Powered vehicles get tracked because they are expensive and visible. Trailers, containers, cages, generators and plant frequently do not — despite representing substantial capital, disappearing regularly, and sitting idle for months without anyone noticing.
What makes non-powered assets different
No power source. Devices run on internal batteries, or harvest from solar or from a trailer's electrical connection when coupled. This drives every other design decision.
Long dwell times. An asset may not move for weeks. Frequent reporting wastes battery on a stationary object.
Harsh environments. Outdoor, vibration, temperature extremes, pressure washing, occasional impact.
Low unit value relative to vehicles, so the device cost must be proportionate — though the aggregate value of a container fleet is often larger than expected.
Frequently off-site. With customers, at subcontractors, in yards you do not control.
Device options
| Type | Battery life | Reporting | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery-powered GPS | 3–7 years | 1–4 positions/day | Trailers, containers, plant |
| Solar-assisted GPS | Indefinite in daylight | Frequent | Outdoor trailers, skips |
| Trailer-powered (EBS/ABS) | Powered when coupled | Frequent while coupled | Fleet trailers |
| Bluetooth tag + gateway | 1–3 years | On proximity to a gateway | Cages, tools, small assets |
| Cellular IoT (NB-IoT/LTE-M) | 3–10 years | Configurable | Wide-area, low-power tracking |
| Passive RFID | No battery | On read at a gate | Yard management, high volume |
The important architectural choice is between absolute tracking (the asset reports its own position) and proximity tracking (the asset is detected near a reader or gateway). Proximity is far cheaper per asset and tells you where things are within your network; absolute tracking tells you where things are anywhere.
Many operations use both: cellular trackers on high-value trailers, Bluetooth tags on cages read by gateways at depots and by drivers' phones on route.
The three business cases
1. Utilisation. The usual surprise. Once trailers report position and movement, most operations discover a group that has not moved in months. Options follow immediately: redeploy, sell, or stop renewing the rental.
The analysis is simple: days moved per asset per quarter, ranked. The bottom of the list is your action list.
2. Theft and recovery. Trailers and plant are stolen persistently, and recovery rates without tracking are poor. Devices concealed in the structure, reporting on unauthorised movement, materially improve recovery. Some insurers reflect this in terms — ask.
3. Customer accountability. Where assets sit with customers — containers, equipment, rental plant — knowing who has what, and for how long, converts an unmanaged loss into a billable or recoverable position. Demurrage and detention charges are only enforceable with evidence.
Designing the deployment
Reporting frequency. Match to purpose. For utilisation, one position a day is sufficient. For theft response, movement-triggered reporting with a short interval while moving. Most devices support both: sparse when stationary, frequent when moving.
Geofences at your own sites. Arrival and departure at depots and customer sites turns raw position into dwell and utilisation reporting without manual interpretation.
Alerts that matter. Movement outside authorised hours, exit from an authorised area, and prolonged dwell at an unknown location. Avoid alerting on ordinary operations.
Mounting. Concealed, secure and survivable. A device mounted where a thief can find it in thirty seconds is of limited value.
Asset register integration. The tracker must be linked to the asset record in your fleet system, or you have a map full of anonymous dots.
What it costs and what it returns
Hardware for battery-powered asset trackers is typically a modest one-off cost, with a low per-month subscription. Against that:
- Recovery of one stolen trailer usually exceeds the annual cost of tracking a substantial number of them
- Disposal or non-renewal of underused assets is a recurring saving
- Cage and container loss reduction is recurring and often large
- Detention and demurrage recovery becomes evidenced
The utilisation case alone is usually sufficient. The theft case is the one that gets it approved.
Frequently asked questions
How long do asset tracker batteries actually last?
Manufacturer figures assume a specific reporting profile. Real life depends on frequency, temperature and cellular signal quality — cold weather and poor coverage both shorten life significantly. Ask for the assumptions behind any battery claim and plan a replacement cycle.
Can we track assets that go to customer sites?
Yes, and that is often where the value is. If the assets are on private land belonging to others, address privacy and contract terms — tracking your own asset is normally acceptable, but tell customers it is tracked and say why.
Is Bluetooth tagging worth it for small items?
For high-volume, low-value items like cages and crates, it is usually the only economically sensible option, provided you have gateways where the items pass — depot gates, vehicles, or driver phones. It answers "where was it last seen" rather than "where is it now".
What reporting frequency should we use?
For utilisation, daily is enough. For security, movement-triggered with frequent reporting while in motion. Configuring high frequency for stationary assets is the most common cause of disappointing battery life.
Do we need a separate platform for asset tracking?
Ideally not. Most fleet telematics platforms support non-powered assets alongside vehicles. A separate portal means separate logins, separate reports and assets that are absent from your main fleet view — which is how untracked assets became a problem in the first place.
