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Top 3 Asset Tracking Software for Manufacturers & Shippers

Asset Tracking Software can help manufacturers & shippers locate and monitor trailers, containers, equipment, and other mobile assets. Its value depends on how it connects with suppliers, production, inventory, orders, facilities, carriers, and customer delivery commitments. Compare the listed details with your needs and confirm current capabilities with providers.

At a glance: Asset Tracking Software for Manufacturers & Shippers

Tive Platform, BlackBerry Radar Trailer Tracking, BlackBerry Radar Portal are three product options to compare for Manufacturers & Shippers in Asset Tracking Software. Review their listed details below. A detail that is not listed may still be available, so ask providers about your requirements.

Product profiles

Tive Platform

Multi-sensor shipment trackers provide real-time location and condition visibility across road, air, ocean, and rail. Profile fit: Pharmaceutical companies with cold chain requirements; Profile fit: Food and beverage with temperature compliance; Profiled strength: Multi-sensor shipment monitoring; Profiled strength: Road, air, ocean and rail tracking.

Details to compare

  • feature: IoT trackers
  • feature: Real-time location
  • integration: REST API v3 (Premium tier)
  • integration: Real-time webhooks (confirm account access)
View full product profile

BlackBerry Radar Trailer Tracking

Radar tracks trailers, chassis and other non-powered assets, with device-specific sensors and alerts. Profile fit: Trailer, chassis and container fleet operators; Profile fit: Rail or hazardous-area operators selecting appropriately certified devices; Profiled strength: Trailer and chassis tracking; Profiled strength: Container tracking.

Details to compare

  • feature: Trailer and chassis tracking
  • feature: Container tracking
View full product profile

BlackBerry Radar Portal

Radar asset visibility for trailers, chassis, containers and railcars, with a unified portal and alerts. Profile fit: Trailer, chassis and container fleet operations; Profile fit: Logistics teams using Radar events, dashboards and reports; Profiled strength: Unified Radar portal; Profiled strength: Event-driven asset insights.

Details to compare

  • feature: Unified Radar portal
  • feature: Event-driven asset insights
  • subcategory: Container / Chassis Tracking
View full product profile

Compare product details

Listed fieldTive PlatformBlackBerry Radar Trailer TrackingBlackBerry Radar Portal
FeaturesIoT trackers, Real-time location, Temperature monitoring, Shock detection, Light exposure, Humidity tracking, Exception alerts, Analytics dashboard, Solo 5G trackers, Tive TagsTrailer and chassis tracking, Container tracking, Railcar tracking, C1/D1 certification (H2M IS only), Battery life by model and reporting mode, Quick installation (device-dependent), Door-status alerts (configured devices), Cargo sensing (configured devices), Condition monitoring (configured devices), Geofences and alerts, Mileage-based maintenance insightsUnified Radar portal, Event-driven asset insights, Cargo-status visibility (configured sensors), Multimodal asset tracking, Geofences and alerts, Dashboards and reports, API-based data sharing, BlackBerry Secure IoT security, Open API integration
IntegrationsREST API v3 (Premium tier), Real-time webhooks (confirm account access), Shipwell, Transporeon, Freightgate, FreightPOP, Turvo, TaiISAAC (confirm implementation), McLeod Software (confirm implementation), Trimble (confirm product and implementation), Open API (custom integration)ISAAC (confirm implementation), McLeod Software (confirm implementation), Trimble (confirm product and implementation), Open API (custom integration)
SubcategoriesMultimodal Visibility PlatformsTrailer TrackingTrailer Tracking, Container / Chassis Tracking
Buyer-fit detailsPharmaceutical companies with cold chain requirements, Food and beverage with temperature compliance, High-value goods requiring shock monitoring, Life sciences with chain of custody needs, Companies needing real-time condition visibilityTrailer, chassis and container fleet operators, Rail or hazardous-area operators selecting appropriately certified devicesTrailer, chassis and container fleet operations, Logistics teams using Radar events, dashboards and reports
Target company sizesmid-market, enterprisemid-market, enterprisemid-market, enterprise

Not seeing a capability here? Ask the provider whether it is available for your needs.

What to consider for Manufacturers & Shippers

For manufacturers & shippers, the most relevant fit is container & equipment tracking. Products differ in the depth of these capabilities and how they connect with existing systems.

  • Supply chain visibility
  • Asset recovery
  • Location and movement history
  • Geofence, dwell, and exception alerts
  • Asset inventory and utilization views

Questions to ask vendors

  • How does each listed capability—such as IoT trackers or Real-time location—work in your actual manufacturers & shippers process?
  • What setup, data access, responsibilities, and support would be required to use Asset Tracking Software with your existing systems?

Asset Tracking Software for manufacturers shippers 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

Fit for manufacturers shippers (conditional)

Manufacturers and shippers may track returnable packaging, pallets, bins, or containers when asset reuse and handoffs matter to their process. Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI); GS1 Traceability standard, version 1.3.0

Workflow: Tie an asset identifier to a shipment or production flow, scan the transfer to a carrier or 3PL, and record return or repair events. Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI); GS1 Traceability standard, version 1.3.0

Ask in a demo: Show whether a reusable tote's identity persists through aggregation, shipment, receiving, and return, and which partner captures every event. Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI); GS1 Traceability standard, version 1.3.0

Check before choosing: A traceability standard does not decide legal requirements or prove that a trading partner captures the required data. Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI); 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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