Trailer Tracking Comes of Age
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Untethered trailer tracking is expected to become a mainstay of the truckload sector, but only recently have all the parts of this “next-generation” technology come together in a sufficiently attractive package.
That is what Schneider was waiting for, said Paul Mueller, vice president of communications technology for the Wisconsin-based truckload giant.
Cost has come down, reliability is being established and the product is ready, according to Mueller’s assessment.
Orbcomm operates 28 satellites in low-earth orbit to provide data messaging services worldwide. It wasn’t until the launching in 1998 of this particular flock of satellites that Vantage had a product to sell.
With the capability of closely monitoring the whereabouts of trailers and the condition of the goods they contain via the global positioning satellites, Schneider expects to “reset the bar” in the way it manages its trailer fleet.
“We will be more effective with the trailers that we do have,” Mueller said.
Asked if that meant Schneider would be able to shrink the size of its trailer fleet, he replied: “We may be able to avoid acquiring new trailers.”
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