How to Send a Broker a Live Tracking Link
A broker with a load on your truck wants three things: where it is, when it will arrive, and confirmation that it was delivered. If they have to phone you for each one, you spend your day answering the same call. A live tracking link answers all three without a call.
What the broker needs to see
- Which stage the load is at: not started, heading to pickup, at pickup, loaded, heading to delivery, delivered.
- Where the truck is on a map.
- The estimated arrival time.
They don't need your driver's name or phone number, and you may not want them to have it. A good tracking link leaves it out.
How to send one in HitchLink
- Assign a driver to the load. A link can only be shared once a driver is on it.
- On the load board, open the load and choose Share tracking.
- Choose what the broker sees (see below), then choose Create link.
- Send it with Copy, Email or WhatsApp.
The broker opens the link on a phone or computer. They don't sign up or install anything, and the page updates itself about every 20 seconds.
You control what the link shows
| Live map with the route | The map and the truck's route. |
|---|---|
| Pickup and delivery timeline | The stages of the load and their times. |
| Street addresses | Full addresses, or the city only. |
| Location detail | The truck's exact position, or an approximate one: a circle of about 5 km around the nearest town. |
Nothing about the driver is ever shown. The broker sees the freight moving, not the person driving it.
What the link will not do
- Show a position before the driver sets off. A load booked on Friday for a Monday pickup does not put a dot on your driver's home all weekend.
- Follow the truck after delivery. Once the load is delivered, the map stays on the delivery point.
- Live forever. A link stops working one day after delivery. That is long enough for the broker to confirm the delivery the next morning.
Stopping a link
You can stop sharing whenever you like. Choose Stop sharing and the link dies at once, and anyone still holding it sees nothing. You can also see whether the broker has opened it, and how many times, so you know whether it reached them.
Why it saves time
- The broker checks the map when they want to, so they call you less often.
- You don't have to phone the driver to have something to tell the broker.
If you are also cutting down on calls to your own drivers, read how to track your truck drivers without calling them.
Send your first tracking link
Free for one truck, no credit card. Add a driver, book a load and share the link with a broker.
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