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Trips & operations · Free Excel template

Port Truck Trip and Turnaround Log

An Excel log for hauliers serving container ports: one row per port visit with the appointment slot and the arrival, gate-in and gate-out times. It works out the wait before the gate, the turnaround inside the terminal, the time at the port, whether the slot was kept and the cost of time over your target, with a summary by month, port, truck and driver.

Get the log (.xlsx) Arabic version
Free: enter your name, email and job title and we email you the file. It works in Excel 2019 or later, Microsoft 365, Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc, with no macros.
  • 2,000 visit rows, no macros
  • Slot status: on time, early, late, missed
  • Summary by port, truck and driver
safee-port-truck-trip-log-en.xlsx
TruckPortWait (min)Turnaround (min)At port (min)Slot
TRK-104Jeddah Islamic Port405090On time
TRK-117Jeddah Islamic Port354580Early
TRK-121King Abdulaziz Port253560On time
TRK-121King Abdulaziz PortMissed
TRK-104Jeddah Islamic Port7065135On time
Example rows. The missed slot turns red; visits over the 75-minute example target are marked.
What's in the file

Every port visit, its slot and its times, in one log

Planners enter the booked slot; the times come from tracking or gate receipts after the trip. The log does the arithmetic and the summary shows where the hours go.

  1. 01

    Trip log

    Date, truck, driver, port, move type, container, appointment number, slot start and end, arrival at the port area, gate-in and gate-out, with the wait, turnaround, time at the port, slot status, minutes and cost over target, and flags.

  2. 02

    Summary by month

    Visits, average wait, turnaround and time at the port, on-time share, missed slots, visits over the target and the cost of time, for 12 months.

  3. 03

    Summary by port, truck and driver

    The same figures for each port or terminal, each truck and each driver you list.

  4. 04

    Settings and sources

    Truck-hour cost, target time, slot tolerance, the lists of ports and move types, and the sources with the date checked.

What is a port truck trip log?

A port truck trip log is a haulier's record of every visit its trucks make to a port: which truck and driver, which terminal, which container, the appointment slot, and the times the truck reached the port area, passed the gate in and passed the gate out. From those times the log works out the wait before the gate, the turnaround inside the terminal, the total time at the port, whether the slot was kept, and what the time over your target costs.

It is built for transport companies serving Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, Jebel Ali, Khalifa Port, Sohar, Hamad Port or any other container terminal, and for the planners who book slots and answer customers about late containers.

Why log every port visit?

  • Appointments are the rule: as Al Watan reported in October 2021, trucks entering Jeddah Islamic Port need a slot booked on the Fasah platform from 1 November 2021, and Sohar's container terminal has run a truck appointment system since January 2016. A log shows which slots you keep and which you miss.
  • Time at the port is paid time: every hour in the queue costs the driver and the truck. The log puts a cost on the time over your target, truck by truck.
  • Facts for the terminal and the customer: measured times by terminal and hour back a request for a better slot or a waiting charge, and answer the question "where is my container?"

How to use the log

  1. Settings: enter your truck-hour cost, your target time at the port and the slot tolerance, and edit the list of ports and terminals.
  2. Before the trip: enter the truck, driver, port, move type, container, appointment number and slot.
  3. After the trip: copy the arrival at the port area and the gate-in and gate-out times from the geofence report of your tracking system, or from the gate receipts.
  4. Review: red rows are missed slots, dark yellow cells are visits over the target, and the Summary sheet compares months, ports, trucks and drivers.

How does the log calculate?

Wait before the gate = gate-in − arrival at the port area Turnaround (terminal) = gate-out − gate-in (TIC 4.0 definition) Time at the port = gate-out − arrival (gate-in if no arrival time) Slot status = Early if arrival is before slot start − tolerance = Late if arrival is after slot end + tolerance = Missed if the slot has passed and the truck never arrived = On time otherwise Minutes over target = time at the port − target, at least 0 Cost of time over target = minutes over target ÷ 60 × truck-hour cost

The on-time share in the summary counts visits that had a slot and are not still planned.

Worked example: two days at two ports

  • Eight visits on 18 and 19 October. TRK-104 reaches Jeddah Islamic Port 10 minutes into its 08:00–10:00 slot, waits 40 minutes for the gate and spends 50 inside: 90 minutes at the port, 15 over the 75-minute example target, costing $6.75 at $27 an hour.
  • TRK-117 arrives 50 minutes before its slot opens: Early. TRK-121 never reaches King Abdulaziz Port for its 10:00 slot on 19 October: Missed, and the row turns red.
  • For the month the summary shows 8 visits, an average of 93 minutes at the port, 75% of visits on time, one missed slot and $65.25 of time over the target.

Common mistakes in port trip records

  • Typing times from memory. Take them from tracking or gate receipts, or the averages are guesses.
  • Only logging problem trips. Without the normal visits you cannot show what normal looks like.
  • Mixing the gate queue with the terminal. They have different causes: your departure plan and the terminal's equipment.
  • Not recording missed slots. They cost a trip or a long wait and are the first thing a terminal will ask about.

What the template does not cover

The log calculates from the times you enter; it does not book appointments or connect to Fasah, Dubai Trade, Maqta Gateway or any port system, and it does not know each port's rules or fees. The cost, target and tolerance are examples: enter your own and check each port's current appointment rules. Example rows are for illustration only.

Sources

  • TIC 4.0, Truck Turnaround Time KPI definition, page updated 4 June 2024. Source: TIC 4.0.
  • Al Watan, 29 October 2021: Fasah truck appointments mandatory at Jeddah Islamic Port from 1 November 2021. Source: Al Watan.
  • Middle East Construction News, 25 January 2016: truck appointment system launched at Sohar's container terminal. Source: ME Construction News.
  • India Sea Trade News, 12 April 2026: Mawani's 1 million m² truck staging area at Jeddah Islamic Port, for about 2,700 trucks at a time. Source: India Sea Trade News. Last reviewed 21 October 2026.
Related Safee solution

Get the arrival, gate-in and gate-out times from tracking

Draw a geofence around the port area or staging area and one around the terminal gate, and Safee's Vehicle Geofence Movement Details report lists each truck's entry and exit times, ready to export to Excel. The Idle Time alarm fires when a truck idles in a queue longer than the time you set.

  • Vehicle Geofence Movement Details report with entry and exit at each geofence, grouped by truck or driver, exported or scheduled.
  • Geofence-based Voyage report trips from your yard with the time the truck enters each destination geofence.
  • Idle Time alarm when a truck stands with the engine running longer than you set.
  • Driver ID with an iButton or RFID reader, so each visit is linked to the driver who drove.
FAQ

Questions about logging port truck trips

Want gate times for every truck without typing them? Talk to Safee.

What times should a haulier record at the port?

At least the arrival at the port area, gate-in and gate-out, plus the booked slot. The wait before the gate, the turnaround and the total time at the port follow from them.

What is the difference between turnaround and time at the port?

Turnaround, as TIC 4.0 defines it, runs from the end of gate-in to the end of gate-out. Time at the port adds the queue before the gate, which the haulier also pays for.

How does the log decide a slot was missed?

When a visit has a slot, the truck has no arrival or gate-in time, and the slot end plus your tolerance has passed. Until then the visit shows as Planned.

Can I get the times from GPS tracking?

Yes. Geofences around the port area and the terminal gate give entry and exit times for each truck; copy them into the log or export them from the report.

Does the log book appointments on Fasah or Dubai Trade?

No. Book slots on your port's platform as usual and enter the slot in the log. The log does not connect to any port system.

Does it work in Google Sheets?

Yes. Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. In Excel it needs Excel 2019 or later, or Microsoft 365. It also works in LibreOffice Calc.

Next step

See every truck's time at the port without typing it

Tell us how many trucks you send to which ports, and we will show you how Safee records each truck's entry and exit at the port area and the terminal gate.

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