ActiveTrack Fact Sheet
CarrierPoint’s newest offering called ActiveTrack, provides advanced in-transit tracking and exception management,
regardless of the size or sophistication of the carriers moving the load. In-transit updates are collected from carriers using
whatever source of data is available – whether it is satellite tracking (using any of the TransCore 2-way GPS units or other
commercial satellite systems), EDI, Check-calls, or website input. The updates are
analyzed in real-time to determine if on-time delivery is at risk, based on the current
coordinates and delivery appointments. If so, alarms are generated through
CarrierPoint and notification is routed to the appropriate people. A tracking
dashboard on CarrierPoint allows users to monitor and manage at-risk loads,
including the ability to perform satellite polls for current position and transmission
of update requests to in-cab messaging units.
While updates can be processed from any satellite system, TransCore’s LinkTrak
mobile GPS units also provide automatic delivery confirmation in addition to 2-way
satellite communications. The units immediately send a signal to CarrierPoint when
a driver arrives on-site at each stop, using delivery coordinates automatically
downloaded to the unit over-the-air from CarrierPoint. No driver action is necessary
to get this delivery confirmation.
Satellite Communications module
(about the size of a videotape)
LinkTrak GPS units can be permanently cab or trailer mounted, and can be configured to provide in-cab messaging,
collection of engine metrics, collection of state-line crossing information, and temperature, cargo, and motion sensing.
LinkTrak GPS units are unique in that they are also available in an ‘un-tethered’ version, powered via internal battery or
through a cigarette lighter.. This provides a means for shippers to provide ‘temporary’ satellite-tracking units to drivers,
allowing GPS tracking of high-profile loads on an as-needed basis, without requiring all carriers to be outfitted with
permanent GPS units. Lightweight, self-contained GPS units (under a pound and about the size of
a videotape) are handed to drivers at the gate and assigned to a load, at which point the delivery
coordinates are downloaded to the unit and in-transit tracking begins. Periodic In-transit position
updates feed to CarrierPoint automatically, and CarrierPoint determines the anticipated delivery
time based on truck routing guides. Should the load become at-risk (based on configurable
tolerances depending on priority, customer, length-of-haul or other parameters), notifications are
generated and routed according to employee profiles. When the unit arrives at the delivery point,
a special ‘geofence crossed’ message is sent via satellite to CarrierPoint, indicating the truck has
arrived on-premises.
Features:
• Position updates can be provided via TransCore satellite tracking units (in-cab or
Optional in-cab messaging keypad
trailer-mounted)
• Positions can also be updated via EDI or Web input, providing a consistent solution for all carriers. Carriers that are
already outfitted with GPS tracking can typically provide the information to CarrierPoint via EDI.
• Delivery time is calculated using address-level truck routing.
• Time Tolerances can be configured indicating ‘red’ and ‘yellow’ alert status – for instance, Yellow alert if delivery
predicted later than 20 minutes before appointment and Red alert if predicted after appointment.
• Tolerances and satellite tracking intensity is configurable according to order characteristics such as distance, carrier,
customer, and order priority
• Alerts deliverable via e-mail or cell phone, and routed according to affected customers, ensuring the right people are
notified of ‘at-risk’ loads.
• Automatic delivery confirmation when load arrives at customer (when using LinkTrak satellite tracking units with
Geofencing feature.)
• On-line dashboard to monitor at-risk loads, with complete shipment history and carrier and customer contact
information
• All data stored in Data Depot for historical reporting and performance measurement.
• Portable satellite tracking units available to manufacturers for tracking of selected ‘high-profile’ loads. These
portable units allow manufacturers to provide carriers with a satellite unit to be used on a load-by-load basis.
Solution Overview
A quick description of the ActieTrack offering follows. Please contact our Sales department at (800) 551-8815 x 4837 or via
e-mail at [email protected] if you would like an on-line demonstration or more information.
Setup
The first step is to set the rules for tracking. As with all CarrierPoint features, initial setup enables the system to do what you
want automatically without having to touch any loads. After this one-time setup, the software knows how you want loads
tracked, how frequently you want updates, and who to notify in case of an exception. Loads are tracked according to your
rules, automatically, without any intervention from you.
There are 3 basic setup steps involved in ActiveTrack:
First, you create a series of tracking templates to cover any distinct business scenarios. Tracking Templates allow you to
track different loads in different ways – automatically – based on the characteristics of the load. For example, you may have
one tracking template to cover short-haul loads, and another for tracking long-haul. In the short-haul template, you may start
tracking when the load is picked up and require updates to be provided via satellite every 30 minutes. In the long-haul
template, you may start tracking when the load is halfway through it’s trip and require satellite updates every 2 hours. In
addition to the frequency of updates, you choose the conditions under which a shipment will be escalated to Moderate or
High Risk, generating an exception notification and identifying the at-risk load on the ActiveTrack Dashboard for user
resolution:
Second, you set up the conditions under which each template will be used, by setting up your Tracking Plan Assignment.
This rules-based setup allows you to prioritize how important different order characteristics are to you when tracking
shipments. In the below example, any Hazardous shipments ALWAYS uses the
Hazardous template (which may track very intensely), and any shipments going to the Sonoma DC ALWAYS use the
‘Premiere Customer’ template, which may have tight delivery requirements. Other shipments (Non-Hazardous shipments
going to any customers other than ‘Sonoma DC’) are tracked according to their length of haul – 0-500 miles, 500-1000 miles,
and 1000+ miles. Each of those templates can track with different intensity and have different thresholds for exception
notification:
Third, you set up the routing for exception notifications resulting from prediction of late delivery. This is an optional step,
only necessary if you have customer service reps that should get exception alerts based on customers affected. In the
example below, Brian Flint was assigned to Sonoma DC. Many users could be assigned to this customer as well, and alerts
would be directed to each, based on their working shifts or preferences.
That’s it for setup!
When a shipment is sent to CarrierPoint, a Tracking Plan will automatically be created, indicating how frequently to require
updates, the conditions under which a load will be escalated to Moderate or High Risk, and who should be notified of the
exception. Users are be notified by e-mail, cell phone, pager, or any combination of the three, depending on their configured
user preferences.
The following section describes the basic operation for the ActiveTrack Dashboard, where exceptions are handled.
Operation
Now that the setup is complete, as carriers accept loads, the tracking plan is created. Any position updates provided via
satellite tracking, EDI, or direct website input trigger a re-evaluation of the delivery time using address-level truck routing. If
the system predicts a late delivery (or if no update is received when expected), the load is marked as ‘at-risk’ and alarms
generated. The load will be placed at either Moderate risk or High risk depending on how delayed the truck is, according to
the Tracking Template used on the load.
The ActiveTrack Dashboard gives you a view into all tracked loads, including any loads that are at-risk, including recent
updates, anticipated delivery time, contact information at the carrier, and many other things:
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The Risk icon indicates whether the load is at Moderate (yellow) or High (red) risk based on in-transit updates.
The Alarm icon shows when there is an active Alarm. An Alarm is set when the load is set to ‘at-risk’. The user
can clear the Alarm once they begin working on a remedy, so the Alarms can be used as a queue of un-resolved
exceptions.
The Origin, Destination, and Consignee are listed, and the full Shipment detail is available through a hyperlink.
The screen can be sorted by Risk, so that High-risk shipments are always shown on top, followed by Moderate.
The screen can also be filtered by Routed-to user, so users can zero in on the exceptions that they are directly
responsible to correct.
Actions are available to provide updates, request updates of the carrier, poll the GPS unit to get current position, or
view the Tracking Plan
The most-recent Status Update, including reported position, is shown.