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With slim margins and high customer expectations for on-time delivery, companies cannot afford logistics security issues in the supply and distribution chains. But how can companies ensure freight security and on-time delivery when they must contract with multiple external carriers who provide their own tractors and trailers?
Until now, tracking the position of in-transit cargo has been accomplished using GPS antennas on the tractor or trailer—neither of which is under the purview of the manufacturer whose cargo is being transported. This means the manufacturer must rely on their contracted carriers to provide estimated time-of-arrival for deliveries, and to ensure adequate freight security to protect the in-transit cargo.
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Now companies who want to protect cargo and control its movement have a solution—covert cargo tracking. Using small, portable Assisted GPS tracking devices hidden covertly along with a shipment, companies can monitor product movements using covert cargo tracking software (such as FSNtracks from Freight Security Net). Knowing the exact location of a shipment means the company can predict estimated time-of-arrival on its own, or assist in the recovery of a stolen load by directing law enforcement officers to the purloined cargo itself.
The advent of Assisted GPS tracking has made covert tracking a reality. Assisted GPS tracking devices are about the size of a cellphone, are highly portable, and have an internal antenna powerful enough to access the GPS network from hidden locations within product packaging. They also have enough battery power to travel the distance of the load—ensuring freight security for valuable corporate assets.
Covert tracking devices can be placed discretely in a load or on a trailer, and some devices can be embedded within the cargo itself; the placement of the device depends on whether it requires a clear view of the sky to communicate its position.
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Assisted GPS tracking has a number of advantages. First, it enables covert tracking of cargo. Traditional GPS antennas placed on tractors and trailers are easily disabled by criminals, rendering this protection measure useless. But criminals can’t see the small covert tracking devices hidden along with the shipment, and therefore cannot disable them.
Second, Assisted GPS tracking is more reliable than traditional GPS. During a shipment, trucks are likely to pass through areas where there are not clear signals from satellites; and to determine its position, the covert tracking device needs to establish contact with at least four satellites. With Assisted GPS tracking, the covert tracking device can leverage wireless networks (such as AT&T and Verizon)—which are well distributed across the countryside—to obtain the location of the closest four satellites. Because the covert tracking device is now searching for specific satellite signals, it can find the first satellite in seconds, rather than minutes. The network also sends satellite data directly to the Assisted GPS covert tracking device, saving it from having to decode satellite signals to get this data.
Because of the many benefits of covert cargo tracking with Assisted GPS, especially for freight security, Freight Security Net (FSN) recommends that companies place covert tracking devices throughout a shipment, as well as in the cargo trailer and in the cab of the truck itself. In the event of theft, companies can recover the stolen cargo, cargo trailer and tractor.
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