MacroPoint Tracking Not Updating? Why It Stalls and What Brokers Do Next

“MacroPoint waiting for update” and “MacroPoint not working” are some of the most common things brokers type when a load goes quiet. This article is about getting that load back on the map today. If you are past fixing it and are weighing a different tool, our comparison of MacroPoint alternatives for small and mid-size brokerages covers that decision.

What does “waiting for update” mean on a MacroPoint load?

Whatever the exact wording on your screen, a stalled load has one meaning: MacroPoint has not received a new position for it. The tracking request exists, but nothing is flowing into it. Carriers describe the same moment from the other side. A carrier on Reddit put it this way after a deduction:

“Got deducted $200 because showing offline on brokers end, while I still have the app and it shows tracking.”

r/FreightBrokers comment, 28 September 2023.

That quote holds the key point. The driver’s phone and the broker’s screen can disagree, so “the driver says it is on” does not close the question. Something between the source and the load is broken, and the fix depends on which source the load is supposed to use.

Which tracking method is the load using?

Start here, because each method fails for different reasons. MacroPoint’s own FAQ lists three ways a carrier can connect, and says it charges carriers for none of them:

• Mobile app. The driver uses the free MacroPoint for Truckers app on their phone. MacroPoint also offers opt in by phone call or text message, according to its support page.
• ELD or GPS. MacroPoint calls out to the carrier’s ELD integration with the specific truck or trailer number on the request, and returns data only for that number.
• TMS. The carrier pushes location to MacroPoint by API or CSV, with a customer account code (MacroPoint calls it an MPID) and the customer’s load ID so each update lands on the right load.

MacroPoint does not accept EDI updates, according to the same FAQ. If a carrier tells you “we send it through EDI”, that alone can explain a load that never updates.

Look at the tracking request for the load and note which of the three it relies on. If you cannot tell, that is your first question for the carrier.

Why does app tracking stop updating?

App tracking depends on one phone, one person and one permission screen. Most stalls trace back to one of these.

• Location is set to “While Using”. MacroPoint’s FAQ explains the difference for iPhone users plainly. With “While Using”, it can only get a location while the driver is actively engaged with the app. “Always Allow” lets it get a location while the phone is closed during the drive, and it says it only gathers and posts location for the duration of the tracking session. Its app page tells drivers to select “Always Allow” to minimize interruptions in transit. A driver who picked the narrower option will show a position when they open the app and go quiet the rest of the time.
• The driver opted out. MacroPoint’s support page lists three ways out: calling its opt out line, replying “Stop” or “Hide” to the opt in text, or uninstalling the app. Any of them stops the updates, and the broker may not be told why.
• The app was installed for pickup and removed after. A broker on Reddit wrote back in 2022 that carriers install the app only to uninstall it right after pickup, and that drivers complain it is buggy and drains the battery.
• The request went to the wrong phone. If the number on the load is wrong, the opt in text goes to somebody else. In one Reddit thread, a person who is not a driver said they kept getting MacroPoint load messages until they replied “Stop”.
• Settings were changed and never changed back. One broker summed up the daily reality:

“I’ve always used MacroPoint and the amount of times you have to get drivers to fix their phone settings and they don’t follow through is crazy.”

r/FreightBrokers post, 28 August 2025.

The Google Play listing for MacroPoint for Truckers says the app shares location during active load assignments only. So it is also worth confirming the driver actually accepted this load, not just a previous one from your brokerage.

Why does ELD tracking stop updating?

ELD tracking takes the driver’s phone out of the picture, which is why MacroPoint’s FAQ calls it potentially more reliable than the app. It has its own weak point: the truck number. Because MacroPoint asks the ELD integration about a specific truck or trailer number, the load only updates if that number is right and stays right.

MacroPoint names the ways this goes wrong in its own announcement of ELD+, a product that combines ELD and app tracking on one session: “a truck number may be entered incorrectly, equipment may change after a load is assigned, an integration may stop reporting.” Each of those leaves the load with no new positions while the truck itself is rolling.

The practical checks:

• Is the truck number on the request the tractor that actually picked up? A swap at the yard is enough to break it.
• Did the carrier’s dispatcher send a trailer number when the request expected a truck, or the other way round?
• Is the carrier’s ELD integration with MacroPoint still active? Only the carrier or MacroPoint can confirm that.

Why does TMS tracking stop updating?

When the carrier pushes location from its own TMS, the load updates only as long as that push keeps running and keeps carrying the right load ID. MacroPoint describes the data, not the failure modes, so treat these as questions for the carrier rather than known causes:

• Is your system still sending updates for this load, and when did the last one go out?
• Does the load ID you are sending match the one on our request?
• Did anything change on your side recently, such as a new TMS, a new integration or new credentials?

What should a broker do when MacroPoint stops updating?

Work a fixed order. It keeps the response calm and stops a quiet load from turning into ten calls to a driver who is simply asleep.

1. Read the last position and its time. A gap during a planned stop or overnight may need nothing. Our playbook for when a driver goes dark covers how to read that silence.
2. Confirm the method. App, ELD or TMS, as above. Do not ask the driver to fix their phone if the load is on the ELD.
3. On the app: check the number and the acceptance. Confirm the phone number on the load, that the driver accepted this load, and that location is set to “Always Allow”. Ask whether they replied “Stop” or “Hide” to a text or removed the app.
4. On the ELD: check the truck number. Ask dispatch for the tractor number actually under the load and compare it with the request.
5. On a TMS push: ask the carrier whether its updates are still going out for this load ID.
6. Make one call, then go to dispatch. One call to the driver with a clear ask, then the carrier’s dispatcher, who can often reach the driver another way.
7. Ask for a second source. If the carrier has an ELD share link, a short term link for this load can cover the gap while the main method is fixed.
8. Raise it with MacroPoint. If the setup looks right and the load still does not update, MacroPoint’s support page directs customer and driver issues to a ticket with its service desk, with a phone line as an alternative.
9. Write it down. Note the last position, what you checked and when you will look again. It protects you in a detention or deduction dispute later.

A load that does update but places the truck somewhere it cannot be is a different problem. MacroPoint itself notes that location data may be manipulated or spoofed, and that kind of mismatch is a reason to verify the carrier before the load goes further.

How do the three methods compare when a load stalls?

Requirements and app behavior from MacroPoint’s FAQ, app and support pages and its ELD+ announcement. The TMS failure column is a list of questions, not documented MacroPoint behavior.

How do you stop it happening on the next load?

Most stalled loads are decided before pickup. A few habits move the fix to booking, when the driver still wants the load:

• Agree on the method in the rate confirmation. Say which method the load will use and what happens if tracking drops. Our guide to setting tracking expectations with carriers at booking has the wording.
• Show the driver the setting, do not just name it. One broker described a simple routine that works for them:

“I have a screen recording I share with carriers that shows them how to get their settings correct, I also will not send an RC until tracking is enabled. I have minimal issues.”

r/FreightBrokers comment, 14 February 2025.

• Collect the truck number at dispatch and recheck it on any swap. For ELD loads, a changed tractor is a changed request.
• Do not over-call a tracking driver. A widely upvoted Reddit comment called this the most common complaint from drivers: a broker who is the third tracking link of the day, calling six times about a load still eight hours from its appointment, plus tracking teams that phone at odd hours when the driver is most likely asleep. Calling a driver whose dot is moving gives them no reason to keep the app on. The hidden cost of check calls adds up on both sides.

When is it time to look at another tool?

If the same loads stall for the same reasons week after week, the problem may be fit rather than setup. Signs include carriers who resist the app no matter how you ask, long setup for a small book of freight, and pricing that does not match how many loads you move. That is a buying decision, and it has its own checklist in our roundup of load tracking software for freight brokers and our guide to load tracking for freight brokers.

Where does LBOARD fit?

LBOARD is load tracking built for independent brokers. You add a shipment and the driver’s phone number, with no TMS needed to start; the site lists optional API integrations with McLeod, Turvo, Tai, Rose Rocket and Ascend for later. The driver uses the LBOARD Carrier app, which is free for drivers on the App Store and Google Play.

It faces the same permission question every app does, and it answers it openly: LBOARD explains to drivers why “Always Allow” matters, and says location is collected only during hauls, within the time frame the broker defines. Arrivals and departures are recorded when the driver crosses a 500-meter geofence around the stop, drivers can photograph the POD or BOL in the app, and your shipper gets a shareable tracking link. The aim is that you call when a load needs you, not because you have no idea where it is.

The first 25 loads are free with all features and no contract.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my MacroPoint tracking not updating?

No new location is reaching the load. On the app, the usual causes are a location permission set to “While Using”, a driver who opted out or removed the app, or a wrong phone number. On an ELD, it is often a truck number that was entered wrong or changed after the load was assigned. On a carrier TMS feed, the carrier’s updates may have stopped.

Does the MacroPoint app need “Always Allow” location access?

MacroPoint tells drivers to choose “Always Allow” to minimize interruptions in transit. On an iPhone with “While Using”, its FAQ says it can only get a location while the driver is actively engaged with the app. MacroPoint also says it only gathers and posts location for the duration of the tracking session.

How does a driver stop MacroPoint tracking?

MacroPoint’s support page lists three ways: calling its opt out line, replying “Stop” or “Hide” to the opt in text, or uninstalling the app. If a load suddenly stops updating, it is worth asking the driver whether they did any of these.

Can MacroPoint track a load without the driver’s app?

Yes. MacroPoint can take location from the carrier’s ELD or GPS for a specific truck or trailer number, or from the carrier’s TMS by API or CSV. It does not accept EDI updates. ELD tracking depends on the truck number on the request being correct.

What should I do first when a MacroPoint load goes quiet?

Read the last position and its time, then confirm which method the load uses. Check the phone number, acceptance and permission for an app load, the truck number for an ELD load, or the carrier’s last push for a TMS feed. Make one call, then go to dispatch, and open a ticket with MacroPoint if the setup looks right.