Trailer and Cargo Container Tracking 13th Edition

Cargo and cargo carrying unit tracking aims to increase operational efficiency and visibility intransport chains. Berg Insight’s definition of a real-time tracking solution is a system that at aminimum incorporates data logging, satellite positioning and data communications to abackoffice application through cellular, satellite or LPWA networks. The tracking device can bedesigned to track the cargo carrying unit, i.e. the trailer, intermodal container, rail freight wagon,air freight ULD, pallet or other returnable transport packaging (RTP), or the cargo itself. Trackingdevices for cargo carrying units are permanently or temporarily installed while cargo trackingdevices are typically placed with the cargo or attached to the cargo box during transport. Real-time data on the location and status of cargo carrying units and cargo empowers the variousstakeholders in the supply chain to make better-informed decisions, increase asset utilisation,reduce costs and minimise environmental impact.

Berg Insight estimates that shipments of remote tracking systems with cellular, satellite, LoRaand Sigfox communications capabilities for cargo carrying units reached 4.4 million unitsworldwide in 2024. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.3 percent,shipments are expected to reach 7.2 million units in 2029. During the same period, the installedbase of tracking devices is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14.3 percentfrom 13.8 million units at the end of 2024 to 26.9 million units by 2029.

Berg Insight estimates that shipments of remote tracking systems with cellular, satellite, LoRaand Sigfox communications capabilities for cargo carrying units reached 4.4 million unitsworldwide in 2024. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.3 percent,shipments are expected to reach 7.2 million units in 2029. During the same period, the installedbase of tracking devices is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14.3 percentfrom 13.8 million units at the end of 2024 to 26.9 million units by 2029. loggers used for general cargo applications is set for rapid growth in the next few years as pricesare expected to decrease and smart labels and other devices with a very small footprint are beingintroduced. The number of active devices in use is forecasted to grow from 4.9 million devicesin 2024 to 16.2 million devices at the end of 2029. Yearly device shipments in this category willgrow from 7.1 million units in 2024 to reach 36.5 million units in 2029. Total revenues for trackingsolutions for cargo carrying units and cargo reached € 2.7 billion in 2024. Growing at a CAGR of10.8 percent, the total market value is forecasted to reach € 4.5 billion in 2029.

A wide range of companies provides tracking solutions for trailers, containers, rail freightwagons, ULDs, pallets and other RTPs and cargo. Most companies specialise in one application,e.g. trailer tracking but have devices installed on several different asset types due to customerrequirements. In terms of the number of deployed tracking devices, Berg Insight ranksORBCOMM as the largest provider, having a significant installed base of both trailers andcontainers. ORBCOMM’s total installed base reached 2.1 million units at the end of 2024. Nexxiotand SkyBitz are the second and third largest players. Nexxiot has large installed bases of bothcontainers and rail freight wagons while SkyBitz has the vast majority of its installed base ontrailers. Additional leading providers of trailer telematics solutions are Spireon, Samsara,BlackBerry, CalAmp, Motive, Idem Telematics, Powerfleet, Phillips Connect, Schmitz Cargobull,FleetPulse, Clarience Technologies, SCALAR, TGI, EROAD, Axscend, AddSecure and Krone.

Maersk has equipped its entire fleet of 360,000 reefer containers with tracking devices. Othermajor players in the container tracking segment are ZillionSource, Envotech, Globe Tracker,Traxens, Giesecke+Devrient, BoxPlus, Sensolus, Geoforce and Copeland. In addition toNexxiot, leading telematics players in the rail industry are DOT Telematik and Systemtechnik,Amsted Rail, Siemens, SAVVY Telematic Systems and Intermodal Telematics. Sensitech,DeltaTrak, Tive, Controlant, Decklar (formerly Roambee), Frigga, Copeland and OnAssetIntelligence are the leading providers of cargo tracking devices. Sensos and Trackonomy arealso part of this segment, offering smart label solutions. Many cargo tracking players offerdevices that can be used on all modes of transport, including air shipments.

Berg Insight anticipates that the ongoing trend in the transport industry to invest in new digitalsolutions that increase supply chain visibility and security will continue and even accelerate inthe next few years. Falling hardware prices, wider availability of low-power cellular networks (LTE-M/NB-IoT) and satellite networks, together with more flexible subscription-based softwaremodels, are removing traditional barriers to adoption across fleet sizes and geographies. Assolution providers deliver more cost-effective solutions that provide richer shipment, cargo andasset data, fleet operators and logistics service providers will become increasingly willing toinvest in tracking systems.