How to Pre-Advise Containers in Navis N4: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

What is Container Pre-Advising?

Container pre-advising is the mandatory process of registering a container with a terminal's operating system before the container physically arrives at the terminal gate. In South Africa, all Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) require pre-advising through Navis N4, the Terminal Operating System used at CTCT, DCT, CTMPT, Ngqura, and Port Elizabeth.

Without a valid pre-advise record, your container will be rejected at the gate — no exceptions. The Navis N4 acheck validation runs automatically when a truck arrives, and any missing or incorrect data results in a turned-away truck and a wasted trip.

Step 1: Log in to the Navis N4 Portal

Access the Navis N4 web portal for your target terminal. Each Transnet Port Terminal has its own N4 instance. You'll need your N4 credentials (username and password) provided by the terminal or your company's operations manager.

The login screen requires your username and password. Sessions time out after a period of inactivity, so you may need to log in multiple times during a long pre-advise session.

Step 2: Navigate to the Pre-Advise Screen

Once logged in, navigate to the pre-advise or truck transaction section of Navis N4. The exact menu path may vary slightly between terminal instances, but the pre-advise form is generally found under the gate or truck operations menu.

Step 3: Enter the Required Pre-Advise Fields

Each container pre-advise requires the following fields:

Step 4: Set Carrier Mode to Truck

This deserves its own section because it's the single most common source of pre-advise rejections. The Carrier Mode field in Navis N4 must be set to Truck for all road transport operations. If left blank or set to another mode, the container will fail acheck at the gate.

Under time pressure — especially when pre-advising 50, 100, or 200 containers in a row — it's easy to forget this field. Booking Buddy always sets Carrier Mode to Truck automatically, eliminating this risk entirely.

Step 5: Submit and Repeat

After filling in all fields, submit the pre-advise. Navis N4 will validate the record and either accept it or return an error. If accepted, the container is now pre-advised and can proceed to gate-in during its booking window.

Then repeat the process for every remaining container. For a typical run of 200 containers at 10-20 minutes each, this means 4-8 hours of manual data entry — an entire working shift spent on repetitive data input that adds no value to the supply chain.

Common Pre-Advise Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting Carrier Mode — must always be Truck for road transport
• Transposed container numbers — a single wrong digit causes gate rejection
• Wrong vessel/voyage — must match the terminal's exact schedule
• Gate-in date outside booking window — the date must fall within the allocated slot
• Not checking stack status — even valid pre-advises can be rejected if stacks are full

The Faster Way: Automate with Booking Buddy

Instead of entering each container manually, Booking Buddy automates the entire Navis N4 pre-advise workflow. Upload your container list via CSV, and Booking Buddy handles login, data entry, Carrier Mode setting, validation, and submission for every container — at CTCT, DCT, CTMPT, and all Transnet terminals.