Nov/Dec 2003

Secureseal, a company with a well-established range of digital door seals for vehicles and trailers, is expanding into the trailer tracking market.

The company has developed a system called Secureseal.data, in which its Mechantronic door seal "announces" its presence via a low-frequency 433MHz radio link whenever vehicles arrive at or leave a depot. The signal is picked up by a base station receiver which can pass it on over the Internet to any user in the company network. Range is put at up to 50 metres.

The software can recognise whether the vehicle is arriving or leaving, and compiles a steadily increasing database of vehicle movements throughout the organisation. It is seen as particularly useful for tracking hired trailers, which are unlikely to have tracking equipment fitted.

Managing director Ben Grant makes a virtue of the fact that the system "is not rocket science", but admits the company does in fact see a role for it in more elaborate GPS-based vehicle tracking and fleet management. The unit can be linked to other on-board equipment via a standard RS232 port.

 

Secureseal differs from rivals such as Encrypta which use electronic door seals. Its Mechantronic units are mechanical, but incorporate a clever random-number generator to produce unique codes each time the truck doors are sealed. However, the new system brings the company squarely into the electronic arena.