Abstract: The global supply chain faces persistent challenges in achieving end-to-end visibility, particularly in ocean and air freight, where delays, theft, and environmental risks disrupt operations. This comprehensive study examines the current state of supply chain visibility across air and ocean freight networks, leveraging real-world cargo tracking data from leading carriers such as Emirates, YangMing, Qatar Airways, and PIL. The research identifies key gaps in end-to-end tracking, including delays in data updates, transshipment blind spots, and inconsistent customs clearance reporting. While air cargo demonstrates robust real-time tracking capabilities—supported by technologies like QR codes and automated milestone updates—ocean freight lags due to fragmented systems, manual processes, and limited last-mile transparency. The study highlights disparities in weight documentation (e.g., VGM compliance), multi-leg coordination challenges, and the impact of port congestion on visibility. The study focuses on the mitigation of supply chain disruptions and enhancing consumer visibility and also addresses TMS compatibility. Key findings reveal that hybrid tracking systems (cellular + satellite) optimize cost and coverage, while AI-driven difference in detection reduces manual intervention by 40%. The paper concludes with a framework for freight forwarders to select trackers based on shipment value, route, and regulatory constraints. This research contributes to logistics automation literature by bridging the gap between consumer-grade IoT and enterprise freight visibility, offering actionable insights for 3PLs, shippers, and port authorities to reduce losses and improve customer transparency.

Keywords: Supply chain visibility, real-time tracking, logistics digitization, cargo transparency, IoT in freight, AI trackers, air cargo monitoring.

| DOI: 10.17148/IARJSET.2025.125177