GE Wrap-up at the TMC

FORT LAUDERDALE— GE TIP has announced five new options are available for its GE VeriWise trailer-tracking system at the Technology and Maintenance Council’s annual meeting.

Two are hardware-based features:

• Cargo sensor uses optic technology to “show” the inside of a trailer. It monitors shipments in transit and generates reports on cargo status changes from loaded to empty or vice versa.

• Door sensor enables event reporting with location, time and date of a trailer door’s opening or closing. Compatible with both swing and roll-up doors.

Three features are software-based:

• Hook/drop notification enables reporting when a trailer is coupled or uncoupled from a tractor. Can be used to get such detail on trailer usage as measuring actual time hooked or dropped vs. operational targets.

• Geo-fencing allows unlimited “construction” of multiple geographic boundaries around specific addresses. A trailer passing through an assigned boundary generates en event report in real time.

• Low-battery notification automates battery maintenance by generating an event report. Designed to avoid costly battery replacement and eliminates need to keep a log of dropped or untethered days. The company also announced an enhanced web interface for GE VeriWise tracking. Accessible to registered customers via www.tiptrailers.com, the tool provides easier data access and allows reconfiguring of event reporting for individuals or groups of trailers. The enhancements let fleets customize the data they get and easily export that data into a spreadsheet.

General Electric Co. (GE) has announced inking a joint development agreement with Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) to develop and test an integrated system to protect shipping containers.

According to Andrew Greta, gm—asset intelligence for GE Equipment Services, the companies intend to integrate independently developed technologies, including VeriWise, into a “smart” system that “not only tracks but also reliably deters, detects and reports intrusion attempts through any of the six sides of the container. Greta said further details will be coming in the “next few months.”