Chicago-based fleet technology company Rand McNally has expanded its asset-tracker line with a wired option for those who require constant location tracking with alerts and pings every two minutes.

The existing range includes a solar-powered tracker and a battery-driven version.

“We have customers who transport very high-value cargo and need to know where it is at all times,” said Adam Ricketts, vice president at Rand McNally. “We were able to develop this wired solution and get it running on the Rand platform, which enables even more access to key information such as external temperature and humidity readings.”

The TrueTrack W110 wired tracker connects and supplies pings every two-minutes as a standard offering. The industries’ average ping rates on wireless trackers can range anywhere from once every thirty minutes to once per day, depending on need and situation.

Voyager Express, a Detroit-based trucking firm with close ties to the automotive industry, has been using the Rand McNally’s wired trackers. The company uses drop-and-hook trailers that transport high-value automotive parts so it’s critical to know where the trailers are – not just the trucks pulling them – at all times.

“We’re 100% installed and it’s pretty sweet,” said Tim Reilly, vice president. at Voyager Express. “It lets me know where all my assets are and whether they are tracking to plan.”

Using the platform, Reilly is able see not only where his trailers are at any time, but also whether they are on schedule for their deliveries.

“The asset trackers are doing work in the background, letting me know if a trailer isn’t going to get to its destination because of traffic,” he said. “If everything is running on time, the asset on the screen shows green. If there’s a change, it goes to yellow. So, now I just need to focus on the assets that are red.”

In June, Rand McNally announced that its RVT video telematics device was available on the company’s platform. An API-first offering, the Rand platform features technology that reduces risks and accelerates development, allowing for flexibility and quick innovation.

Fleets that use both asset tracking and the RVT package, which includes road-facing and cab-facing cameras, can view drivers, assets and vehicles on the same screen, via a single sign on.

With the added features that the platform offers, users have access to a drag-and-drop workflow tool that can be anything needed, with no need to select from prescribed metrics, reports or alerts. Reporting and dashboard views of fleet tracking features show details such as vehicle breadcrumb trails, geofences, and more. There is the ability to create a freeform geofence unconstrained by polygon shapes.

Teleo Capital acquired Rand McNally late in 2020 with a pledge to increase its investment in products for the transportation and logistics market.