Summary
What is ETA in Qargo?
In Qargo, ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) is represented as the estimated start time of each stop on a trip.
This is the value shown on the planning board for each stop, and the value sent to external systems and portals where applicable.
Why does it matter?
Accurate ETAs help planners identify delays early, manage receiving depots, and keep customers informed.
How ETAs update - and how frequently - depends on the method active for the trip.
What are the two methods?
Milestone-based updating (classic): ETAs update when the driver completes or departs a stop. Between stops, times stay static.
Automatic in-transit recalculation: ETAs update continuously during transit using the driver's live GPS position.
Use Cases
Long-haul carriers with overnight runs need to know whether a driver will arrive on time for a morning delivery window — without calling the driver or waiting for stop completion. Automatic ETA updates give planners a live view of the trip throughout the night.
Operations teams managing international shipments with 6-8 hour transit legs can see updated stop times on the planning board as the trip progresses, allowing them to proactively inform receiving depots of any delays.
Planners overseeing high-volume fleets need to identify late-running loads early to re-plan pickups or notify customers - rather than being caught off guard when a driver arrives late.
Terminology
Term | Definition |
ETA | Estimated Time of Arrival - in Qargo, this is the estimated start time of each stop |
Milestone-based updating | ETA method where stop times update only when a driver completes or departs a stop |
In-transit recalculation | ETA method where stop times update continuously during transit using live GPS data |
FMS | Fleet Management System - an external telematics platform (e.g. Samsara, Transics, Webfleet) that sends the driver's GPS location to Qargo |
Anchor stop | A stop with a fixed or pinned timestamp, used to plan a route working backwards from a set arrival time |
Time window | A defined earliest and latest arrival window set on a stop |
Planning board | The main Qargo screen where planners manage trips, resources, and stop times |
Method 1 — Milestone-Based ETA Updates
This is the classic ETA behaviour in Qargo and the default where automatic in-transit recalculation is not active.
In this method, stop ETAs only update when a driver completes or departs a stop. Between stops - while the driver is in transit - stop times remain static at their last calculated value. The planning board does not reflect any drift or delay until the next stop event occurs.
What this looks like in practice
When a driver departs stop 1, Qargo recalculates and updates the ETAs for stop 2 onwards. If the driver then runs into traffic or takes longer than planned to reach stop 2, those downstream stop times do not update again until stop 2 is completed or the driver departs.
This means planners may experience: "the driver is clearly late but the ETAs on the board aren't moving." This is expected behaviour for milestone-based updating - the ETAs are correct as of the last stop event, not as of the current moment.
📚 Milestone-based updating is the default for trips where the automatic in-transit recalculation feature has not been activated.
Method 2 — Automatic In-Transit ETA Recalculation
This method introduces continuous ETA updates during transit, using the driver's live GPS position. Rather than waiting for a stop event, Qargo recalculates the ETA for the next upcoming stop periodically while the driver is on the road - and reflects any updated times on the planning board in near-real-time.
📚 This feature is particularly useful for long-haul shipments, where there can be 6-8+ hours of driving between stops. Under milestone-based updating, a late-running load would stay invisible on the planning board until the driver arrived.
How It Works
While a driver is in transit, Qargo uses incoming GPS position pings - from either the Qargo mobile app or a connected FMS integration - to periodically recalculate the ETA to the next upcoming stop. Once the new ETA is calculated, all subsequent stop timestamps on the trip shift forward or backward by the same time difference. The full schedule stays aligned without any manual intervention.
📚 In-transit recalculation calculates the arrival time for the next stop only. All remaining stops are adjusted by the same time delta rather than being individually recalculated.
Recalculation Frequency
The frequency of updates adapts based on how close the driver is to the next stop:
Driver proximity to next stop | Recalculation interval |
Close to next stop | Approximately every 5 minutes |
Long-haul legs | Up to every 2 hours |
This tiered approach keeps ETAs accurate when it matters most, without unnecessary recalculations on very long legs.
On-Site Stop Time Adjustment
When a driver is at a stop and stays longer than planned, Qargo detects the extended on-site duration and automatically shifts all downstream stop timestamps forward by the same amount. A delay at one stop is immediately reflected across all remaining stops on the trip - no manual adjustment needed.
Viewing the Last Recalculation Time
The timestamp of the most recent ETA recalculation is visible on the trip detail page. Planners can use this to confirm how recently the ETAs were updated.
Time Windows and Anchor Stops
When a trip has time windows or anchor stops set, the in-transit recalculation method handles them as follows:
Time Windows
A time window defines an earliest and latest acceptable arrival time for a stop.
If the recalculated ETA falls within the time window: the ETA updates normally within the window.
If the recalculated ETA is earlier than the window opens: the ETA snaps forward to the window opening time. The driver is not shown as arriving before the window.
If the recalculated ETA is after the window closes: the ETA keeps the shifted (late) value, showing a realistic late arrival. The system does not artificially pin the ETA to the window closing time.
📚 Time windows prevent ETAs from showing early arrival, but they do not hide lateness.
Anchor Stops
An anchor stop is a fixed or user-set timestamp on a stop - often used when planning a route backwards from a required arrival time.
If the driver arrives early: the ETA snaps back to the anchored time.
If the driver is running late: the ETA shifts past the anchored time to reflect the realistic late arrival.
‼️ An anchor stop does not hold a trip on-time once execution falls behind schedule. If the driver is running late, the ETA will move past the anchored time. Anchors are a planning tool; they do not prevent the live ETA from showing lateness.
Configuration and Activation
Automatic in-transit ETA recalculation requires the following to be in place:
1. Feature Activation
Automatic ETA recalculation requires activation.
Navigate to CONFIGURATION>Organisation settings
Select 'Route planning & optimisation' from the Tenant settings
Toggle 'Use PTV ETA calculation' on
‼️ 'Include rest & break times in calculation' will automatically be toggled off when activating Automatic ETA. Estimated rest times will be included.
💬 Please contact your Qargo Account Manager if you have questions, or need assistance enabling automatic ETA recalculation.
2. Live GPS Location Data
ETA recalculation requires Qargo to receive continuous GPS position pings from the driver.
This works via:
Qargo mobile app - no FMS integration is required. The Qargo mobile app alone is sufficient, as long as location sharing is active on the driver's device.
FMS/telematics integration - any connected FMS integration that sends GPS positions (e.g. Samsara, Transics, Webfleet) will also work.
Mobile-only setups are fully supported - a telematics provider is not needed.
3. PTV Routing Required
The recalculation is built on PTV's routing engine. A valid route must have been calculated for the trip using PTV before in-transit recalculation can run.
4. Rest Time Calculation
When ETA calculations are enabled, calculations for rest times are estimated and may vary.
Viewing the Last Recalculation Time
The timestamp of the most recent ETA recalculation is visible on the trip detail page. Planners can use this to confirm how recently the ETAs were updated and assess how current the displayed times are.
VISUALISE the last recalculation time by opening the trip detail page for any in-progress trip. The recalculation timestamp is displayed in the General info section.
Other status options
ETA Update | Violation (Y/N) |
Driver is at the stop | N |
Driver is near the next stop | N |
Driver passed stop without completing | Y - shown in orange |
Driver is on an intermodal leg (ferry/train) | Y - shown in orange |
Stops are being executed out of sequence | Y - shown in orange |
Driver has been near the stop too long | Y - shown in orange |
Driving leg has taken longer than planned | Y - shown in orange |
📚 With the current activity column enabled in planning, ETA details will show in the activity column.
Limitations
The following limitations apply to the automatic in-transit recalculation feature:
Rest time routes: Calculations for rest times are estimated and may vary.
FMS break and rest data: Break and rest time information from FMS integrations is not factored into the recalculation. Planned breaks may cause ETA deviations that are not reflected in the updated timestamps.
External visibility systems: Updated ETAs are not yet pushed to customer portals or external tracking integrations.
Map visualisation: Historical ETA recalculation points are not yet shown on the map.
Late-running alerts: The current release updates timestamps but does not trigger visual indicators or notifications when a trip is running behind schedule.
Next stop only: ETA is calculated individually for the next stop only. All subsequent stops shift by the same delta.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Likely cause | What to check |
ETAs are not moving during transit | Milestone-based updating is active - this is the default where in-transit recalculation is not enabled | Check 'Route planning', under Organisation settings. Toggle 'PTV ETA calculation' on. Contact your Qargo Account Manager if additional help is needed with this feature. |
ETAs are not updating even with the feature active | No GPS pings being received | Confirm the driver has location sharing enabled in the Qargo mobile app, or that the FMS integration is actively sending GPS positions |
Updated ETAs are not visible in the customer portal or external tracking systems | ETA updates are not yet pushed to external visibility systems | This is a known limitation in the current release. External system updates are planned |
ETAs appear less accurate than expected | FMS break/rest time data is not factored in | Planned breaks from FMS integrations are not currently reflected in the recalculation |
Stop times shifted unexpectedly | On-site stop time adjustment detected a longer-than-planned stop | When a driver stays beyond the planned stop time, all downstream timestamps shift forward automatically. This is expected behaviour |
ETA shows later than the time window closing time | Driver is running late past the window | Time windows do not prevent late ETAs - they only snap early arrivals forward. A late ETA will display realistically past the window end |