Technology advances making it easier, more efficient to have eyes in the field
Feb 1, 2010 12:00 PM, By Rick Weber
View all NTTC Cargo Tank Maintenance Seminar photos
WITH the rapidly increasing complexity of fleet management, trailer-tracking technology has become of paramount importance. It's the difference between efficiency and inefficiency.
Trailer tracking can be defined as an asset increases a fleet's efficiency and security by electronically monitoring key parameters. Examples of parameters are location (GPS), product temperature, in-transit heat temperature, suspension data (tire pressure, wheel-end temperature), and security seals/locks.
“It gives you eyes in the field you didn't have before,” said Dave Baker, Lat-Lon president. “In general all of us, have the ability to see things we didn't see before. We all have cell phones. There was a day when none of us had them. People always get this technology and go, ‘Wow, this is great.’ Pretty soon they realize they're working with information now that they never had before, and they'd never go back.”
At the National Tank Truck Carriers annual Cargo Tank Maintenance Seminar and Equipment Show October 26-28, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee, four executives gave an update on advancements in tracking equipment technology.
Dave Baker, Lat-Lon
Lat-Lon, whose tank truck customers include Brenner Tank and Arizona Chemical, makes self-powered GPS monitoring devices that send live data via cellular to the Internet and are solar-powered, trailer-mounted, and not wired to trailer lights.
The solar tracking unit (STU) has a GPS receiver, GSM/GPRS cellular modem, and optional wired digital and temperature, wireless receivers, and impact detection; two wired digital and two wired temperature sensors; and wireless sensors (up to 10 per STU) that feature tilt detection in two axis (orientation), temperature (on base), magnetic proximity (on end), battery voltage, 10-year life, impact detection, three-axis, 35G, 10Hz/100Hz filtered values, and delta velocities.
“There are two basic ways of getting data into the GPS unit: wireless sensor and wired sensor,” he said. “Wireless is like a garage-door opener. It sends a burst of data, and the main unit picks it up and incorporates it into the overall data packet. All data goes to the server Web site and is viewable upon login. Current units have radio frequency (RF) sensors that can be deployed — up to 10 of them for each STU. They can be placed in different locations or added later to the main system. Unlike the main STU, the sensors have their own battery power. One thing that's important in the rail market is impact protection: internal to the STU is a three-axis accelerometer.”
The STU camera sensor means that the unit can be paged and told, “Take a picture.” Pictures taken are based on the following: digital state change (door open) and paging the unit (user request). Pricing is on a per-picture basis. Pictures can be used to authorize responses and confirm primary alarm generation (eg, unauthorized person identified).
STU data includes temperature reports captured during a tank trailer trip: loaded (rapid rise), cool-off during transit, and empty and rapid fall.
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