OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific, in coordination with supply chain technology group Blume Global, has added GPS tracking to its fleet of 53-foot EMP and UMAX intermodal containers assigned to domestic intermodal service. The containers, owned in partnership with other Class I railroads, now represent the largest GPS-equipped, rail-owned container fleet in North America.
The expanded visibility gives intermodal customers real-time location status and instantaneous alerts for load-empty status. Geo-fencing capabilities, a digital tool that assigns virtual boundaries around real-world locations, gives customers real-time access to container locations, helping provide more visibility when containers are approaching ramps. The railroad says the technology provides customers with tools that reduce manual updates and customer service phone calls.
“This is another meaningful step as we deliver the best customer experience possible,” Kenny Rocker, executive vice president-marketing and sales at Union Pacific, said in a press release. “By combining GPS-enabled containers with real-time data and smarter visibility tools, we’re providing the transparency and reliability our customers depend on,” he adds.
The railroads’ UMAX and EMP fleet totals more than 80,000 53-foot containers.
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Good, but that won’t keep thieves away from the shipments. Union Pacific needs to deploy bulls around the train the moment they leave the yard. Los Angeles, Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Denver, Vegas, Salt Lake, and every major terminal on the system are ruddled with crime. Every single day when one of these stackers gets a slow order or they get dwell time in the yard, thieves break into the train and break the locks off the containers. Last year alone 250 containers in the ICTF Long Beach Yard over in Los Angeles were robbed patrols have increased but Union Pacific needs to do better to make sure nobody. I repeat nobody gets inside those containers until they are delivered to a distribution center and unloaded onto trucks. GPS will help but we need more boots on the ground to make sure nobody gets in those containers.