TRAILER TRACKING WITH BLUETOOTH® ID BEACONS

INTRO

The logistics industry is an essential part of any economy, and the driving force behind many sectors: trade, manufacturing, agriculture, e-commerce, and services. Trailers are an integral part of the transport system, and they have to be managed efficiently to remain competitive and profitable. Wireless Bluetooth® technology combined with vehicle GPS tracking opens up new opportunities for fleet monitoring, making a significant difference.

CHALLENGE

Did you know, according to the Automobile Trailers Global Market Report, the global automobile trailers market was valued at $20.3 billion in 2021 and keeps growing?

Any size experienced fleet manager is aware proper trailers and tanks management is a vital part of logistics business operations - domestic or international. Failing to do so, eventually, will cause fleet assets disarrangement, thefts or unauthorised use, delays, customer complaints, weakened reputation and competitiveness, fewer orders, lower profits and ROI. It is not a nice to have option anymore, it is a business necessity to help a logistics company stay afloat.

Dispatchers, fleet managers, and corporate leaders need to know a trailer status in real-time — location, mileage, which driver is using it, whether it has dropped off or picked up a load, how many stops it has made on a given day or route, what is a trailer parking location, which driver is the closest to that trailer and so on?

Yet more, managers in charge have to know each asset productivity — how many hours have they have used the particular trailer in a given shift, week, month or quarter? It is a widespread practice in most businesses to keep assets and employees accountable by recording, tracking, and analysing their workload one way or another.

Thanks to Teltonika Telematics newly introduced EYE Beacon model, wireless Bluetooth® technology and clever thinking, there are ways to overcome these challenges in a trouble-free way with maximum results.

SOLUTION

All Teltonika GPS trackers based on the FMB platform support wireless Bluetooth® LE connectivity, so they can effectively communicate with wireless Bluetooth® devices such as beacons and sensors. The lightweight and small EYE Beacons should be attached at the front of every type of trailer to be tracked and monitored - flatbed, chassis, and box trailers, dry van trailers, reefer trailers, intermodal chassis and/or containers, refrigerated trailers, life haul trailers, frac tanks, etc.

How it works - because each Bluetooth® LE beacon has a unique ID number transmitted over the air as a radio signal at configurable intervals, Teltonika GPS trackers (in this case, FMC130) mounted in lorries and trucks read, identify them and send this data as iBeacon or Eddystone profile, combined with its GNSS location details, to a server for analysis and reports. Dedicated software shows all beacons (thus, tagged fleet assents) location based on proximity to the closest tracker, helps with BLE accessories assignment procedure management and so on.

Even more, every trailer with an EYE Beacon attached to it can be tracked in real-time via any smart device with an internet connection – phone, tablet computer, laptop, or desktop PC. As a result, fleet managers know exactly what is going on and can plan their further actions timely and efficient. No more the old-fashioned ‘pen and paper’ methods or guesswork whatsoever which is known to be impractical and error-prone.

The EYE Beacon model has two prominent features - ‘Proximity Event’ and ‘Filtering by Name’. Thanks to them and the advanced Teltonika GPS device configuration functionality, it provides a choice of various settings and scenarios to satisfy logistics fleet tracking needs.

‘Proximity Event’ - for instance, a vehicle tracker can generate asset proximity events depending on Bluetooth® signal strength. This way, trailers with a specified distance from a lorry will be tracked, but others beyond that range will be ignored. Here two distinctive events can be set up - a lorry gets near the trailer and enters the tracking zone - event #1; a lorry moves away from the trailer and leaves the tracking zone - event #2. Also, it allows determining each moving beacon (so, the trailer of interest) locations grouped into ‘Near’, and ‘Away’ zones.

‘Filtering by Name’ - the custom filtering feature allows to group assets by a specific attribute or property meaningful to business operations (e.g., by different trailer types) or track only own listed fleet ID beacons and ignore others if there are some around. These handy event scenarios help to monitor, manage, and optimise corporate fleet assets use with maximum efficiency, this way avoiding costly mistakes, keeping a fleet well organised, saving time and company resources.

Bluetooth® connectivity has low cost, high-energy efficiency, accuracy, and is highly affordable. These accessories can be easy to install, deploy, and replace if broken. Teltonika beacons with configurable to exact customer need signal strength and data transmitting intervals can be swiftly integrated into virtually any size fleet. Altogether, this may noticeably boost business reputation, profitability, and competitiveness, to say at least.

TOPOLOGY

BENEFITS

• Precise asset tracking anytime, anywhere - corporate leaders, fleet management, and dispatchers can monitor any trailer status in real time around the globe. 100% accountability of everything important to the logistics business and fleet efficiency.
• Effortless inclusion of Teltonika EYE Beacons – adding tracking and monitoring functionalities easily and quickly for the current users of vehicle telematics solutions.
• Value-adding smart EYE Beacon features - 'Proximity Event' and 'Filtering by Name' practical event scenarios help to track, monitor, manage, and optimise trailer utilisation with supreme efficiency.
• Wireless and affordable - Bluetooth® connectivity ensures fast installation and setup, low interference, power consumption and is inexpensive. If damaged, lost or stolen, the Teltonika BLE accessory can be quickly replaced.
• Improved company reputation, competitiveness, and profitability - timely deliveries, considerable cost savings because of cutting valuable assets and loss of goods expenses, anti-theft protection to boost profits, improved cash flow and expansion opportunities.

WHY TELTONIKA?

Teltonika Telematics expertise in fleet management is unrivalled, particularly in the area of wireless tracking solutions. Our Bluetooth® LE ID beacons demonstrate our commitment to providing cutting-edge technology that meets the complex demands of modern logistics. These EYE Beacons, combined with our sophisticated GPS trackers, provide a comprehensive trailer tracking and management solution.

By choosing us, customers benefit from our deep understanding of the logistics sector and our ability to provide customised solutions. Teltonika Telematics products are not just tools; they are an integral part of increasing operational efficiency, reducing costs, and improving overall fleet performance.