Your pallet left the warehouse three days ago. The customer is asking questions. You have a consignment number on a piece of paper but no idea what to do with it.
Track Your Order
This guide solves that. Whether you are tracking a domestic road freight pallet in New Zealand or Australia, an air freight consignment from Europe, or an ocean freight container crossing the Pacific, Mainfreight gives you multiple ways to follow that shipment in real time. Here is exactly how to use every one of them.
What Is Mainfreight?
Mainfreight is a global supply chain company headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. It was founded in 1978 and has grown into one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest logistics businesses, now operating across 27 countries with more than 330 branches worldwide.
Unlike traditional freight companies, Mainfreight runs on a 100-year vision, a guiding philosophy that shapes every business decision around long-term relationships rather than short-term profit. In practice, this means staff are trained to act like owners, which tends to produce better, more consistent service for customers.
The company handles five core service areas: domestic road and rail transport, air freight, ocean freight, warehousing and contract logistics, and customs brokerage. All five are covered by the same tracking infrastructure, which is what makes Mainfreight’s tracking system more powerful than most.
| Service | Coverage | Primary Tracking Reference |
| Domestic Road Freight | New Zealand, Australia, Americas, Europe, Asia | Consignment Note Number |
| Rail Freight | Selected domestic corridors | Consignment Note Number |
| Air Freight | Global (import and export) | House Bill of Lading (HBL) |
| Ocean Freight (FCL/LCL) | Global via CaroTrans and own offices | House Bill of Lading (HBL) or Container Number |
| Warehousing / Mainchain Orders | All major markets | Mainchain Reference or PO Number |
Your Mainfreight Tracking Numbers Explained
The biggest source of confusion when tracking a Mainfreight shipment is not knowing which reference number to enter. Mainfreight uses different identifiers depending on the service type and region. Here is a plain-language breakdown of each one.
Consignment Note Number (Road and Rail Freight)
This is your primary tracking reference for any domestic road or rail shipment. It is generated when the booking is created in Mainfreight’s Freman system and printed on your physical consignment note paperwork. The format is alphanumeric, up to 14 characters, and often starts with a custom prefix tied to your customer account, for example MFT12345678.
If you booked online through Mainchain, this number appears in your booking confirmation. If a driver picked up your freight and left a docket, the consignment number is printed on that docket.
House Bill of Lading (Air and Ocean Freight)
For international air and ocean freight, Mainfreight issues a House Bill of Lading. This is the main document for your specific consignment and serves as your tracking reference on the Mainfreight website and in the Mainchain portal. HBL numbers for air freight typically follow formats like ADCLU followed by digits. For ocean LCL shipments via CaroTrans, the format may differ by trade lane.
If you are tracking an ocean freight container, you can also use the standard 11-character ISO container number if it has been linked to your Mainfreight booking in their system.
Customer Reference Number (PO or Sales Order)
If you associated a Purchase Order number, Sales Order number, or Invoice number with the shipment at the time of booking in Mainchain, you can use that reference to track. This is particularly useful for businesses that manage freight by their own internal order numbers rather than carrier-issued codes. The format is whatever you set it to be, since Mainchain accepts any alphanumeric combination.
One important caveat: the customer reference only works if it was entered at booking time. If the shipper did not link a PO to the consignment, this method will return no results.
| Which Reference Do I Use?
Road or Rail freight within NZ, AU, Americas, Europe, or Asia -> Consignment Note Number Air freight import or export -> House Bill of Lading (HBL) Ocean freight FCL or LCL -> House Bill of Lading (HBL) or Container Number Mainchain-managed warehousing order -> Mainchain Reference or PO Number No number? Ask the shipper for the Consignment Note number or HBL. |
How to Track a Mainfreight Shipment: Four Methods
Method 1: The Official Mainfreight Website (Free, No Login Required)
This is the fastest option for anyone tracking a one-off shipment.
- Open a browser and go to mainfreight.com
- Click ‘Track’ in the top navigation menu
- In the search field, enter your Consignment Note number, HBL number, or customer reference
- Click the Track or Search button
- The page will display your shipment status using a colour-coded milestone system: picked up (blue), in transit (amber), delivered (green)
- Click on any milestone to see the full detail including time, location, and scan event
You do not need an account for this. Anyone with the reference number can track the shipment. The public tracker saves your last five shipment numbers automatically so you can return without re-entering them.
Method 2: Mainchain Customer Portal (Business Customers)
Mainchain is Mainfreight’s proprietary online customer portal and the most powerful tracking tool they offer. It is available free of charge to all account customers and requires a login set up by your Mainfreight account manager.
Inside Mainchain, you get more than a basic status update. You can view the full history of all your shipments across every mode, access proof of delivery documents and images, manage bookings for domestic pickups and international freight, run supply chain reports, and save frequently used shipper and consignee details.
Mainchain searches every Mainfreight system globally, so you can track a domestic NZ pallet and an ocean container from Europe in the same interface. If you manage regular freight volumes, this is the tool you should be using every day.
To get access, contact your Mainfreight account manager or fill in the request form on the Mainchain page at mainfreight.com. There is no software to install and no additional cost.
Method 3: The Mainfreight Mobile App
Mainfreight publishes a free app for iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play) called simply Mainfreight. It is directly linked to the same internal systems that power the website and Mainchain, which means you see status updates the moment they happen.
Key features of the app include:
- Track shipments across all modes: road, rail, ocean, and air
- Add shipments to a watchlist for quick access to critical freight
- Receive push notifications when a watchlisted shipment changes status
- Browse and filter recent shipments by milestone or date range
- Find the nearest Mainfreight branch using your device’s GPS
- Access direct phone numbers and email addresses for any branch worldwide
- Log in to sync your watchlist across unlimited devices via Mainchain
You do not need to log in to use the watchlist or basic tracking features. The app is free and works without an account for tracking purposes.
Method 4: Third-Party Tracking Platforms
Several multi-carrier tracking aggregators support Mainfreight, including 17TRACK, AfterShip, TrackingMore, and Ship24. These are useful if you manage freight from multiple carriers and want a single dashboard rather than logging into different carrier websites.
Enter your Consignment Note or HBL number on any of these platforms to pull current status. Be aware that third-party platforms retrieve data from Mainfreight’s public feed, so there may be a slight delay compared to the official site or Mainchain portal.
Mainfreight Tracking Status Meanings
Mainfreight uses a colour-coded milestone system for road freight and text-based status labels for international shipments. Here is what each one means.
| Status / Colour | What It Means | Normal Wait Time |
| Information Received | A booking has been created but the freight has not yet been collected by the driver. The label exists in the system but no physical scan has occurred yet. | Hours to 1 business day |
| Picked Up (Blue) | The driver has collected the freight and scanned it into the network. This is your confirmed departure scan. | Same day as collection |
| In Transit (Amber) | The freight is moving through the Mainfreight network, passing through depots or line-haul legs toward the destination. | 1 to several days depending on distance |
| Out for Delivery | The freight is on a local delivery vehicle and is scheduled to arrive today at the delivery address. | Same day |
| Delivered (Green) | Freight has been delivered. Proof of delivery including recipient signature is available via Mainchain. | Complete |
| Exception | Something outside the normal process has occurred: missed connection, failed delivery attempt, customs hold, or address issue. | Resolve before re-delivery |
| Customs Hold (International) | The shipment is being held by customs or biosecurity authorities at the destination country. This is a government process outside Mainfreight’s direct control. | 1 day to several weeks |
Troubleshooting: When Mainfreight Tracking Is Not Working
Most tracking problems come down to a handful of causes. Here is how to diagnose and fix each one.
Problem: ‘No Results Found’ When You Enter Your Number
This is the most common issue and it usually has a simple explanation. First, check that you are entering the correct type of number for the service you are tracking. A domestic road freight consignment note will not return results if entered as an HBL, and vice versa. If a PO number is not returning results, ask the shipper for the actual Consignment Note number because the PO reference only works if it was linked to the booking at the time it was created.
Second, check the number itself. Consignment note numbers are alphanumeric and case-sensitive on some platforms. Remove any spaces, hyphens, or leading zeros that may have been added by mistake.
Third, if the booking was just created, the freight may not have been picked up yet. The system creates the record when the booking is made, but tracking will only show meaningful status once the driver scans the freight at collection.
Problem: Tracking Stopped Updating
For domestic road freight, scan events occur at pickup, at each depot or transfer point, and at delivery. There are legitimate gaps between these scans, especially on long-haul overnight lanes where freight travels through the night without intermediate scanning. A gap of 12 to 24 hours is normal on most domestic routes.
For international air or ocean freight, gaps can be longer. Customs clearance can pause visible updates for several days. Ocean freight in particular may show no new events for days while a vessel is at sea between ports.
If domestic freight shows no update for more than one full business week, or international freight for more than two weeks, contact your local Mainfreight branch directly. They can see internal movement data that does not always surface on the public tracker.
Problem: Status Shows Delivered But Freight Was Not Received
Request a Proof of Delivery (POD) immediately. If you have a Mainchain account, the POD including a scan of the recipient signature is available directly in the portal. If you do not have Mainchain access, call your local Mainfreight branch and quote the consignment number. They can email the POD document to you.
The POD will show the time, date, location, and name of the person who signed for the freight. This is your starting point for investigating a disputed delivery.
Problem: International Shipment Stuck at Customs
Customs holds are outside Mainfreight’s direct control because they are administered by the government of the destination country. However, Mainfreight’s in-house customs brokerage team in most key markets can intervene on your behalf. Contact the Mainfreight international team at your nearest branch and they will liaise with customs authorities to establish the reason for the hold and the steps to resolve it.
Common reasons for customs delays include incomplete or incorrect commercial invoice details, goods requiring biosecurity inspection (particularly into Australia and New Zealand), or duty and tax queries that need resolution before clearance is granted.
Inside Mainchain: What Business Customers Get
If you ship freight regularly with Mainfreight, Mainchain is the tool that makes the biggest difference to how efficiently you manage your supply chain. Here is what is inside it beyond basic tracking.
- End-to-end shipment visibility: See every consignment across transport, international, and warehousing in one dashboard
- Proof of delivery access: POD documents and signature images available on demand, 24 hours a day
- Online booking: Create domestic pickup and delivery bookings, international freight jobs, and logistics orders without calling or emailing
- FremanWeb integration: Generate consignment notes, dangerous goods certificates, labels, and manifests directly in Mainchain
- Supply chain reporting: Run reports on shipment history, transit times, and delivery performance
- Saved preferences: Store frequently used shipper details, consignee addresses, and product descriptions
- User permissions: Grant specific team members access to track-and-trace data for selected customer numbers
- OnIssue service requests: Submit queries and service requests directly without phone calls or emails
Mainchain is free for all Mainfreight account customers and requires no software installation. Contact your account manager to request access or set up additional user logins for your team.
Tracking International Shipments: Air and Ocean Freight
International tracking works differently from domestic road freight because shipments move through multiple parties: the origin Mainfreight office, airlines or shipping lines, foreign customs, and the destination Mainfreight team. Here is what to expect at each stage.
Air Freight Tracking
When Mainfreight books your air freight, they issue a House Airway Bill (HAWB) or House Bill of Lading. This is your primary tracking reference. At origin, you will see status events when the freight is accepted by Mainfreight, consolidated, and tendered to the airline. Once airborne, the airline manages the physical movement and Mainfreight updates their system when they receive carrier milestones.
At the destination, Mainfreight’s import team handles customs clearance and final delivery. Each of these stages generates a new scan event visible in your tracking.
Transit times for international air freight vary significantly by route. Express lanes between major markets like Singapore and Sydney may complete in two to three days including customs. Less frequent lanes may take longer due to consolidation schedules.
Ocean Freight Tracking (FCL and LCL)
Mainfreight handles both Full Container Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL) ocean freight. LCL consolidation on Americas trade lanes is managed through CaroTrans, a Mainfreight subsidiary with expertise in those routes.
For ocean freight, your House Bill of Lading is your main tracking reference. You can also track using the 11-character ISO container number if it is linked to your booking. Status events will appear at the origin port, at transhipment ports if applicable, at destination port arrival, during customs clearance, and at final delivery.
Between port departure and destination arrival, tracking updates may pause for days or weeks depending on the vessel schedule and route. This is normal for ocean freight and does not indicate a problem.
Expert Tips for Getting the Most from Mainfreight Tracking
Use the Watchlist for Time-Critical Shipments
Both the Mainfreight website and the mobile app allow you to add shipments to a watchlist. For any freight that has a hard deadline, add it to the watchlist and enable notifications. You will receive an alert the moment the status changes rather than having to manually refresh the tracking page.
Always Link Your Own Reference at Booking Time
When creating a booking in Mainchain, always fill in your customer reference field with your PO or Sales Order number. This makes tracking significantly easier because your team can search by your own internal order numbers rather than having to look up Mainfreight’s consignment note number every time.
Contact the Branch Directly, Not a Call Centre
Mainfreight operates on a decentralised model where each branch manages its own customer relationships. When you have a problem with a specific shipment, calling the branch that picked up or is delivering the freight is significantly faster than going through a national call centre. The Mainfreight mobile app includes GPS-based branch finder with direct phone numbers for every depot globally.
Request POD Automation Through Mainchain
If you need proof of delivery for every consignment, Mainchain can be configured to send an automatic email notification with the POD document as soon as a delivery is confirmed and the signature has been captured. Ask your account manager to enable this setting for your customer number. It eliminates the need to log in and manually retrieve each POD.
Know the Difference Between ‘In Transit’ and ‘Out for Delivery’
These two statuses cause more confusion than anything else. In transit means the freight is moving through the network and could be on a line-haul truck, at a transfer depot, or in a consolidation warehouse. Out for delivery means it has been loaded onto a local delivery vehicle that morning and will arrive at the delivery address that day. Once you see ‘Out for Delivery’, make sure someone is available to receive and sign for the freight.
Also Read : TForce Freight Tracking: How to Track Your Shipment
Common Mistakes When Tracking Mainfreight Shipments
- Using a broker reference number instead of the Mainfreight consignment number
- If a freight broker arranged the booking, ask them for the actual Mainfreight consignment note number that the carrier issued, not the broker’s own job reference.
- Searching for road freight using an HBL format number
- The consignment note number and the House Bill of Lading are different documents used for different service types. Entering the wrong one returns no results.
- Expecting parcel-level scan frequency on freight
- Freight shipments are scanned at depots and terminals, not at every handling point. A gap of 12 to 24 hours between scan events is completely normal on domestic lanes.
- Assuming ‘In Transit’ means there is a problem
- This status simply means the freight is moving. It could sit at ‘In Transit’ for the entire duration of a multi-day road haul or an ocean crossing and change directly to ‘Delivered’. This is normal.
- Not setting up Mainchain when you are a regular shipper
- If you send or receive freight with Mainfreight more than once a month, not having Mainchain is costing you time every single day. It is free and takes minutes to set up through your account manager.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I track a Mainfreight shipment?
Go to mainfreight.com and click Track in the top navigation. Enter your Consignment Note number (for domestic road or rail freight), House Bill of Lading number (for air or ocean freight), or your linked customer reference number. Click Track to see the current status, milestone history, and delivery information. No login is required for basic tracking.
What is a Mainfreight consignment note number?
A consignment note number is the unique alphanumeric reference that Mainfreight assigns to a domestic road or rail freight booking. It is generated when the booking is created in Mainfreight’s system and printed on the physical consignment note paperwork. It is up to 14 characters and often starts with a prefix linked to your customer account, such as MFT followed by digits. This is the number you use to track domestic freight on the Mainfreight website or in Mainchain.
Why is my Mainfreight tracking not showing any updates?
For road freight, scan events occur at pickup, at transit depots, and at delivery. There can be gaps of 12 to 24 hours between events on overnight or long-haul lanes, and this is normal. For international shipments, customs clearance can cause gaps of several days. If domestic freight has no update for more than one business week, or international freight for more than two weeks, contact your local Mainfreight branch with your consignment number for a manual status check.
What is Mainchain and how do I get access?
Mainchain is Mainfreight’s secure online customer portal that provides end-to-end shipment visibility, proof of delivery documents, online booking, and supply chain reporting across all service modes. It is free for all Mainfreight account customers and requires no software installation. Contact your Mainfreight account manager or fill in the request form on the Mainchain page of the Mainfreight website to get your login credentials.
How do I track international Mainfreight shipments?
For air freight, use your House Bill of Lading number on the Mainfreight website or in Mainchain. For ocean freight, use the House Bill of Lading or the 11-character container number if it is linked to your booking. International tracking milestones include origin acceptance, departure, transit port events, customs clearance, and final delivery. Gaps in updates during ocean transit are normal while the vessel is at sea.
Can I track Mainfreight without a consignment number?
If you linked a customer reference such as a Purchase Order or Sales Order number to the booking at the time it was created in Mainchain, you can use that reference to track. If no reference was linked and you do not have the consignment note number, ask the shipper for it. It will be on the physical paperwork that accompanied the freight at pickup.
What does ‘Information Received’ mean on Mainfreight tracking?
It means a booking has been created in Mainfreight’s system but the driver has not yet collected and scanned the freight. The consignment note number is live and trackable, but no physical movement has been recorded yet. This status typically changes to Picked Up within a few hours once the driver completes the collection run.
How do I get a Proof of Delivery from Mainfreight?
If you have Mainchain access, the proof of delivery document including a scanned recipient signature image is available directly in the portal as soon as delivery is confirmed. If you do not have Mainchain, contact your local Mainfreight branch and quote the consignment number. They can email the POD to you. You can also request that POD documents be sent automatically to a nominated email address for every completed delivery. Ask your account manager to enable this in your Mainchain settings.
Does the Mainfreight mobile app require a login?
No. You can use the Mainfreight mobile app to track shipments, use the watchlist, and find branch contact details without creating an account or logging in. If you log in with your Mainchain credentials, your watchlist syncs across devices and you get access to your full shipment history from your account.
My tracking number is not working. What should I do?
First, verify you are using the correct reference type for the service: consignment note for road freight, HBL for air or ocean. Second, remove any extra characters such as spaces or hyphens. Third, if you are using a customer PO number, confirm with the shipper that it was linked to the booking at the time of creation. If none of these steps resolve the issue, contact your local Mainfreight branch directly with the details of the shipment and they can locate it manually using origin, destination, and approximate pickup date.
