Tracking started from your TMS
New loads start MacroPoint tracking automatically with the carrier and stops filled in, and stop when the load is delivered or cancelled.
Descartes MacroPoint integration consulting
Connect Descartes MacroPoint to the rest of your business.
Descartes MacroPoint tracks freight on carriers' trucks, so brokers, 3PLs and shippers can see where loads are without calling. We build the connections around it, so tracking starts on its own and updates reach the people who need them.
Keep it, then extend it
What Descartes MacroPoint does well, and where teams outgrow it.
Where Descartes MacroPoint shines
- Tracking across many carriersMacroPoint draws on a large carrier network, so most loads can be tracked without each carrier setting something up for you.
- Fewer check callsLocation and status updates replace much of the calling and texting to ask drivers where they are.
- Help getting carriers on boardDescartes runs carrier outreach and coaching during setup, which raises how many loads actually get tracked.
Where teams hit the limits
- Tracking has to be started for each loadSomeone has to start tracking with the right carrier and stops, and loads entered late or wrong go untracked.
- Updates stop at the tracking screenLocation and status show in MacroPoint, while the customer, the warehouse and billing still wait for someone to pass them on.
- Paperwork travels separatelyDocuments and forms drivers submit still need matching to the right load before billing can go out.
What we build around it
Connecting Descartes MacroPoint to the rest of your work.
Status and location back in your system
Updates flow into your TMS or ERP so your team works from one screen.
Customer updates sent for you
Customers get proactive status and arrival updates, and your team handles only the exceptions.
Alerts for loads that go quiet
Loads that stop reporting or fall behind schedule go to the right person with the details and a next step.
Delivery to billing
Delivered loads and submitted documents move straight into the next steps for invoicing.
Tracking compliance by carrier
How often each carrier's loads were tracked, combined with cost and service, in one scheduled report.
Before we start
How access works.
This page covers MacroPoint, Descartes' freight visibility product, which is what brokers, 3PLs and shippers most often connect to their own systems. Descartes publishes a supported connection for starting, updating and stopping tracking from your TMS or ERP, and MacroPoint sends updates back to your systems as they happen (see Descartes' integration guide). Carrier details can also go in by secure file transfer. Descartes issues the account credentials for your MacroPoint account, so we request them with you and keep them on your side. If you run other Descartes products, such as routing or transportation management, tell us and we'll confirm with Descartes what your agreement covers before we plan anything around them.
Industries
Where this comes up most.
Logistics and freight
Brokers, 3PLs and carriers buried in paperwork
See the industryDistribution and logistics
Orders, shipments, carriers and customers
See the industryManufacturing
Quotes, orders, quality and the shop floor
See the industryRetail and consumer goods
Retailers and brands juggling orders, pricing and suppliers
See the industry
Related problems
Common places to start.
Support that can't keep up
Half the calls ask the same five things. Where is my order? Can I move my appointment? Do you cover my area? Your team answers them all day, and the hard cases wait behind them.
Read moreDocuments piling up
Contracts, forms, invoices, reports. The information your business needs is locked inside PDFs, and someone has to read each one.
Read moreSoftware that doesn't talk
Sales has one number, finance has another, and nobody is sure which is right. Each tool is fine by itself. The trouble is in the gaps.
Read more
FAQ
Common questions.
Do we have to replace MacroPoint?
No. MacroPoint stays your tracking system. We connect it to the systems and people that act on what it shows.
Doesn't our TMS already connect to MacroPoint?
Many do, and you should use that where it fits. Custom work makes sense when updates need to reach customers, billing or reporting as well, or when your TMS is in-house.
Can you help when a carrier won't share tracking?
Descartes handles carrier onboarding. We can make sure untracked loads are flagged early and followed up, so they don't go unnoticed.
Do you work with other Descartes products?
Possibly. Descartes makes many products, and access differs by product. We confirm what your agreement allows before we promise a connection.
Are you a certified Descartes MacroPoint partner?
No. We're an independent integration consultant and development team. We build with Descartes MacroPoint's official developer tools and approved access, using the access your team grants, and we work alongside your Descartes MacroPoint admin or implementation partner rather than replacing them.
Sources
- Descartes MacroPoint: Visibility integration guide
- Descartes MacroPoint: Implementation
- Descartes MacroPoint: Workflow automation
Facts checked against the vendor's own documentation, November 2026. Names are trademarks of their owners. Inkwell is independent and not affiliated with these companies.
Partner with Inkwell
Tell us how you use Descartes MacroPoint today.
A few sentences is plenty. We'll tell you what we'd connect first, and whether a ready-made app already does the job.