Software for container and port haulage
Keep container work moving before demurrage starts counting
HaulierMagic is the transport management system for container and port haulage, where the terminal is already running a clock you did not start. Collections, empty returns and the driver working through them share one board, planned around the free time on the box rather than against it.
- Planned around free time, not a planner’s notes
- Empty returns tracked, not left to memory
- Truck-safe routing, so a low bridge never ends the run
Trusted by UK haulage operators
The sector
The volume runs through a handful of ports, and every hour at the terminal has a price.
UK container trade is concentrated, with Southampton and London Gateway carrying much of what Felixstowe does not.
Felixstowe alone handles around 4 million TEU, roughly 40% of UK container traffic.
Sit past free time and demurrage is charged per box, per day. Miss the empty return and detention follows. Both come straight off the margin.
Sources: Port of Felixstowe throughput and share figures; DfT Port Freight Statistics for UK port rankings, 2024/25. Demurrage and detention rates vary by line and port.
The problem, and the fix
The margin leaks at the terminal gate and in the paperwork.
Running port work on spreadsheets and messages
- Free-time deadlines live in a planner’s notes, so boxes overrun.
- Drivers are sent to the wrong terminal or the wrong box.
- Low bridges and unsuitable roads are found the hard way.
- Empties sit past their return window and pick up detention.
- Proof of delivery lags, so invoicing and any charges lag too.
Running on HaulierMagic
- Jobs and windows sit on a shared board, planned against the whole day.
- The driver gets the right box, the right terminal and the return leg in one job.
- NavigateMagic routes the loaded box to and from the port, clear of low bridges.
- Return legs are planned and tracked, not left to memory.
- The job bills from the record captured at the terminal, not days later.
Who it's for
Two operators, one clock.
Fewer surprises, fewer charges
Run port work off spreadsheets and phone calls, and the demurrage clock becomes your biggest hidden cost.
- One board to plan collections and empty returns around free time
- A driver app that carries the full job detail
- Truck-safe routing, so a low bridge never ends the run
One platform, port to door
Container operators often stitch together a TMS, a tracking tool, a nav app and an ePOD system. HaulierMagic consolidates them into one application.
- Terminal free time and the empty return on the same job record
- Truck-safe routing to and from the port, inside the driver’s job flow
- Built UK-first, around UK regulation, UK ports and UK accounting
Truck-safe routing
Routing that knows it is carrying a container.
Bridge strikes are a live, expensive risk on high-value box work.
Network Rail found 43% of lorry drivers do not measure their vehicle before setting off.
NavigateMagic gives HGV-safe routing built into the platform, not a sat-nav strapped to the dashboard. It is a chargeable add-on.
Source: Network Rail, 2024/25 bridge strike figures.
Fits your setup
Works with the tools you already run.
Keep what works. Drop the double entry.
- Accounts
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- Sage 50 and Sage 200 both.
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- Telematics
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- and other common vehicle tracking systems
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- Industry systems
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- plus API access for custom integrations
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- Driver messaging
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- plus API access for custom integrations
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Proof
Hear from operators like you.
Since adopting HaulierMagic in 2006, we have seen real, measurable improvements in our day to day operations and to our bottom line. Our entire fleet is fully tracked and our client facing and office-backed technology is among the most advanced in the industry.
Peter Brown Managing Director, Jack Richards & Son FAQs
What port hauliers ask about running box work.
How does HaulierMagic help avoid demurrage and detention?
Collections and empty returns sit on one shared planning board, so jobs are planned around terminal free time rather than kept in a planner’s notes. Live status and tracking mean return legs are not forgotten until a charge appears.
Does it give drivers truck-safe routes to and from the port?
Yes. NavigateMagic provides HGV-safe routing that avoids low bridges and dimension limits, built into the platform and called from the driver’s normal job flow. It keeps a loaded box off roads it cannot take on the run to and from the terminal. It is a chargeable add-on.
Is HaulierMagic built for UK container work specifically?
HaulierMagic is UK-first, designed around UK regulation, UK ports and UK accounting, rather than a European platform configured for the UK market.
Can the office and customers see where a container is?
Planners get live status on the Arrivals Board, and customers can track their own deliveries through the client portal without phoning in.
Does a finished box job reach our accounts on its own?
It connects to Xero, Sage 50 and Sage 200, common telematics such as Webfleet, and messaging tools including WhatsApp, with API access for custom integrations. On container work the value is timing: the job bills from the record captured at the terminal, so the invoice is not waiting on someone typing it up days later.
How soon can we be running box work on it?
Most operators are live within two to four weeks, with migration, driver onboarding and training handled alongside the day. Container work tends to move across quickly because the shapes repeat: the same ports, the same customers, the same collect-and-return behind every booking.
Other sectors
Run a different kind of work?
Take the next step
See your port work on one platform.
A 30-minute walkthrough, tailored to your ports, your boxes and your workflow. No obligation.
- No sales pitch
- 30 minutes
- Tailored to your operation
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