How to track your shipment from US to Switzerland

One of the most complex types of relocation is international moving. It would be great if you could put a GPS device in some of your boxes. Since this is not possible, there are other safe ways to track the shipping of your goods abroad. Moving abroad is a very serious process that includes many people in the chain. Of course, you need some faith and a reputable moving company to help you out during this process. An international moving expert will almost always provide tracking of your shipment. They have proper devices to follow the movement of your goods. Nowadays many companies use satellite tracking devices. One thing is for sure, you need to keep an eye on your possessions and make sure they reach your new home country Switzerland. If you need this kind of advice, read this article and learn to track your shipment.

Learn about formats of tracking numbers

One of the most important things is to learn in which formats you can get your tracking numbers. During the overseas relocation, you will hire a moving carrier. But this carrier has many other partners that will take part in the process to ensure the good safely reach its destination. Moving companies also hire third-party freight forwarders to transport people’s homes. For this complex process, it is vital to know every step of the way. Therefore, when moving from USA to Switzerland learn about the tracking system of your carriers. Your shipment, like every other package in the world, has its unique bar code. A tracking number represents a combination of letter and number and can have from 8 up to 40 characters. Also, every moving company has its tracking tool. Once you receive the tracking number, put it in a tracking tool.

The statuses you can get when trying to track your shipment

Once you put the tracking number in the tracking tool, you can see various statuses of it. You will certainly need to learn what each of these means to be able to track your shipment correctly. These letters and numbers can reveal the exact location of your moving boxes. In addition, when it comes to international car transportation it is vital to know where exactly such a valuable item is at all times. For example, if you see the status of your shipment as pending, it means that a moving company has just processed your order and there is no tracking info yet. Depending on the moving company, tracking will be active from 2 to 7 days. If the tracking says unrecognized, it means that it is either incorrect or that there is a system issue.

Other tracking status options

If you see that your shipment is in transit, it means that you can finally start following the progress of your goods. The package has departed and is now on the way to your new home. Another meaning of this tracking status could be that the goods are waiting at the border to go through customs. It will soon go through the customs inspection. Among other reasons, it is important to label the boxes properly when using international moving crates. In case you see that the status expired, it means that the shipment was in transportation for a long period of time. At this point, you must contact your carrier and ask for an update. This may be the signal that the shipment is lost. For this reason, it is important to ensure the goods in case something like this happens. Only this way you can ensure to get any coverage for the loss.

Various alerts you might see in your tracking

It may happen sometimes that you see ‘Alert’ when you try to track your shipment. This is the signal that your shipment underwent some unusual process during shipping. If you are shipping for commercial reasons, then your customer might have refused to receive the shipment. Also, for worldwide shipping, the alert can also mean that the carrier cannot deliver the shipment since some documents are missing, or the delivery address is incorrect. Or the retention period expired since the receiver was absent. In addition, there can be a problem to import the goods at the customs. Customs officers may refuse to allow the goods to enter Switzerland for various reasons. For example:

• you have items or substances that the customs prohibited to import
• you have to pay additional import taxes and fees
• your cargo may be suffered damage or been lost on the way

  

Other ways to track your shipment

If by any chance you see that your tracking says the shipment was returned, it is definitely no longer on the way to you. Of course, you will need to contact the carrier immediately and see how to proceed in this case. This kind of accident on the road can happen so it is important that your moving company is reliable. You can check their reputability at the FMCSA site to make sure your movers have a valid licenses. It may happen that the goods reached the destination country, but you did not get any notification about it. Immediately call your carrier if the estimated delivery date passed and find out when or whether your goods will arrive. Another way to receive your tracking number is by e-mail. If you did not receive the tracking number on your receipt, you can also get it via an SMS.

It is very important to be able to track your shipment when transporting goods from USA to Switzerland. Tracking status is one of the most reliable ways to track the movement of your possessions. It can serve as your eyes and ears on the way to your destination country. If a moving company cannot offer to track, and you still want to ship the goods with them, make sure to have insurance for your cargo. It is also advisable to insure the goods with the tracking working. Learn how to read and understand various tracking statuses. Hopefully, your shipment will find its way successfully.