Trailer and Cargo Container Tracking – 10th Edition

Trailer and cargo container tracking is a subsegment of asset tracking that aims to increase operational efficiency and security in transport chains. Berg Insight’s definition of a real-time tracking solution is a system that, at minimum, incorporates data logging, satellite positioning and data communications to a backoffice application through cellular or satellite networks. The tracking device can be designed to track the trailer, intermodal container, rail freight wagon, air freight ULD or the cargo itself. Tracking devices for trailers and cargo containers are permanently or temporarily installed on the unit while general cargo tracking devices are typically placed with the cargo during transport. Having access to real-time data on the location and status of trailers 
and cargo containers enable the various stakeholders in the supply chain to make better informed decisions, increase asset utilization, save costs and reduce the environmental impact. 

Berg Insight estimates that shipments of tracking devices with cellular or satellite communications capabilities for trailers and cargo containers reached 6.0 million units worldwide in 2021. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.0 percent, shipments are expected to reach 18.3 million units in 2026. During the same period, the installed base of tracking devices is forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 24.4 percent, from 11.1 million units at the end of 2021 to 33.1 million units by 2026. Trailer tracking is the largest market segment, estimated to account for 35.0 percent of the total installed base of tracking devices in 2021. General cargo tracking and intermodal container tracking are the second and third largest segments in terms of the number of installed units. Total revenues in the trailer and cargo container tracking industry reached an estimated € 1.5 billion in 2021. Growing at a CAGR of 14.1 percent, the total market value is forecasted to reach € 2.9 billion in 2026. Trailer and intermodal container tracking applications are the two largest segments in terms of market value. 

The market for trailer, cargo container and general cargo tracking solutions is served by a wide range of players. Companies offering solutions for cargo carrying units typically focus on one application, e.g. trailer tracking. However, these companies often have devices installed on several different asset types. General cargo tracking solution providers are most often specialised in that market segment. Berg Insight ranks ORBCOMM as the largest provider of cargo tracking solutions, having a significant installed base of both trailers and containers. The company’s total installed base reached more than 828,000 units at the end of 2021. The second largest player SkyBitz has an installed base of 685,000 tracking units, primarily on trailers. Additional leading providers of trailer telematics solutions are Spireon (now owned by Solera), Samsara, CalAmp, Powerfleet, Phillips Connect (the telematics division of Phillips Industries), Idem Telematics, Schmitz Cargobull, TGI, Transics (ZF), EROAD, BlackBerry, Cooltrax, Geoforce and CLS Group. 

The container tracking market is dominated by Maersk, which has equipped its entire fleet of 385,000 reefer containers with tracking devices. Other major players in the segment are Envotech, ZillionSource, Globe Tracker, Traxens and MECOMO. Globe Tracker has grown rapidly in the past year and has now reached an installed base of well over 100,000 container tracking units. The company has a major ongoing project with the liner shipping company Hapag-Lloyd to equip its entire reefer container fleet with tracking units. Leading telematics players in the rail industry are Nexxiot, Amsted Rail, Siemens, SAVVY Telematic Systems, DOT Telematik and Cognid Telematik. Nexxiot is the leading player in the segment, working on large scale projects in Europe. Sensitech (part of Carrier), DeltaTrak, Tive, Roambee, Controlant, Frigga (Dewav Electronic Technology) and OnAsset Intelligence are the largest providers of cargo tracking devices, each with more than hundred thousand devices in use. These players offer tracking devices that can be used on all modes of transport, including air freight. 

About 29 million intermodal containers, 15 million trailers, 5 million rail freight wagons and one million air freight ULDs are in use worldwide today. The penetration rate of tracking devices installed on these cargo carrying units amounts to only about 15 percent, indicating that there is much room for growth. Berg Insight anticipates that the ongoing trend in the transport industry to invest in new digital solutions that increase visibility and security in the supply chain will continue and even accelerate in the coming next few years. The recent disruptions in the global supply chain caused by the pandemic have accentuated the need for real-time shipment data. 

Bolstered by new IoT communications technologies, solution providers are now able to design cost-effective tracking solutions that meet the needs of fleet and asset owners, transport companies, shippers and other stakeholders in the transport industry.