DOD Extends Deadline for Carriers to Install Trailer-Tracking Technology

This story appears in the Aug. 31 print edition of Transport Topics.

The Department of Defense has extended its deadline for carriers to install new trailer-tracking hardware and software when hauling the military’s high-security and sensitive commodities, including arms, ammunition and explosives.

The new policy was to have gone into effect on Oct. 1 but was delayed until Feb. 15 after American Trucking Associations requested an extension, maintaining that the costly system was not ready for deployment, said Bill Wanamaker, ATA’s director of government traffic and security operations.

“It’s great news,” Wanamaker said. “Motor carriers are now in a much better position to make prudent business decisions.”

Wanamaker said DOD has given trailer-tracking vendors until Nov. 15 to get their technologies approved for use by DOD.

Carriers then must install and test the new hardware and software and train their employees by Feb. 15.

“It was delayed because we were trying to get all the players involved ready to implement it,” said Scott Ross, a spokesman for the U.S. Army’s Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. “We’re hoping to send out more information in a week or two about how the plan will be implemented.”

To date, at least two vendors have said they will offer the real-time tracking technology. Skybitz, Sterling, Va., said its tracking system will be ready by Sept. 30, and Qualcomm, San Diego, Calif., expects to offer its system by Oct. 15. Other vendors are expected to follow suit.

“We’re happy to support the Department of Defense,” said Marc Boyle, chairman of ATA’s government traffic policy committee and president of Boyle Transportation, Billerica, Mass. “This is a new requirement that they have and something that we’ll have to figure out how to get it working for them.”

Boyle Transportation is one of about a dozen carriers that transport sensitive military commodities, and the carrier would be affected by the new requirements, Boyle said.

Skybitz said the new post-9/11 DOD policy will require that carriers provide:

n Satellite tracking reports for guns and ammunition shipments every 15 minutes.

n Cargo and door sensors that record opening, closing and removal of cargo.

n Notification when a tractor hooks and unhooks from a trailer.

n In-cab communication with a panic button.

The new policy upgrades an earlier requirement that shipments have tracking equipment only on power units carrying sensitive cargo. The new regulation adds a requirement for independently operating vehicle tracking on trailers in transit, whether they’re tethered or not, Wanamaker said.

“For most customers, SkyBitz envisions a solution which consists of a mobile tracking device and cargo sensor capable of providing external power and door sensor capabilities,” said Craig Malone, senior vice president of product development for SkyBitz. “The cargo sensor will act as the junction between the external power module and the door sensor.”

Malone said the new DOD requirements could cause existing carriers that transport the sensitive cargo to exit the market — and new fleets to enter it.

Messages left with Qualcomm were not returned.

Ross said the new requirement is critical to the military.

“By the nature of what this cargo is, it’s pretty important to know where it is,” Scott said. “It’s always good to know where your stuff is when it’s in the distribution pipeline, especially if it’s something sensitive.”