Digital Gate Log App: Replace the Paper Gate Log
A digital gate log app records each truck's check-in and check-out on a phone at the gate. One record holds the trailer or container number read from a photo, the carrier, seal, driver, and the time in and time out. It replaces the clipboard and the spreadsheet typed up later, so the log is complete when the truck leaves, not at the end of the shift.
This page covers why the paper log fails, what a gate log app has to do to be worth switching to, and how Vantage does it, including what the free plan does and doesn't include. If you're not ready to switch, the free gate log Excel template and the guide to logging check-ins will make your paper log better today.
01Why the paper gate log fails
A paper log is written by hand in the moment and usually typed into a spreadsheet later. Every step that copies a number by hand adds errors. In one measured study, 3.7 percent of 6,930 hand-transcribed entries didn't match their source (JAMIA, 2019). That study was in clinical testing, not a yard, but trailer numbers are copied the same way. One wrong character means a trailer that exists in the log and not in the yard.
The timestamps matter as much as the numbers. Under federal hours-of-service rules, time a driver spends waiting at a facility, or attending a truck being loaded or unloaded, counts as on-duty time (49 CFR 395.2). That is why carriers bill detention and keep their own records. The U.S. DOT Inspector General found no reliable industry-wide detention data (DOT OIG ST2018019), so your gate log is often the only record on your side.
02What a gate log app has to do
Use this checklist to judge any gate log app, including ours:
- Runs on a phone at the gate. If check-in happens at a desk, the log is still typed up later, so you haven't removed the copying step.
- Reads the trailer or container number from a photo. Container numbers end in a check digit designed to catch data-entry and OCR errors (BIC). A good app uses it to reject numbers that can't be right.
- Keeps the photo with the record. A picture of the unit and seal settles most "was it there?" arguments. A photo in someone's camera roll doesn't.
- Sets the time automatically. The device records the time in and time out. Nobody types them in.
- Closes the same record at gate out. Time in and time out on one record is how dwell gets measured.
- Handles weak signal. Gates are often at the edge of coverage. Ask what happens to a check-in when the connection drops.
- Needs no install. Fixed cameras, kiosks and plate readers have their place, but a gate log doesn't require them.
- Has a published price. You should know what it costs before you talk to anyone.
03Paper, spreadsheet, or app
| Paper log | Spreadsheet | Gate log app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captured at the truck | Yes, by hand | Usually typed later | Yes, by photo |
| Timestamps | Handwritten | Typed | Set by the device |
| Photo kept with record | No | No | Yes |
| Dwell calculated | No | With formulas | Yes |
| Cost | Paper | Free (template) | Free plan to paid |
A spreadsheet is a fine step up from paper. The spreadsheet page covers where it holds up and where it breaks.
04How Vantage does it
The guard opens the app, takes a photo of the trailer, and the number is read on the phone. The guard confirms the carrier, seal and driver, and the check-in is saved with the time and the photo. At gate out, the same record gets a time out. There's nothing to install at the gate.
| Plan | What you get |
|---|---|
| Free · $0 | Gate in and out from a phone, trailer number read from a photo on the device, a photo kept with every record, 30-day history. 1 user, 1 yard, 100 gate events a month. No card, no trial clock. |
| Lite · $149/mo | Adds trailer and container scanning with 5-stage validation, a live yard map with slots, a carrier portal, and a 14-day offline queue. Up to 3 users. |
| Pro · $349/mo | Adds the C-TPAT 7-point inspection workflow, dashboards and reporting. Up to 12 users. |
These prices are from the pricing page. The free plan is a real gate log. If your gate handles more than 100 events a month, or you need the yard map or offline queue, that's a paid plan, and we would rather tell you now.
Start a free gate log.
Free forever for 1 user, 1 yard, and 100 gate events a month. No card, and nothing to install at the gate.
Start free → Prefer paper for now? The Excel template is free too.FAQ
What is a digital gate log?
A digital gate log is a record of every truck that enters and leaves a facility, kept in an app instead of on paper. Each record has the trailer or container number, carrier, seal, driver, a photo, and the time in and time out, captured at the gate when the truck is there.
Is there a free gate log app?
Yes. Vantage has a free plan with no card required: gate in and out from a phone, the trailer number read from a photo on the device, a photo kept with each record, and 30 days of history, for 1 user, 1 yard and 100 gate events a month. If you would rather stay on a spreadsheet, there is also a free gate log Excel template.
Does a gate log app need cameras or hardware at the gate?
Not necessarily. Some systems use fixed cameras, license plate readers, or kiosks. A phone-based gate log uses the camera on the phone the guard already carries, so there is nothing to install.
What is the difference between a gate log app and a yard management system?
A gate log records who came in and out, and when. A yard management system adds what happens between those two moments: where each trailer is parked, which door it is at, and how long it has been there. Many small yards start with the gate log and add the rest later.