ETA / ETD (estimated time of arrival / departure)
ETA and ETD are estimated transit times: ETA is when cargo is expected to arrive at a destination; ETD is when it is expected to leave an origin. Both are estimates, revised continuously as the journey progresses.
Ocean ETAs are notoriously imprecise — ±48 hours is normal, and ±5 days is not unusual on the Asia-Europe and trans-Pacific lanes during congestion. Air ETAs are tighter (often within hours). Truck ETAs sit in between.
ATA and ATD — actual time of arrival and actual time of departure — are the after-the-fact values that go into transit-time performance metrics. The gap between published ETA and ATA is the schedule-reliability KPI carriers report.
ETAs are revised by carriers as voyages progress. Subscribing to ETA updates (via EDI, API, or AIS-driven vessel-tracking services) gives operations teams a continuously refreshed view rather than the one snapshot from the original booking.
Related terms
- Voyage numberA voyage number is the unique identifier assigned by an ocean carrier to a specific journey of a specific vessel. It combines vessel ID with a sequential or coded voyage segment.
- Transit timeTransit time is the duration a shipment spends moving — from when the carrier picks it up to when it reaches the destination. It is a subset of lead time, excluding order processing and customs handling.
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