Skip to main content

FourKites Carrier App

How you can send data to Shippers using the FourKites Carrier App in Chain

Param avatar
Written by Param
Updated over a month ago

The FourKites Carrier app allows you to send your Chain tracking data (via mobile app, ELD, ELD links, etc...) directly to FourKites for customers that require it.

🔑 Key Things to Know

  • Your FourKites login is provided by your customer (usually a broker) who requests tracking data. This is how you obtain your FourKites API Key.

  • Confirm which customers require FourKites tracking, and note their customer name (or unique ID) in Chain.

  • In FourKites, you’ll need the Bill-to ID for each customer who requires tracking data.

  • Make sure your TMS includes the customer’s unique reference number in one of the shipment reference fields. Chain uses this to correctly match and send tracking data.


🔄 Obtain Required Data from FourKites

1. Log in to your FourKites account (provided by your customer)

2. Find the Bill-to IDs

  • Go to Menu → FourKites Connect

    four kites connect menu
  • Select the Customers tab

  • Choose the customer → the Bill-to Code will appear on the right

  • If there’s no code, create one and save it — you’ll enter this in Chain


2. Select **Customers** at the top tab menu 3. Select the customer for whom you want to obtain the bill-to code. The Bill-to codes will be displayed on the right side of the screen. If the customer does not have a bill-to code, create one and note it down. You will input this inside of Chain.

four kites bill to menu


3. Create a FourKites API Key

  • Go to Menu → Developer Portal

    four kites menu
  • Click API Management

    four kites api key management
  • You should have access to the Load Visibility and Carrier Visibility API bundles. If you do not see this, please email FourKites support.

    four kites api key creation
  • Create a new application (e.g., name it “Chain”), and link both bundles

    • Note: If your account already has two applications, use the key from an existing one, as FourKites will not allow you to create more than two.

  • Once the app is created, copy the API Key — this is what you’ll enter into Chain

⚙️ Enable the FourKites App in Chain

(Admin access required)

  1. In your Chain account, click your Avatar → Settings

  2. Select Apps

  3. Find FourKites Carrier → click Enable

  4. Enter your FourKites API Key

  5. Enter the Bill-to ID and the associated Chain customer name or ID

    • Use “Add more” to configure multiple customers

  6. Click Enable — Done.

You can update this list at any time.

📄 View Logs

To confirm data is flowing, go to:
Settings → Logs
Here you’ll see detailed logs of every tracking event Chain sends to FourKites.

🔍 View Loads in FourKites

In FourKites:

  • Click Menu → FourKites Visibility

  • Then click Loads at the top tab menu

📈 SuperTracked Load Requirements (US Truckload)

Some of your customers may require SuperTracked loads in FourKites. Chain supports this out-of-the-box — as long as your drivers are using the Chain mobile app or are tracked via ELD/GPS/Tracking Links, we automatically send eligible tracking data.

Here’s how FourKites determines whether a load is SuperTracked:


✅ What Makes a Load SuperTracked

1. Location Pings (ELD or Chain App Tracking)

  • FourKites divides the journey into three equal segments (from pickup to delivery).

  • A load is SuperTracked if there's at least one ping in each of the three segments.

If pings are only in 1 or 2 segments → Basic Tracked
If no pings at all → Not Tracked

2. Status Updates + Synthetic Pings

  • If location tracking is not available, FourKites uses status updates (like Arrived or Delivered) to create synthetic pings.

  • This only covers pickup and delivery → counts as Basic Tracked

To qualify as SuperTracked in this mode:

  • The carrier must send an X6 (In Transit) status update
    (this simulates a ping in the middle of the trip)


⚠️ Common Reasons a Load Isn’t SuperTracked

  • No pings in the middle third of the journey

  • Only synthetic pings used (status updates without location tracking)

  • Final ping was too far from the delivery geofence → causes inaccurate journey segmentation

  • Load was manually marked as delivered with no GPS pings


🛠 Best Practices for SuperTracking Compliance

  • Assign loads at least 2 hours before pickup so tracking can start cleanly

  • Chain geofences will update arrival/departure times, but make sure first and last stops have timestamps filled in

  • Enforce strict mobile app or ELD tracking for customers requiring SuperTracked loads

  • Make sure you have your customer's load reference numbers properly added to the field that is mapped to Chain, which is then sent to FourKites.

Did this answer your question?