The cost of tracking systems is what Don Sesler believes is the major stumbling block for most smaller trucking companies. That’s why his company, Sageplan Inc. of Austin, TX, a reseller of cellular and tracking devices, developed what he thinks is a low cost way for smaller carriers to get real-time tracking information on their vehicles.
“We wanted to offer something with basic functionality – the ability to track a fleet’s vehicles – at a price point both for the technology and the installation that would be affordable to smaller operators,” said Sesler, president of Sageplan, during a press conference at last week’s Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, TX.
The Sagetracker is small one-pound device attached by a heavy-duty magnet to either the inside our outside of the trailer, powered by either four Double A batteries or an external power source such as the truck’s battery. The device has a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver that uses a GSM cellular connection to transmit its location to Sageplan’s operations center. That location data is then available to the fleet via a password-encrypted web site, Sesler said.
“It’s a simple all-in-one package for a low cost we think gives smaller fleets access to real time location data,” Sesler added. “We’re also working on a ‘panic button’ option we hope to add to this service in the near future.”
