Use case · Logistics and freight forwarding
Trailer tracking with Bluetooth® ID beacons
The logistics industry is an essential part of every economy and the driving force behind many sectors: trade, industry, agriculture, e-commerce and services. Trailers are an integral part of the transport system and must be managed efficiently for companies to remain competitive and profitable. Wireless Bluetooth® technology combined with GPS vehicle tracking opens up new possibilities for fleet monitoring and makes a significant difference.
Image: Teltonika Telematics
The challenge
Did you know? According to the Automobile Trailers Global Market Report, the global vehicle trailer market was worth 20.3 billion US dollars in 2021 – and it continues to grow.
Every experienced fleet manager knows, regardless of fleet size: proper management of trailers and tanks is a central part of the logistics business – both nationally and internationally. If it is neglected, sooner or later this leads to disorder in the fleet, theft or unauthorised use, delays, customer complaints, a weakened reputation and reduced competitiveness, fewer orders, as well as lower profits and a lower return on investment. It is no longer a “nice-to-have”, but a business necessity for a logistics company to hold its own.
Dispatchers, fleet managers and management need to know the status of a trailer in real time: location, mileage, which driver is using it, whether a load has been dropped off or picked up, how many stops it has made on a given day or on a given route, where the trailer is parked, which driver is closest to it and much more.
In addition, those responsible need to know the productivity of each asset: how many hours was a particular trailer used in a shift, week, month or quarter? In most companies it is common practice to record, track and evaluate the utilisation of equipment and staff in one way or another.
Thanks to Teltonika's newly launched EYE Beacon, wireless Bluetooth® technology and well-thought-out concepts, these challenges can be tackled easily and with the best possible results.
The solution
All Teltonika GPS trackers based on the FMB platform support wireless Bluetooth® LE connectivity and can therefore communicate effectively with wireless Bluetooth® devices such as beacons and sensors. The light and small EYE Beacons are attached to the front of every type of trailer to be tracked and monitored – flatbed, chassis and box trailers, dry freight semi-trailers, refrigerated semi-trailers, intermodal chassis and/or containers, refrigerated trailers, livestock trailers, frac tanks, etc.
How it works – as each Bluetooth® LE beacon transmits a unique ID number as a radio signal at configurable intervals, the Teltonika GPS trackers installed in lorries and tractor units (here the FMC130) can read and identify them and send this data as an iBeacon or Eddystone profile together with their GNSS position data to the way4net Portal for evaluation and reporting. The portal displays the location of all beacons (and thus of the tagged vehicles and trailers) based on their proximity to the nearest tracker, helps with assigning the BLE accessories and much more.
In addition, every trailer with an EYE Beacon can be tracked in real time from any internet-enabled device – smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop PC. This way, fleet managers know exactly what is going on and can plan their next steps in good time and efficiently. No more outdated methods such as “pen and paper” or guesswork, which are known to be impractical and error-prone.
The EYE Beacon offers two outstanding functions: “Proximity event” and “Filtering by name”. Together with the extensive configuration options of Teltonika GPS devices, this provides various settings and scenarios to meet the tracking requirements of a logistics fleet.
“Proximity event” – a vehicle tracker can, for example, generate proximity events depending on the Bluetooth® signal strength. This way, trailers within a defined distance from the lorry are detected, while others outside this range are ignored. Two different events can be set up: the lorry approaches the trailer and enters the detection zone – event no. 1; the lorry moves away from the trailer and leaves the detection zone – event no. 2. In addition, the location of each moving beacon (i.e. of the trailer concerned) can be determined and assigned to the “Near” and “Far” zones.
“Filtering by name” – with this individual filter function, assets can be grouped by a characteristic or property relevant to operations (e.g. by trailer type), or only the ID beacons of your own registered fleet are detected and other beacons in the vicinity are ignored. These practical event scenarios help to monitor, control and optimise the use of fleet resources particularly efficiently – so costly mistakes can be avoided, the fleet stays well organised, and time and company resources are saved.
Bluetooth® connectivity is cost-effective, highly energy-efficient, accurate and very affordable. The accessories are easy to install, commission and replace in the event of a defect. Teltonika beacons, whose signal strength and transmission intervals can be precisely adapted to customer needs, can be quickly integrated into fleets of almost any size. This can noticeably boost a company's reputation, profitability and competitiveness.
System overview
Graphic: Teltonika Telematics
Your benefits
Precise tracking anytime, anywhere
Management, fleet management and dispatchers can monitor the status of every trailer worldwide in real time. 100% traceability of all factors important to the logistics business and fleet efficiency.
Effortless integration of Teltonika EYE Beacons
Existing users of vehicle telematics solutions can add tracking and monitoring functions easily and quickly.
Added value through smart EYE Beacon functions
The practical event scenarios “Proximity event” and “Filtering by name” help to track, monitor, control and optimise trailer utilisation particularly efficiently.
Wireless and affordable
Bluetooth® connectivity enables quick installation and setup, is low-interference, power-saving and cost-effective. In the event of damage, loss or theft, the Teltonika BLE accessories can be replaced quickly.
Better reputation, greater competitiveness and profitability
Punctual deliveries, considerable cost savings through reduced losses of valuable goods and merchandise, theft protection to increase profits, improved cash flow and expansion opportunities.
Devices used
Devices from Teltonika – available from way4net to buy or rent, bundled with the way4net Portal.
FMC130
Tracker installed in the lorry that reads the trailers' EYE Beacons, generates proximity events and sends the data with GNSS position to the portal.
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EYE Beacon
Bluetooth® ID beacon attached to the front of the trailer that uniquely identifies the trailer; in the practical example, also used for driver identification.
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EYE Beacon ATEX
ATEX-certified beacon variant that was used in the practical example to identify tank trailers.
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FMC650
Tracker that, in the practical example, receives the beacon signals and reads CAN bus data such as fuel consumption, engine performance and operating hours.
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Case study (Teltonika)
A Teltonika customer, a fuel distribution company in Iraq, faced the challenge of identifying which trailer was connected to which lorry and which driver was driving which vehicle. This lack of transparency made it difficult to manage fuel distribution efficiently, verify proof of transport and uncover deviations or irregularities that could lead to financial losses.
As a solution, each trailer was equipped with an ATEX-certified EYE Beacon ATEX for trailer identification, and each driver was given a standard EYE Beacon for driver identification. Teltonika FMC650 trackers were installed in the lorries; they receive the beacon signals and read the CAN bus data to monitor key vehicle parameters such as fuel consumption, engine performance and operating hours.
This approach gave the company exactly what it needed to increase its efficiency: a clear and automated way of knowing which trailer is connected to which lorry, who is behind the wheel and how the vehicle and fleet perform in operation.
Note
Content and graphics based on the use case by Teltonika Telematics (original on teltonika-gps.com), translated and adapted for way4net. Device data according to manufacturer specifications. Together, we will work out which devices and functions suit your application – and you can test the solution with a 14-day trial.
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