Gate Log Software for C-TPAT: A Digital Truck Gate Log
A C-TPAT gate log records every driver and truck that comes through your gate: the date, the driver's name, a check of their photo ID, the carrier, the truck and trailer numbers, the seal number, and the time in and time out (CBP CTPAT criteria 10.2 and 10.3). Vantage keeps that log on an iPhone or in any web browser: every gate-in and gate-out gets a timestamp, the trailer or container number, the typed seal number, and a photo whenever the camera is used. The Free plan is $0 with no card. A gate log supports your CTPAT program; no software makes you CTPAT certified.
This page covers what CBP's criteria ask a gate log to hold, how Vantage records each field (and which ones it does not), how it compares with visitor-management tools that also sell into CTPAT, and what the free plan includes. Not ready to switch? The free gate log Excel template and the guide to logging check-ins make a paper log better today.
01What a C-TPAT gate log has to record
CBP's Minimum Security Criteria for highway carriers (March 2020) say visitors must show photo ID and "a log must be maintained that records the details of the visit" (criterion 10.2), and that drivers delivering or picking up cargo "must be positively identified before cargo is received or released" with government-issued photo ID (10.3). Before a pickup, the carrier should tell the facility the driver's name and truck number (10.7). At the trailer, the seal number should be verified against the shipping documents (the VVTT check in 5.24). Read the source: CTPAT Minimum Security Criteria, Highway Carriers (cbp.gov, PDF), pages 21, 40 and 41. Your own CTPAT category can add more.
| Field | Why (CBP criterion) | How Vantage records it |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time in | Visit log: date, time of arrival (10.2) | Set by the device at gate-in. Nobody types it. |
| Time out | Visit log: time of departure (10.2) | Set at gate-out on the same record, so dwell is calculated. |
| Driver name | Visit log: name (10.2); driver identified before cargo moves (10.3) | Optional driver step, off until you turn it on. The iPhone app can read the barcode on the back of the license, or the clerk types the name. Checking the photo ID itself is your clerk's step. |
| Carrier | Who sent the driver (10.7) | Recorded at gate-in. |
| Trailer or container number | Ties the visit to the equipment | iPhone app: read from a photo, the clerk confirms. Web app: typed. Container numbers also get the ISO 6346 check-digit test. |
| Truck number or plate | Carrier notice before pickup (10.7) | Typed. |
| Seal number | Verify the seal against the documents (5.24) | Typed by the clerk. Seals are not scanned. |
| Photo | Evidence if a visit is disputed | Saved with the record whenever the camera is used. |
How long to keep it: CTPAT requires the visitor log to be maintained but does not state a number of days for it. Other rules can bring a visit back months later. Our answer on how long a warehouse should keep gate logs lists them. Vantage keeps 30 days of history on Free, 180 days on Lite, 365 on Pro and 730 on Scale; if your period is longer than your plan's, keep your own copy.
02Gate log software for C-TPAT, compared
Two kinds of software sell into this question. Visitor-management tools start from the lobby and the guard shack. A yard system like Vantage starts from the truck and the trailer and follows them into the yard. Claims below are from each vendor's own page, opened October 20, 2026.
| Tool | What its own page says | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Sign In App | Digital access logs and audit trails "to support C-TPAT, AEO, and internal compliance"; driver, carrier and contractor check-in (signinapp.com) | Visitors, contractors and drivers at a site that wants one sign-in for everyone |
| FacilityOS (VisitorOS) | Driver QR sign-in from the cab, capturing the license and truck, trailer and PO numbers (facilityos.com) | Touchless driver and visitor sign-in with badges |
| GatesFlow | Visitor kiosk at "$150 per month", tablet and badge printer included, per company (gatesflow.com) | A front-desk kiosk with a published price |
| Veroot | CTPAT certification consulting plus templates, including driver/visitor log forms and seal logs (veroot.com) | Getting the CTPAT program and paperwork in place |
| Vantage | Gate-in and gate-out on an iPhone or in a browser, then the live yard map, door board and Yard Check; C-TPAT 7-point inspection on Pro (pricing) | Truck and trailer gates where the same record follows the trailer through the yard |
If what you need is printed visitor badges, host alerts and evacuation lists for people in the building, a visitor-management tool is the better fit. If the problem is trucks, trailers and seals, and knowing where the trailer is after the gate, that is what Vantage is for. Some sites run both.
03Why the paper gate log fails
A paper log is written by hand at the gate and usually typed into a spreadsheet later. Every hand copy 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.
The timestamps matter as much as the numbers. Time a driver spends waiting at a facility counts as on-duty time (49 CFR 395.2), which is why carriers bill detention. 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. In Vantage the free-time clock starts at the actual gate-in, and a completed visit can be printed as a detention record PDF. See how to reduce detention charges at the dock.
| Paper log | Spreadsheet | Gate log app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captured at the truck | Yes, by hand | Usually typed later | Yes |
| Timestamps | Handwritten | Typed | Set by the device |
| Photo kept with record | No | No | Yes, when the camera is used |
| Dwell calculated | No | With formulas | Yes |
| Found in an audit | Search binders by hand | Search a file | Search by number or date |
| Cost | Paper | Free (template) | Free plan to paid |
04How Vantage does it, and what it costs
The clerk opens the iPhone app, takes a photo of the trailer, and the number is read on the phone. The clerk confirms it, adds the carrier, seal and (if you turned it on) the driver, and the check-in is saved with the time and the photo. In the web app the same check-in is typed. At gate-out, the same record gets a time out. There is nothing to install at the gate. There is also an Android app on Google Play (an update fixing Google sign-in is on its way); photo number reading is on iPhone. The same iPhone runs Yard Check, the walk that confirms which trailer sits in which spot.
| Plan | What you get |
|---|---|
| Free · $0 | Gate in and out on an iPhone or in a browser, trailer number read from a photo on the device in the iPhone app (typed in a browser), a timestamp on every record and a photo whenever the camera is used, the live yard map and door board, the carrier portal, an offline queue in the iPhone app (up to 500 records, 14 days), 30-day history. Up to 3 users, 1 yard, 100 gate transactions a month (a soft cap that never blocks the gate). No card, never expires. |
| Lite · $149/mo | Adds cloud AI reading in the iPhone app as a backup to the on-device read (up to 1,000 a month), 2 yards, 2,000 gate transactions a month and 180-day history. Up to 5 users. |
| Pro · $349/mo | Adds the C-TPAT 7-point inspection and audit pack, yard moves and task queues, and the API. Up to 12 users, 365-day history. |
Prices are per month, billed annually, from the pricing page. Start free with no card: every Pro feature for 14 days, then the Free plan, which never expires. Choosing a paid plan up front? Card at checkout, $0 today, first charge on day 15 unless you cancel.
Start a free gate log.
Free for up to 3 users, 1 yard, and 100 gate transactions 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 the best gate log software for C-TPAT?
It depends on who comes through the gate. For office visitors and contractors, visitor-management tools such as Sign In App, FacilityOS or GatesFlow log names, IDs and badges. For trucks and trailers, pick a gate log that records the driver, carrier, trailer number, seal number and time in and out on one record, and then follows the trailer into the yard. Vantage does that on an iPhone or in any web browser, with a Free plan at $0 and no card.
What does a C-TPAT gate log have to record?
CBP's CTPAT criteria for highway carriers ask for a log with the date, the visitor's name, a check of their photo ID, the time of arrival, a company point of contact and the time of departure (criterion 10.2), and say drivers must be positively identified with government-issued photo ID before cargo is received or released (10.3). For trucks, also record the carrier, truck and trailer numbers and the seal number, which is verified against the shipping documents (5.24).
Is there a free gate log app?
Yes. Vantage has a Free plan with no card: gate in and out on an iPhone or in a browser, the trailer number read from a photo on the device in the iPhone app (typed in a browser), a timestamp on every record and a photo whenever the camera is used, and 30 days of history, for up to 3 users, 1 yard and 100 gate transactions a month. If you would rather stay on a spreadsheet, there is also a free gate log Excel template.
How long should we keep gate logs for C-TPAT?
CTPAT's highway carrier criteria require a visitor log to be maintained (criterion 10.2) but do not state a number of days for it. Other rules, such as cargo claim deadlines and customs record periods, can bring a visit back months or years later. Vantage keeps 30 days of history on Free, 180 days on Lite, 365 on Pro and 730 on Scale; if your period is longer, keep your own copy.
Does a gate log app need cameras or hardware at the gate?
No. Some systems use fixed cameras, license plate readers or kiosks. A phone-based gate log uses the camera on the iPhone the clerk already carries, so there is nothing to install. In the web app the numbers are typed. Seals are typed in both.
Does gate log software make us C-TPAT compliant?
No. CTPAT membership and validation are between your company and CBP. Software keeps the records your procedures call for, such as the visitor and driver log and the 7-point inspection, so they are complete and easy to find in an audit. Vantage is not a CBP-certified or CTPAT-member entity.
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.