Tag Life & GPS Integration

Much of my equipment and trailers are stationary for extended lengths of time. Occasionally, when moved, regional managers delay informing my office which leads to confusion, often times hindering my ability to locate available equipment as quickly as I need to. My question is two part: What is the life span of an RFID tag, and will this technology allow me to track equipment, accurately and in real time, across several different states from my central location" Thank you.

Chaz: On your first question, the life span of a tag is primarily a function of its packaging. Tags for transportation applications have a rugged design to withstand shock, vibration, moisture and temperature variations. RFID has been used with excellent results in railcar and truck tracking for years. Battery-enabled tags use the latest technology to ensure long life. You'll have to talk with suppliers (see MA's RFID Directory) to answer the question, "How long?" On the second question, the ideal solution would couple RFID and GPS to provide continuous or near-continuous feedback on equipment (that is, both tractor and trailer) location across several states. Companies are indeed working on the marriage of these technologies, but in my view it will be a few years before commercial viability. I suggest that you run a web query on "RFID & GPS" to obtain additional information. What do you do in the meantime? Certainly, GPS alone will enable you to track tractors across your network, but may be cost-prohibitive for trailers. For trailer tracking within your yards or within terminals, you should take a look at Real-time Locating Systems (RTLS) that use battery-powered RFID tags and a cellular (WiFi-like) locating system to detect the presence and location of the tags. The RTLS system can support identification of tractor/trailer rigs entering and exiting your facility with time and date stamping as well monitoring internal moves. Of course you'll need a system to capture, process, validate and disseminate the data. Suppliers include Aeroscout, Avante, Ekehau, RF Code, Savi, WhereNet and others. Hope the foregoing helps to get you started.