a spreadsheet that someone has to read line by line. On busy weeks nobody does, and the first sign of a problem is the shipping line's demurrage invoice. Around 20 containers a month run over, and importers ask why nobody warned them.
Before and after
Containers charged demurrage per month
−50%Demurrage days billed per month
−50%Hours per week checking free time by hand
−90%The automation
Each shipment row in Google Sheets holds the container number, the discharge date and the free days agreed with the shipping line. At 7 AM daily a Make scenario works out the last free day and days left for every open container. Three days and one day before free time ends, it emails the importer and operations team the container number, last free day and daily demurrage rate. Overdue containers go on a daily list with the running charge.
How it works
- 01
Shipment logged
Each import shipment in the tracking sheet has the container number, the discharge date and the free days agreed with the shipping line.
- 02
Morning countdown
At 7 AM the automation works out the last free day and the days left for every container not yet returned.
- 03
3-day warning
Three days before free time ends, the importer and the operations team get an email with the container, last free day and daily rate.
- 04
Final warning
One day before, a second email goes out marked urgent so pickup or empty return can still be booked in time.
- 05
Overdue list
Containers past free time go on a daily email list with the days over and the running demurrage charge.
Starts from
- Shipment tracking sheet
- Discharge date + free days
Delivers
- Alert 3 days before
- Final alert 1 day before
- Overdue list with charges
The impact
Importers are warned in time to book pickup or return. Containers charged demurrage fall by about half, from around 20 a month to 10, and billed demurrage days drop from about 70 to 35. The team stops spending about 4.5 hours a week checking dates by hand.
Questions about this automation
Can it handle different free days per shipping line or customer?
Yes. Free days are stored per shipment, so a contract with 7 days and another with 14 days are both counted correctly. A small rules tab can fill in default free days per shipping line and container type, and the team can change any row when a line grants an extension.
When does a container stop being tracked?
When the team enters the empty return date in the sheet, the container drops out of the countdown and off the overdue list. The free days used and any demurrage charged stay on the row, so monthly totals per importer and per shipping line are easy to review.
Does it need a connection to the shipping lines?
No. It works from the forwarder's own tracking sheet, or an export from the forwarding system, with container numbers, discharge dates and free days, plus an email contact per importer. The warning days and daily rate per container type are agreed up front. Simple automations like this are usually live within days.