Here you will find information on what input is required to begin tracking a shipment. Vizion will refer to this as creating a new reference.
Note:
- Any interaction with the API will always require your assigned API token. The information in this article is specific to creating a new reference.
- More detailed information on creating a new reference can be found in our API documentation.
Creating a new reference can be done in two ways:
Container ID
Tracking by container ID will generate a single reference and return the most recent trip for the container. The API requires two inputs when tracking by container number:
- The container ID
- Carrier code
{
"container_id": "MRKU0090522",
"carrier_code": "MAEU",
"callback_url": "https://yourdomain.com/webhook"
}
Once the required input is passed a reference ID assigned to the container shipment will be included in the response. You may use the reference ID to get updates, reference status, unsubscribe, and more.
Master Bill of Lading (MBL) number
Tracking by bill of lading generates a reference for all containers related to the bill of lading, see more information on this here. The API requires two inputs when tracking by master bill of lading:
- The master bill of lading number
- Carrier code
{
"bill_of_lading": "MAEU255221188",
"carrier_code": "MAEU",
"callback_url": "https://yourdomain.com/webhook"
}
Once the required input is passed a reference ID assigned to the bill of lading will be included in the response. You may use the reference ID to get updates, reference status, unsubscribe, and more.
The reference ID assigned to the bill of lading will now act as a parent reference ID for all containers associated with the bill of lading. See more information on the parent/child relationship between bill of lading and container references here.
Caution:
- The Vizion API provides data sourced from a container's active or most recent journey. See how tracking by master bill of lading works here.
- House bill of lading tracking is not supported. Only master bill of lading number is accepted at this time.
- Evergreen container tracking requires additional input, see more information here.
Tip: The webhook callback_url is optional but is the preferred method of receiving reference updates from the API.
See information on using Auto Carrier Detection for tracking a container with less inputs here.