Intermodal Rail: Container OCR API

The Friction at the Rail-Road Handover

Intermodal terminals are fast-paced hubs where supply chain velocity is critical. Moving containers from trains to trucks involves high-speed gantry cranes and reach stackers. When terminal operators rely on manual spotters to read container numbers, it creates dangerous bottlenecks and delays train departures. Furthermore, extreme outdoor lighting, motion blur from passing railcars, and complex double-stacked configurations cause standard OCR systems to fail entirely. To see how our engine cuts through these extreme dynamic challenges, you can upload a test image to explore our core Container OCR capabilities completely free.

A High-Speed API for Rail Operations

Delivered strictly as a lightweight REST API to ensure seamless integration into any Intermodal Terminal Operating System (ITOS) without the bloat of heavy SDK dependencies, this endpoint is powered by our Logistics Container OCR engine. It provides instant, automated verification across the rail yard. The engine applies strict ISO 6346 validation on the fly, instantly calculating check digits to guarantee that only perfectly accurate Container Codes update your digital train manifests and truck dispatch logs.

Intermodal Terminal Scenarios

Integration & AI Prompts

Call the endpoint directly via HTTP from your intermodal management software or trackside edge devices. To maintain strict operational security, the API flexibly accepts direct multipart file uploads or Base64-encoded strings, avoiding the need to expose local rail cameras to public URLs.

import requests
import base64

# Prepare Base64 Image from an intermodal trackside camera
with open("intermodal_transfer_cam.jpg", "rb") as image_file:
    base64_image = base64.b64encode(image_file.read()).decode('utf-8')

url = "https://api.structocr.com/v1/container"
headers = {
    "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}
payload = {
    "img": base64_image
}

try:
    print("Scanning Intermodal Capture...")
    response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload)
    result = response.json()

    if result.get('success'):
        data = result['data']
        print("✅ Container Code Extracted!")
        print(f"Full Number:  {data.get('container_number')}")
        print(f"Valid ISO:    {data.get('is_valid')}")
        print(f"Confidence:   {data.get('confidence')}")
    else:
        print(f"❌ Extraction Failed: {result.get('error')} - {result.get('message')}")

except Exception as e:
    print(f"An error occurred: {e}")

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "container_number": "ZCSU8921655",
    "is_valid": true,
    "confidence": "High",
    "parsed": {
      "owner_code": "ZCS",
      "category": "U",
      "serial_number": "892165",
      "check_digit": "5"
    }
  }
}