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Asset Tracking Platforms by Segment: Trailers, Equipment and Tools

SupplyWolf Team · 5 min read · Asset Tracking Guide

Asset TrackingContainer TrackingTrailer TrackingIntermodalChassis LeasingIoTSupply Chain Visibility

Compare AssetTrac, Geotab, Motive, and Samsara by the trailer, equipment, OEM, and sensor connections each documents.

Asset tracking combines an identity, a location or scan event, and a time. A barcode or GS1 identifier answers which item was handled; an event record says what happened and where; a powered or battery tracker can report location between handoffs. The right system depends on whether a team manages trailers, powered equipment, or smaller tools.

Trailer pools and remote assets

AssetTrac by Phillips Connect, listed in the Geotab Marketplace, offers peel-and-stick or wired GPS tracking for trailers and other fleet assets without relying on onboard power. It is relevant to trailer pools and remote equipment where location updates and asset recovery are more important than a vehicle diagnostic feed.

Geotab's GO Anywhere tracking family separates the connection by asset: GO Anywhere Plus reports near-real-time location and engine hours for powered equipment or distance traveled for trailers; Next-Gen GO Anywhere provides hourly reporting for non-powered assets; and its small-asset workflow uses Bluetooth beacons associated through MyGeotab. This range fits mixed fleets that track trailers, machines, and tools through one fleet-management environment.

Equipment that already uses OEM telematics

Motive GPS Asset Tracking combines Motive Asset Gateway Mini, Vehicle Gateway, automatic vehicle-asset pairing, and OEM telematics integrations. Motive names John Deere and Komatsu among the OEM integrations that bring equipment telematics into the Motive platform. Construction and equipment fleets can use that connection to see powered machines, vehicles, drivers, and trailers together instead of maintaining separate location views.

Small assets and condition sensors

Samsara equipment tracking includes Asset Tags for smaller items and powered or unpowered Asset Gateways for equipment and trailers. Its Powered Asset Gateway Plus pairs with Samsara wireless sensors, including door, cargo, and environmental monitors. A fleet can therefore keep location and cargo-condition information in the Samsara operations platform when the relevant gateway and sensors are deployed.

Pick the information each asset needs

For reusable containers or returnable packaging, create an identifier and scan at custody changes. The GS1 Global Returnable Asset Identifier identifies reusable transport items, equipment, and tools. GS1 EPCIS structures event information such as what, when, where, and why, which supports partner handoffs. For a trailer pool, add device location and the timestamp of the last report. For powered machinery, engine hours and OEM data may matter alongside position. For high-value small tools, proximity alerts can be more useful than continuous GPS.

Match the example to the operation: AssetTrac for trailer-focused GPS, Geotab for a mixed fleet with multiple asset classes, Motive for heavy equipment and named OEM connections, and Samsara for gateway and sensor workflows. Decide which assets need live location, which need custody scans, and which events must reach dispatch or maintenance.

Asset Tracking buying guidance

At a glance: Asset tracking identifies and records the status or movement of reusable or operational assets—such as returnable transport items, trailers, containers, chassis, tools, and equipment—using identifiers and observations captured through processes or technologies such as scans, tags, GPS, or partner events. Identification, event sharing, and precise live location are different capabilities; the asset type and deployment determine which evidence is available. Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI); GS1 EPCIS: enabling visibility with real time information on supply chain events; GS1 Traceability standard, version 1.3.0

Common workflows

Questions to ask providers

  • What asset classes, individual units, and ownership boundaries are in scope, and which identifier is retained over the asset's life?
  • Does the proposed method report an event, an approximate last-known location, or a continuously sampled position, and what is the evidence source for each?
  • Which scan, tag, gateway, device, power, network, roaming, and replacement components are included in the design and quote?
  • How are missing, duplicated, delayed, out-of-order, and contradictory asset events reconciled across carriers, 3PLs, and customer systems?
  • What permissions, retention, data export, partner access, device security, and decommissioning controls apply to the tracking records?
  • How will the pilot measure identifier-read rates, event completeness, location age, battery service, and recovery workflow without extrapolating beyond the tested routes?

Frequently asked questions

What counts as an asset for tracking?

A supply-chain asset can include reusable transport items, transport equipment, tools, or other identified objects. GS1's GRAI key is especially suitable for reusable transport items and transport equipment; buyers still need to choose what their own asset register covers. Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI)

Is asset identification the same as GPS tracking?

No. An identifier labels which object is involved, while GPS or another observation method may report a position or event. GS1 GRAI describes an asset key, and EPCIS describes visibility-event sharing; neither by itself promises continuous GPS coverage. Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI); GS1 EPCIS: enabling visibility with real time information on supply chain events

What is EPCIS used for?

GS1 describes EPCIS as a standard for sharing supply-chain visibility-event information about physical objects and business events. It can support event exchange between applications and trading partners, but a buyer must still define which events, identifiers, interfaces, and responsibilities apply. GS1 EPCIS: enabling visibility with real time information on supply chain events

Should a business track a container, trailer, and tractor in the same system?

They may be connected operationally but have different owners, identifiers, devices, and observation patterns. Model each asset type separately, then test how a system links a trailer or container to a load and journey without treating a powered-vehicle telematics feed as proof of cargo position. Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI); GS1 EPCIS: enabling visibility with real time information on supply chain events

Can asset tracking prevent theft or guarantee recovery?

No tracking standard or category definition guarantees prevention or recovery. A buyer should evaluate alert coverage, power, communications, response ownership, police or insurer procedures, and actual incident evidence before assigning an expected outcome. GS1 EPCIS: enabling visibility with real time information on supply chain events

How should a tracking pilot be measured?

Use a defined asset population and route sample, and separately measure identity match, event completeness, observation freshness, coverage gaps, device servicing, and exception resolution. Do not generalize one pilot's route or asset mix to all operations. GS1 EPCIS: enabling visibility with real time information on supply chain events; GS1 Traceability standard, version 1.3.0

Sources (3)
  1. Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI) — GS1
  2. GS1 EPCIS: enabling visibility with real time information on supply chain events — GS1
  3. GS1 Traceability standard, version 1.3.0 — GS1

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