STERLING, Va. — SkyBitz says it has signed on seven new fleets to its Global Locating System trailer tracking system, bringing the total to more than 320 carriers and over 120,000 trailers.

The most recent customers are using the SkyBitz GLS 200 system with Smart Sensor Tracking. The program automatically filters out the trailers non-essential starts and stops and only reports actionable information determined by the customer, such as load arrival and departure times.

Our untethered asset tracking solutions offer carriers and private fleets superior reliability, coverage, battery life and ease of use, said Roni Taylor, executive vice-president of SkyBitz. By employing SkyBitz trailer tracking technology, these customers are optimizing trailer utilization, increasing revenue per mile and maximizing security.

The companys new customers include: Heniff Transportation Systems; KKW Trucking; Lydall Transport; Paramount Farming Co.; Reaves Enterprises; Reliable Ag Transport; and RPM Transportation. All those carriers are based in the US.

Meanwhile, GE reports it has signed Hartt Transportation up for its VeriWise trailer tracking solution. Hartt has ordered 974 VeriWise units so it can identify patterns in how its trailers are used, GE reported at the Truckload Carriers Association convention in Las Vegas yesterday.

“VeriWise has had an immediate impact helping our operations team better manage our trailer fleet, said Jeff Castonguay, general manager for Hartt, a family-owned and -operated freight hauler based in Bangor, Maine. The 50 year-old firm has 350 employees and operates tractor/trailer rigs moving dry goods across the US and in Ontario, Quebec, and Maritime Canada.

What VeriWise does is give us visibility to our trailer assets, added Joanna Bradeen, chief financial officer for Hartt. Weve had GPS units on our tractor fleet for several years now, but since our trailer-to-tractor ratio is three to one, the question has always been, if one trailer is attached, where are the other two?

Hartt officials say they can now report to shippers with more specific information on location status.

Instead of saying, your goods are in Pennsylvania right now, we can help their scheduling process by responding, your shipment is 6.2 miles east of Lancaster, Castonguay said.