Automating Empty Return Appointments (and more) with PortPro

Returning empty containers should be the easy part.

But many carriers are still manually logging into terminal websites to manually book a return appointment (sometimes with limited success).

Additionally, we know each customer sometimes has their own unique set of requirements. Warehouses are only open at certain times of the day or days of the week. You can only pick up a chassis at certain times. You might have specific rules around hazmat.

At any given time, dispatchers are carrying around thousands of bits of information in their heads (or spreadsheets).

But with PortPro, you can set it up so the system can take care of as much as possible. And let your dispatchers focus on things that require critical thinking (managing drivers, handling any fires that come up throughout the day, etc.)

Let’s dive into it. 

There are 3 ways you can trigger automated return appointments

The following three options are applicable if you have any automated return templates running in the background.  

For the template to trigger at the load level, the dispatcher must specify the Return Location and mark the container Ready-to-Return, as explained in Option 1 below.

If applicable to their operation, the dispatcher can now simplify this workflow by having PortPro automatically apply the Ready-to-Return for live unload/live loads in Option 2,  or whenever the container is marked Empty as outlined in Option 3.

Option 1: Use the “Ready to Return Date” Field (Default Trigger) 

The “Ready to Return Date” field is how carriers have typically automated returns using PortPro Appointments. 

To use this, simply: 

1. Set up a Return Apt Template to run in the background

2. Set the “Ready to Return Date” on a Load

3. PortPro Appointments will automatically book appointments on our after that date 

4. Your appointment gets booked automatically

Easy, right? 

The problem is that a lot of carriers don’t use that field. And that field can only be updated manually. 

If you know us, you know we’re not about manual work over here at PortPro. So we improved the process.

Option 2: Trigger appointments as soon as a Live Unload/Live Load is marked Complete

In this option, PortPro will trigger appointment booking the moment a Live Unload is completed in the system. 

And if you’re a PortPro customer, you know that a delivery is marked complete as soon as the driver completes it on their phone. So you can start booking return appointments pretty much in real time. 

To enable this in the system, all you have to do is go to your Appointment Settings, click “return appointments”, and toggle “Book return appointments once live unload/live load is marked complete”. 

Option 3: Trigger Appointments once Dropped containers are marked Empty

In this option, PortPro will start booking appointments as soon as a container is Dropped at its destination and is marked “Empty”.

As soon as an “Empty Date” is added to the Load, PortPro will start finding appointments to return the container to the terminal. 

This is a great option for carriers with automations or integrations that automatically update the “Empty Date” field.  

Automation Tip #1: Set a delay (so your team can prepare)

With these new automations, you can trigger appointments immediately after a container is dropped or after a live unload happens. At this point, the system considers a container to be “empty” and will automatically start booking appointments.

So if you use these automations, we strongly suggest making use of the “delay booking” feature. This makes sure your team has time to dispatch a driver to return the container by the appointment time. 

Ask yourself, “If a container is dropped at 10am, how many hours would I need to dispatch a driver to return that empty?”

Usually we see customers select 4-6 hours. But, of course, it’s entirely up to you and your workflow. 

Automation Tip #2: Open your appointment availability

To make sure the system is able to automatically book an appointment, we recommend setting time preferences for all possible hours of the day you could feasibly send a driver to an appointment. 

This maximizes the times the system can choose from, and makes sure you’re able to automate as many appointment bookings as possible. 

To do this, scroll down to your “Timing Preferences”. First, adjust the “Time Bucket” to make sure it contains all working hours in one view.

Then, toggle all times as a “priority” or “fall back”.

Automation Tip #3: Don’t let PortPro book more appointments than you have drivers 

If you only have 10 drivers, you’re not going to want PortPro to book 30 appointments at the same time. 

To set this up, head over to the “Maximum Appointment Slots” toggle in your Appointment Settings. Then, select the day and time from the grid where you want to adjust your capacity.  From here, you can easily adjust your max pickup and drop off slots.  Here you can select the maximum number of appointment moves you want PortPro to book ,and not exceed, for any given time. 

Setting automations on a customer-by-customer basis

OK so this section isn’t related to returning empties — but it’s still a slick way to automate some of the tedious work that goes into booking appointments. 

Basically, you’re able to use rules in PortPro to customize your Appointment automation preferences based on specific customer requirements. 

Scenario 1: Pre-Pulls for Morning Deliveries

Use case: You have a customer whose warehouse is only open from 7 AM to 12 PM.

In this example, you want to pre-pull the container the day before, so that you’re able to deliver it to the customer the following morning.

Your Automation Rule: If delivery time is between 7-12, book the appointment 2 days before the delivery appointment. Fallback to 3 days or 1 day before, if 2 days before not available.

💡 Great for: Avoiding missed deliveries at warehouses with tight AM-only receiving windows.

Scenario 2: Friday Pre-Pull for Monday Deliveries

Use case: The terminal doesn’t operate on weekends, and the delivery appointment is on a Monday.

If the system tries to pre-pulls on Sunday (the day before), there won’t be any appointments available as the terminal will be closed — and the driver may not be able to get it out in time on Monday morning.

Your Automation Rule: If the delivery day is Monday, pre-pull on Friday by setting the Day Preference to 3 Days before the Delivery Appointment. Fall back to Thursday or Wednesday if Friday’s not available.

Scenario 3: Chassis Split Constraints

Use case: Your delivery requires a chassis pickup from a separate location, and that chassis yard is only open from 7am - 3pm.

To avoid conflicts, you want your terminal appointment to align with the chassis yard’s hours — otherwise, your driver shows up without the gear they need.

Your Automation Rule: If the chassis pickup is from the Cara-Van Yard, limit appointment time slots to 8am-4pm.

💡 Great for: Ensuring your drivers don’t miss appointments since they’re not able to pickup a chassis.