It was not that many years ago that package tracking was almost totally guesswork. If you ordered something that needed to be shipped to you it might arrive in 3 days or 3 weeks and where the package was in between the shipper and you was a complete mystery. All of that is changing not only because of GPS tracking but also because of radio frequency identification (RFID).
GPS is a wonderful technology that is revolutionizing many areas of our lives; but it is simply too expensive to put a GPS receiver on every box, package or envelope that is shipped. But it really isn’t necessary to GPS track every package. Inevitably packages are in a building, or a truck, so all you need to know is which truck or building has your package and where the building or truck is. Buildings obviously don’t move so you don’t need to GPS track the packages in a building you simply need to know constantly exactly what packages are in the building.
Shipping and delivery trucks, of course, are a different matter. Trucks must be GPS tracked in order to track the packages in them. Very soon every new delivery truck that hits the roads will have a fully integrated GPS tracking system. Older trucks will end up being updated with GPS, sooner rather than later, or the trucks will be likely retired completely. GPS in shipping trucks is used primarily to let the shipper and shipping company know where the packages are. The GPS can also be used for navigation, but most truckers already know their territory and don’t need GPS navigation. The big push for GPS-equipped delivery trucks is for tracking packages.
So the only thing left to make the system work is to electronically tag each package. In the state of the art system of the near future packages will be identified by RFID. It will not be long before a RFID electronic tag will be attached to almost all packages shipped everywhere. Unlike current bar coding systems, RFID electronic tags do not require a visual scan and can carry significantly more information. Bar coding is almost everywhere these days, but it requires a close and accurate visual scan by a bar code reader. It is simply too slow and often inaccurate. RFID tags on the other hand require only that the package be within radio frequency range of the RFID receiver or RFID interrogator. The days of running a package under a visual scanner by hand are almost over.
Even today most shipping companies have prototype shipping and delivery trucks with fully integrated RFID interrogators, RFID antennas, GPS tracking and a cellular computer network to tie it all together. Factories, shipping and mail centers are also starting to use RFID throughout their facilities so they know exactly what packages are in their facilities. So the package-tracking circle will soon be complete. The package sends, or is induced to send, out a radio frequency signal, the RFID interrogator inside the back of the truck or in the building picks up the signal, the computer network on the truck or in the building sends out a cellular message letting the shippers computer know what is where and finally the GPS system tells the shipper where the truck is if the package is currently on a truck.
By: Michael Russell
Posts Tagged ‘Truckers’
GPS System Best Buy
October 8th, 2009
First, a few notes about the Magellan ColorTRAK GPS. It is so amazing that it has an internal lithium battery back-up that keeps the memory active for 10 years! That is a really long time! The Magellan ColorTRAK GPS is also scraggy and has a waterproof construction so you don’t have to worry it dunk into the water.
GPS for truck tracking is relatively new and have shown very good effects. It has been proved that tracking of your vehicles will keep your overhead down. For example GPS Tracking can eliminate the need for having your truckers fill out driving logs. The mileage tracking will allow fleet managers to observe vehicle performance and maintenance from the convenience of their computer.
GPS tracking is the term given to the process of being able to locate the exact location of a receiver on earth. Today, the devices can be very small. They are often used for a variety of purposes, and truck tracking is what actually remains as the most popular and widespread uses of GPS.
Today, mobile communication devices are becoming much more technologically advanced and offer more than the ability to just carry on a conversation. Cell phone GPS tracking is one of those advances. With GPS technology now more commonplace in many new cell phones, this means that the location of anyone carrying a compatible cell phone can be accurately tracked at any time. So GPS tracking is an excellent tool to use and take advantage of throughout our lives.
Tracking systems reduce vehicle costs by putting a spotlight on speeding employees, who waste fuel, cause excessive engine wear and drive up insurance rates. Vehicle tracking systems will also remind you when it is time for preventive maintenance, like oil changes, helping you keep your vehicles on the road and making you money.
GPS tracking systems are continuously offering something new and amazing for your use. Some also included the feature that allows you to track your own car via the Internet. GPS tracking systems are also great solutions to track the vehicles should it be stolen. In the near future we should expect most new vehicles to have GPS equipment. That will reduce the huge costs that is now associated with the transportation sector. Trucks and the cargo they carry are stolen and the cost estimates now show that the figures are not millions of dollars but billions of dollars. Every year.
By: Louise Wasa
