July 2010 Issue 84 …page 27
Ontario Trucking News –Elm Technologies “Protect Your Trailer & Freight”
PROTECT YOUR TRAILER & FREIGHT
Whatever you are hauling, shipment security is always a concern. One stolen trailer is one too many. Transportation companies today are adding SkyBitz technology to their arsenal of tools. Elm Technologies is the Canadian Distributor for SkyBitz, the leading provider of remote asset tracking solutions, specializing in tracking unpowered assets such as trailers and heavy equipment. Cargo theft in the US is estimated at $10 billion, and possibly as much as $30 billion, each year. Here in Canada the problem of cargo theft is as big an issue.
A Fortune 500 shipper of consumer electronics and other big ticket items is prone to product theft. When the shipping company found out that Mesilla Valley Transportation used SkyBitz trailer tracking technology, they were sold on this trucking company that is equipped to handle theft and facilitate recovery.
DriveLine International has responded to their customers’ security concerns with improved trailer visibility, as well. Using SkyBitz trailer tracking they have recovered several misplaced trailers, normally written off as stolen. DriveLine also managed to direct law enforcement officials to the location of a stolen trailer. As soon as the company discovered a trailer missing, company executives remotely turned on SkyBitz’s “panic feature”. Immediately, the unit began tracking the trailer’s location every three minutes, allowing the company to pinpoint the trailer’s exact location for law enforcement. As a result, officers raided the chop shop where the trailer was located and found not only the DriveLine trailer, but 12 other stolen trailers in the process of being stripped of all identifiable markings.
SkyBitz’s patented technology has eliminated the need for lengthy and costly hardware installations. The uniquely low power consumption of the SkyBitz hardware allows the unit to run five years on the same set of eight AA lithium batteries, readily available at any grocery store. The battery life of this tracking system is the longest in the industry. No cables at all are involved in the installation of SkyBitz hardware. It’s that simple.
SkyBitz is fully compliant with the US government’s requirement of protective service for tracking of arms, ammunition and explosives. In 2009 SkyBitz received Defense Transportation Tracking System II (DTTS II) certification by The Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Commands (SDDC).
This remote asset management tool provides its users with a wide variety of benefits, including improving trailer utilization and trailer to tractor ratios. The technology reduces the man hours spent on yard checks by replacing manual checks with remote trailer lookups from a desktop computer. Safety, security, insurance advantages, can add up to large savings. Revenue generation opportunities like detention billing make the tracking system virtually pay for itself. For example, Mesilla Valley Transportation averages $30,000 to $45,000 in detention billing per month.
SkyBitz tracking technology is easy to use, easy to install, and easy to maintain. With its 5 year battery life, low maintenance cost, and an affordable price, the SkyBitz technology offers excellent return on investment. There are already more than 700 companies with over 180,000 units in the field reaping the benefits of the SkyBitz asset tracking solution. Maybe it’s time to add trailer tracking to YOUR fleet management tools.
