At a CAGR of 15%, the installed base of tracking devices for trailers, containers, rail freight wagons, ULDs and pallet is expected to reach 22.4 million by 2028.

This is up from 11 million in 2023, according to Berg Insight in a market report covering the trailer and cargo container tracking market.

The number of active tracking devices deployed for cargo carrying units reached 11.1 million worldwide in 2023. In terms of installed units, trailer telematics is today the most developed market, followed by tracking devices for intermodal containers.

The number of tracking devices and real-time data loggers in use for general cargo applications will grow from 2.5 million units at the end of 2023 to 7.9 million units at the end of 2028. The figure is an estimate of the average number of such devices that were in active use at any given time at the end of the year.

This segment includes disposable and multi-use devices. The total market value for all these segments reached an estimated €2.1bn in 2023. At a CAGR of 10.2%, the total market value is forecasted to reach €3.5bn in 2028.

Orbcomm is the largest provider of tracking for cargo carrying units, having a significant installed base of trailers and containers. The company’s total installed base reached close to 1.6 million units at the end of 2023.

The second and third largest players – Nexxiot and SkyBitz – have reached installed bases of about one million and 750,000 tracking units, respectively. Nexxiot has large installed bases of containers and rail freight wagons while SkyBitz has the vast majority of its installed base on trailers.

Additional leading providers of trailer telematics are Spireon, Samsara, Blackberry, CalAmp, Motive, Idem Telematics, Powerfleet, Phillips Connect, Schmitz Cargobull, FleetPulse, Scalar, TGI, ERoad, Axscend, AddSecure and Krone.

Maersk has equipped its entire fleet of 360,000 reefer containers with tracking devices. Other major players in the container tracking segment are Envotech, ZillionSource, Globe Tracker, Traxens, Giesecke+Devrient and Sensolus. In addition to Nexxiot, leading telematics players in the rail industry are Dot Telematik, Systemtechnik, Amsted Rail, Siemens, Savvy Telematic Systems, Cognid Telematik, Cargomon Systems and Intermodal Telematics. Sensitech (part of Carrier), DeltaTrak, Tive, Controlant, Roambee, Frigga (Dewav Electronic Technology), Copeland and OnAsset Intelligence are the leading providers of cargo tracking devices. Sensos and Trackonomy are also part of this segment, offering smart labels.

Many cargo tracking players offer devices that can be used on all modes of transport, including air shipments.

“Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Red Sea crisis and other recent disruptive events, there is now a strong focus on increasing the visibility and security of the supply chain,” said Martin Apelgren, principal analyst at Berg Insight.

Access to real-time data on the location and condition of the cargo and cargo carrying units is important for cargo owners and shippers as it helps optimise logistics processes, save costs and improve customer services. Devices used for cargo tracking continue to decrease in cost and size enabling additional use cases. Smart labels and other devices with a very small footprint are quickly emerging and becoming a high-volume sub-segment of the tracking market.

“Smart labels represent a massive opportunity for tracking vendors and telecom operators,” said Apelgren.

The report brochure can be downloaded at media.berginsight.com/2025/01/08162415/bi-container12-ps.pdf.