Trucker Tools has added location data from trailer- and chassis-mounted tracking devices to its real-time visibility platform. The tracking devices are manufactured by GPS-tracking equipment and systems provider Anytrek.

Trucker Tools is integrating with Anytrek’s TrackLight unit, the company’s flagship product which is a fully functioning taillight with a GPS tracker inside a 4-inch round or 6-inch oval taillight. 

The addition of real-time data from Anytrek’s trailer mounted tracking technology complements location updates Trucker Tools currently captures through truck-mounted electronic logging devices, and from the trucker’s smartphone via the embedded GPS features of the Trucker Tools mobile driver app, Trucker Tools officials said in a press release.

The integration will provide Trucker Tools customers with richer, more comprehensive shipment visibility data, officials said.

“One of the issues with traditional trailer tracking devices is they are visible on the trailer and are easily and quickly removed and discarded by someone attempting to steal the trailer,” said Estefania Gallegos, manager of operations at Anytrek. “Our unit is installed inside the taillight, invisible to a potential thief, which is advantageous from a security perspective. It’s covert, self-contained with its own battery, easy to install and has geofencing GPS capabilities that provide accurate location updates within 100 feet.”

Update transmission frequency typically is every 5 minutes when moving and charging, 15 minutes when moving and not charging, and every six hours when idle. The unit itself is charged by the truck when operating and when the taillight is illuminated.

Primary use cases for TrackLight are with dry-van trailers, flatbed trailers, intermodal container chassis, and tank trailers, with private and for-hire fleets, drayage operators, trailer leasing and rental companies as primary customers.

Anytrek’s data is yet another resource for real-time equipment location intelligence, enabling brokers and shippers to plan arrival ETAs and related warehouse staffing operations more accurately and precisely, noted Prasad Gollapalli, founder and chief executive of Trucker Tools.  

With the integration, truckers and fleets that have installed Anytrek devices will be able to choose between the taillight-mounted GPS tracking tag, their ELD or the Trucker Tools mobile app to provide tracking data. The platform has built in rules and instructions that eliminate duplicate data and ensure accurate reporting.