Tracking cargo containers?

[Anonymous]

I see these long multimodal trains with hundreds of containers and am curious how these are tracked from source to destination?  Is there an electronic monitoring system that identifies each container as it passes certain points?  And how do the switch yards know how they should be routed?

[BaltACD]

They are tracked and accounted for just like any other piece of railroad rolling stock while loaded on rail cars.   While each carrier has their own computer systems to keep track of the cars and trailer that are progressing across their properties the basic properties are the car number upon which the trailer/containers are loaded and the numbers of the trailer/containers....this information is 'consisted' for each move that that car and it's contents make thus creating a computer record of each vehicles movements.

[Doublestack]

Think about it from the perspective of the party that owns the box.  Lets say that I own a container that I want to run in intermodal service.    I have that unit showing up in my system w/ a current location.   If I want to have it moved by a RR somewhere, I have to create a work order to have it trucked to the origin RR ramp.  Before it gets to that RR ramp, I need to create a RR work order in my computer to send to the RR via EDI (electronic data interchange) telling the RR where I am going to in-gate the box, where I want them to take it, and any other special information that they need to know (i.e. who am I (the shipper), what rate authority/contract will this box move under, are the supposed to move it under any special service level, what's in the box (commodity code), weight, unit ID #, etc.)   When it in-gates, I will get a Car Location Message (CLM) via EDI from the RR acknowledging the ingate.  That usually is generated by the handheld device used by gate clerks.  When the box is assigned to a flat car, I'll get another CLM.  When its loaded, another, when it departs another and any significant passing point enroute, I'll get passing or depart records.  I might get a bad order record if the flat car has a problem, then finally I'll get a Arrive, Placed, Grounded, Notified and possibly a Renotified CLM.   If the unit is interlining to another RR, I'll see CLM events showing that interchange, then the 2nd RR will start sending me CLM's on the 2nd leg of the move.   All that is from the perspective of the box owner.

From the RR, things start when I send them that EDI.  They will hold the "waybill" that I send the in a "Pended Status" until the box ingates.  Then it goes "Active."   Most RR's use a system called "Oasis" to manage terminal inventory and to some extent, load planning for their outbound trains.   Once the train is loaded, the boxes are matched to flat cars in the computer, therefore they can manage their rolling inventory via the CLM's that they get from the flat cars.  (By the way, flat cars have a box on the side w/ a magnetic strip inside (kind of like a credit card or security badge) and this is read by lineside scanners that actually trigger the CLM messages to the RR's mainframe and which are passed on to customers or are available to trace on the RR's website.)  This is called an AEI system (Automatic Equipment Ident. System)

Here's a photo of a set of wayside scanners   http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/aeitag_1937_122636

Here's more about how they work

http://aeitag.stores.yahoo.net/aeireadsys1.html

Here's pics of AEI Tags (they're about 6 inches long)

http://aeitag.stores.yahoo.net/aeitags.html

The RR will have a separate Transportation Management System that creates the trip plan for the box and shows it assigned to a given train symbol.   The RR's manage the train movement through that system.

When the box grounds at a destination ramp, it goes back into the terminal mgt system at the destination ramp.

Hope that helps.

[Anonymous]

Truck Trailers use Qualcomm in a certain configuration that is independant from the Tractor when necessary. So we can run trailes anyway we want to and track em in real-time. Sometimes reefer trailers have problems start to lose cooling and call a refridgerated maintaince man via satellite direct to it's location.

Sometimes important container loads get a device placed inside the boc with the load so that it too can be tracked. But most commonly, every box has a number specific to that box. Anywhere in the world it goes, that number on it should ID it as  a unique and only one.

[spbed]

Each container # is inputted into he RRs computer from a manifest the steamship line furnishes the RR. Then when loaded the car # is inputted against that container. When it is delivered at the destination end that also is inputted against the container # so the RR has a entire record on that container #

 

 

 

I see these long multimodal trains with hundreds of containers and am curious how these are tracked from source to destination?  Is there an electronic monitoring system that identifies each container as it passes certain points?  And how do the switch yards know how they should be routed?

[Doublestack]

Now here's the fun part...  lets say that a big company like JB Hunt or Schneider or maybe Maersk, etc. has 2 containers on the ramp that have kind of similar unit numbers.  So the hostler gets a work order to grab one of them, but accidentally grabs the other and the crane operator doesn't notice either.  The unit moves under an "assumed identity" meanwhile the real one that was supposed to move, is still on the origin terminal.

Or ....  the computer work doesn't get properly completed to match the box to the car its on, the train departs and the box shows in the computer as still being on the origin terminal.  The customer is getting PO'd because it looks like the box is still sitting... when in reality its moving.  The RR does a check of the yard and can't find the customer's box.  Now he's even more upset.  So, the RR tries to get a roll by inspection of the train somewhere in route or does an inventory on arrival at the destination terminal to see if that box is actually on the train, traveling as a "Sleeper."  

All in a days work in the intermodal world.

 

[tree68]

All in a days work in the intermodal world.

Not a lot different from the trips boxcars took back when everything was "loose car" railroading.  I imagine it still happens today.

Near a crossing near me are two sensors for the RFI tags.  In theory CSX should know exactly whats in a consist, assuming every car has a tag.

[Doublestack]

I suspect we'll see a day when trailer and containers used in intermodal service are required to have an AEI  / RFID tag so that they can be positively tracked.  Of course the AEI scanners would have to be taller to read the tag on the top box of a double stack.

[SALfan]

Think about it from the perspective of the party that owns the box.  Lets say that I own a container that I want to run in intermodal service.    I have that unit showing up in my system w/ a current location.   If I want to have it moved by a RR somewhere, I have to create a work order to have it trucked to the origin RR ramp.  Before it gets to that RR ramp, I need to create a RR work order in my computer to send to the RR via EDI (electronic data interchange) telling the RR where I am going to in-gate the box, where I want them to take it, and any other special information that they need to know (i.e. who am I (the shipper), what rate authority/contract will this box move under, are the supposed to move it under any special service level, what's in the box (commodity code), weight, unit ID #, etc.)   When it in-gates, I will get a Car Location Message (CLM) via EDI from the RR acknowledging the ingate.  That usually is generated by the handheld device used by gate clerks.  When the box is assigned to a flat car, I'll get another CLM.  When its loaded, another, when it departs another and any significant passing point enroute, I'll get passing or depart records.  I might get a bad order record if the flat car has a problem, then finally I'll get a Arrive, Placed, Grounded, Notified and possibly a Renotified CLM.   If the unit is interlining to another RR, I'll see CLM events showing that interchange, then the 2nd RR will start sending me CLM's on the 2nd leg of the move.   All that is from the perspective of the box owner.

From the RR, things start when I send them that EDI.  They will hold the "waybill" that I send the in a "Pended Status" until the box ingates.  Then it goes "Active."   Most RR's use a system called "Oasis" to manage terminal inventory and to some extent, load planning for their outbound trains.   Once the train is loaded, the boxes are matched to flat cars in the computer, therefore they can manage their rolling inventory via the CLM's that they get from the flat cars.  (By the way, flat cars have a box on the side w/ a magnetic strip inside (kind of like a credit card or security badge) and this is read by lineside scanners that actually trigger the CLM messages to the RR's mainframe and which are passed on to customers or are available to trace on the RR's website.)  This is called an AEI system (Automatic Equipment Ident. System)

Here's a photo of a set of wayside scanners   http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/aeitag_1937_122636

Here's more about how they work

http://aeitag.stores.yahoo.net/aeireadsys1.html

Here's pics of AEI Tags (they're about 6 inches long)

http://aeitag.stores.yahoo.net/aeitags.html

The RR will have a separate Transportation Management System that creates the trip plan for the box and shows it assigned to a given train symbol.   The RR's manage the train movement through that system.

When the box grounds at a destination ramp, it goes back into the terminal mgt system at the destination ramp.

Hope that helps.

 Thanks for the detailed description of the process.  It's interesting and very helpful, at least for this non-railroader.