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Telematics – an intelligent future, like it or not
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April/May 2008
Always in view
 You can track containers or trailers almost anywhere in the world now, says Marcia MacLeod in the second of our three-part series on tracking. The main questions, she adds, are how much you need to know and what you're prepared to pay Freight theft is one of the fastest-growing criminal activities in the world - and as cargo volumes continue to explode, logistics companies, prompted in part by shipper demand for greater security, are increasingly looking for ways to track containers and trailers throughout Europe and beyond. Tracking devices on trailers or containers will not prevent theft; many freight crimes are perpetrated by organised and highly ingenious gangs that seem to stay one step ahead of their targets, and the police forces. However, the ability to track units does provide a greater degree of security than not tracking at all. Opportunist thieves are more likely to be deterred by tracking devices; and at the very least, tracking devices, combined with mapping software, enable users to identify where and when a theft took place. 
Some tracking systems specialists such as B-Track are even putting tracking devices inside containers or totes inside trailers to avoid detection by the criminals, who now look for and remove tracking devices in more obvious positions. Trackers connected to sensors, which are often used operationally to monitor temperature, humidity and so on, can also identify if and when a door has been opened, which may indicate the planting of terrorist devices inside the unit. For this reason, government legislation, especially in the US, could well require containers to be fitted with tracking devices in the near future. 'I expect the US government to encourage, if not insist on, tracking devices at some point,' says Bert Moore, head of AIM Global, the trade association for providers of automatic identification products and services. 'It could be that containers sent by known shippers carrying an 'e-seal' will be fast-tracked through customs, saving a day or two on transit.' Whether companies are forced to track or not, keeping an eye on containers or trailers improves supply chain visibility, the holy grail for shippers - assuming of course that the right software is in place to link cargo to the trailer or container. In addition, tracking the unit helps to control assets; and where trailers are concerned, it also improves fleet management. In fact, some believe fleet management is the prime reason for trailer tracking. 'By tracking trailers, companies can increase asset utilisation by 7 per cent or more,' says Tim Steer, managing director of Axscend. 'It also lets companies reduce their fleet size or the number of days for which short-term hire vehicles are required. Security is an added benefit - but it does not, by itself, justify the use of a tracking system.' Tracking has developed significantly over the past few years, in terms of both product design and number of entrants into the market, thanks to an equally significant development in tracking technology. Tracking systems are based on GPS, GPRS, GSM, satellite or RFID. Although the latter two are primarily used for containers rather than trailers, TMS2 has developed an RFID reader to enable users to associate a trailer with a tractor. Radio frequency can be used without the RFID tags, too: Astrata has an RF-based system to allow units to talk to each other to improve the pinpointing of containers in a yard. All the technologies have their advantages and disadvantages. RFID tags are easy to fit, but installing the necessary infrastructure to read them can be both difficult and expensive. Savi Technology has pioneered the use of RFID tags on containers, installing readers in 25 maritime terminals around the world. The latest addition to the list are Westport, Malaysia, Shenzhen, China, MTL in Hong Kong and Transpac in Los Angeles. Savi can manage the tags through its SaviTrack system, monitoring the container's location and sending alerts to the customer as required; or customers - who tend to be shippers rather than shipping lines or third-party logistics companies - can control their assets themselves. A high-resolution visual identification of container location, based on Google Earth mapping software, will be available this year. RFID can be ideal for high-volume repetitive, single trade-lane tracking, but where more trade lanes are involved, Steve Sewell, senior vice-president at Savi, admits that where traffic volumes vary, other technology may be more suitable. 'We are device-agnostic,' he emphasises. 'We use GPS, GPRS and satellite, as well as RFID.' For containers, satellite tracking is often the best choice because, assuming there is a direct line of sight to the satellite, the containers can be tracked at sea. However, as Keith Dobson, chief executive of Oxloc, points out, 'containers are not vulnerable at sea, so in practice few companies are prepared to spend the extra money for a satellite tracking system.' Satellite is not usually good enough to pinpoint a container's location in the middle of a freight yard, either. Satellite cannot be used for airfreight containers - but then, at the moment, neither can active RFID tags, the preferred choice for locating containers, as no one knows if they will interfere with an aircraft's control system. Although Scot Mcrae, commercial manager of Traceall, claims users can 'geofence' a container to put a device to sleep when it's on board an aircraft, the US Federal Aviation Administration is recommending that tags are not used on board commercial flights. And which company wants to be the first to see if an aeroplane is brought down by its container tracking system? The lack of standards plants yet another obstacle in the path of RFID. Although a lot of work has been done on product codes and other data standards, a full set of global standards isn't here yet. 'If standards aren't established quickly,' says AIM's Bert Moore, 'using RFID will become a nightmare. There is a push for an open standard that is not dependent on Savi's technology, but Savi's protocol has already become the ISO standard. There is so much intellectual property involved in RFID that it is becoming difficult to develop open standards.' In any case, the development of hybrid devices is eliminating the need to make a technology choice. 'The RFID vs satellite argument is going away,' Moore maintains, 'as companies are starting to put both technologies in one device. And sometimes they include GPS, too, which can be used in conjunction with satellite.' Moore thinks the lack of open standards will encourage greater use of GPS. GSM, GPS and GPRS are the easiest and cheapest technologies available, but they, too, are not trouble-free, as anyone who has tried unsuccessfully to obtain a mobile phone signal will attest. As already indicated, many suppliers are now combining several technologies in one device. Wavetrend, for example, has a new device using GSM, GPRS, satellite and RFID. It chooses the cheapest system first, but if that is not available, it moves on to the next most cost-effective technology. 'GPRS is cheaper than GSM, for instance,' says Saleem Miyan, the chief executive. 'But if GPRS isn't available, GSM may be. If neither a GPRS or GSM network can be found, it can go to satellite - or, if available, be read by an RFID scanner.' Global Tracking Technology offers a GSM/satellite device, while TMS2 has launched a GPS/satellite product. Astrata has a GPRS/GSM device, but its latest version, the GLP100, out this summer, adds the ability to identify if the trailer is moving. Whichever technology is used, though, the biggest challenge is power. 'Which power source to use is the biggest issue,' says Stuart Budd, MD of AMS, which offers a satellite-based trailer stock control system and a live GPRS trailer tracking product. 'For trailer tracking, you can take the power off the braking system or through the susie cable (which connects tractor to trailer), but the trailer and tractor have to stay connected. Or you can use a roof-based solar panel, which increases the cost and is susceptible to damage from overhanging trees. 'We've launched an all-in-a-box trailer tracking device connected to the vehicle lights - but the side lights must be on for eight hours every two or three months. Beta testing of the system has been completed at Norfolk Line and it goes live at Norfolk Line's Belfast depot this spring.' 'You need to have an alternative power source,' agrees Peter Millichap, marketing manager at Navman Wireless. 'Solar panels need sunshine and take a long time to start working; if you don't use a vehicle for a couple of days, the battery goes flat. Using the susie cable provides a back-up.' One way to prolong the life is to reduce the frequency of positioning. CMS Supatrak's latest solution for containers, the Supatrak Solo, tracks in real time for 10 to 20 days, but MD Jason Airey admits the company 'hasn't seen a lot of deployment yet'. Its TrailerTrak, also out last year, will transmit according to pre-set parameters - say every minute if it is moving, once a day if it is not. Users have to be careful, though, not to negate the benefits of having a tracking device in the first place. What's the point of positioning three or four times a day if your vehicle is stolen between transmissions, along with its high-value load? Accompanying software is important, too. 'How the information obtained from the tracker is presented can determine its value,' suggests John Wisdom, group sales and marketing director at Cybit. 'Do they want it on a map or in a management report? Increasingly, too, companies are wanting to pull the data into other applications such as transport management systems.' The choice of device, technology and system is often governed by cost. The more sophisticated the solution is, the more expensive it is. Hardware, solar panels, RFID tags and so on have dropped in price by up to 25 per cent in the past two years, but a rugged RFID tag can still cost between $1 and $2 for a passive tag, upward of $50 for an active one, and while Secureseal can equip a trailer for less than $200, Wavetrend admits its hybrid device runs more like £1,000-plus. European GPRS roaming has come down in cost, too, with a number of providers offering a fixed-rate charge. But users have to shop around carefully in order to avoid being billed huge amounts of variable rates for entering another network for as little as 30 minutes. Even with the falling prices, finding value isn't always easy. 'The big question,' says Moore, 'is how you get return on investment.' But value of the device has to be aligned with value of the asset, its cargo, and the 3PL's (or cargo owner's) reputation. If a trailer or container is stolen, how much is it worth empty, let alone filled with, say, consumer electronics? If it is infiltrated by terrorists, what damage will a catastrophic explosion cause to the owner's business? If cargo is lost, particularly if that cargo has a short shelf-life (the season's latest fashion item, for instance), what affect does that have on your customers? Can you, in fact, afford not to have a tracking system? BOX: Eurowatch Eurowatch Central provides a European trailer tracking service which can monitor road vehicles and help track them in case of theft. 'Foreign drivers whose trailers are stolen don't know who to phone and don't always speak the language,' explains Mark Schwarz, commercial director. 'We have security company partners in every country. If a driver has a problem, he contacts his base, and then they call us, speaking in their local language. Eurowatch staff speak to the partner in the relevant country in English, but they then call their local police. All this takes just a few minutes. 'A Web site sitting in the middle of the system records all activities, so everyone involved can see what's going on.' Eurowatch currently monitors approximately 25,000 vehicles from Russia to Portugal, Turkey to Ireland. It does not yet operate in Belarus, Serbia or Bosnia, but opens offices in Croatia and Ukraine in May. It can provide the GE Veriwise system, or can rely on the customer's own tracking system - even if information is provided verbally. However, the quicker the details of the incident are relayed, the more likely Eurowatch is to recover the trailer and its load. 'We want to be told within fifteen to twenty minutes of an incident. If we aren't told for twelve hours, or even an hour, it may be too late. For this reason, a security-focused tracking system is better than one intended for fleet management.'
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