If your team is spending hours a day clicking through terminal sites, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to keep doing it.
PortPro’s Appointments automation books terminal slots for you based on capacity and rules you define, keeps hunting for better times if you want it to, and is rolling out dual transactions so you can link pickups and empty returns in a couple of clicks. Less tab-hopping. More containers moving.
Watch the full webinar below — or keep reading for the recap.
Booking Appointments: The Old Way
Manually log into the terminal website
Enter container information
Manually book an appointment time that works
Do this over and over again for every container you need to move
If you’re lucky, you get your preferred appointment
If you’re not, you need to keep refreshing until you finally can snag an appointment
And then book another appointment to return the empty containers
The “traditional” flow is a time sink. It’s error-prone and soul-sucking.
Booking Appointments: The New Way (with PortPro)
PortPro flips the script. Appointment booking happens in just two very very easy steps
Step 1: Choose your slots
First you need to choose the maximum number of appointments you can book during specific time slots.
For example, if you only have 10 drivers, you won’t want the system to book you 20 appointments at 5 am.
Step 2: Set the rules that match your operational requirements
Do you want to pre-pull delivery appointments the night before? Or only book later appointments at terminals that don’t have a chassis pool? Or pull containers on or before last free day?
You can do all that (and more)
What “rules” look like in real life
Templates are where the magic happens. A few you’ll likely use on day one:
Pre-pull for early deliveries: If delivery appt is 7–11am, pre-pull the night before; prioritize second-shift windows (e.g., 6–9pm then 9–12).
Minimize storage: Target on-LFD, fall back to 1–2 days before, prefer morning slots.
Terminal quirks: Example: LBCT chassis flow → push later pickup times so drivers can snag a chassis first.
Monday logic: If delivery is Monday, pre-pull Friday (not weekend).
Filters & exceptions: Exclude overweight where needed, plan for street turns, handle hazmat where supported.
Build as many templates as you need (by customer, warehouse, terminal, SSL, even day-of-week). Clone and tweak as your operation evolves.
Speed matters: how often we check
Terminal-level sweeps: every 30–60 seconds to detect new appointment drops.
Container-level checks: every 10 minutes to chase openings for each box.
Smart reschedule (optional): If we booked a fallback, we can keep looking for a priority time/day for the window you set—automatically upgrading when a better slot appears.
When plans change (because they do)
Need to intervene? You can bulk-select containers and:
apply a template in two clicks,
tweak days/slots, or
force a one-off booking window.
Perfect for hot loads, driver call-outs, and last-minute reshuffles.
Dual transactions: pair returns + pickups without the headache (beta)
A split-screen shows empties to return and pickups side-by-side. Link them and either:
add the empty to the existing pickup appointment, or
create a new dual appointment window.
Early access is live in LA/LB with a recommended-match workflow coming (we’ll auto-suggest the best pairs based on restrictions).
Where it works as of September 2025 (and what’s next)
Live now
NY/NJ: Imports APM/BAM; Exports APM (Bayonne exports in progress)
LA/LB: APM, LBCT, YTI, FMS, plus all eModal terminals; exports generally supported (LBCT exports soon)
Oakland & Seattle/Tacoma: all eModal (imports)
Port of Virginia: NIT, VIG (imports)
Savannah: Garden City & Ocean Terminal
Coming soon
On the interest list
Tampa, Vancouver, and others
What’s Next
If you’re interested in learning more about how Appointments could work with your specific workflow, book a time with our product experts.
