What is the magic number of location updates? There is a lot of discussion regarding this and each has it pros and cons. The greater the number of locates the faster the battery life will be consumed. The TGI solution supports many configurations and we enjoy working with our clients to find the right solution for them. These configurations can be tuned to accept movement and vibration. However, what we have found is that when you place 3 location updates at pre-determined times for your fleet, you get predictable and defensible information. Let’s expand on this. With one ping a day, the batteries last longer and you can confirm where an asset is for that moment in time. If this asset was in a yard, then was used all day for pickup and deliveries and returned to the same dock door or location you cannot defend if the asset ever left the yard. You may be able to confirm it moved but not that it left the yard. With three locates at specific times you can now predict and defend that the asset moved and that it left the yard or that it was just shunted in the yard. The batteries for our standard setup will last 2 years at 3 locates, you can predict when to ask for yard checks and you defend dwell time (vehicles moving in a yard but have not left the yard).
The costs for the solution also become predictable. You definitely know how many messages will be transmitted in a month, know when the pulses will be read, know when your back end systems will be updated and the staff start to gain confidence in the information and the timeliness of the information.
When you go to a one message per day with a calculated vibration or movement algorithm you are now trying to reduce the total number of locates and only show when things moved. This is a very valid baseline. However, it becomes prone to tweaking the programming to reflect how you and your customers handle your equipment. You may only take 15 minutes to complete a shunt, however, the customer in a Distribution center may be taking 30 minutes for they are also using it as a mobile warehouse. This will potentially increase the locate count and yet not give you any more insight into what you needed to know. Did the trailer leave the yard for the customer pays for detention/dwell? Local terminals are managed on trailer utilization and that means they have left the yard and NOT just moved.
TGI is a very open system and can accommodate many methodologies. Our experience has shown us that being consistent and predictable has provided our customers with a greater return then on being accurate to move times. However, TGI also understand that each firm has its own metrics and as such needs to provide the very best for their fleet. Every aspect of the TGI system is open and flexible. We believe and promote “the power of simple” even if pieces of it are actually complicated. Our goal is meant to make it simple for you to use and to exploit.