By Greg Bartlett

Every year, businesses are forced to refund money to customers for shipments that were never received. Where these cargoes have gone may remain a mystery, but future shipments can be tracked from the manufacturer to the end customer using GPS technology.

Many companies are not implementing a system of including a GPS tracking system in each cargo container so that the shipment can be tracked by computer from both the shipping and receiving ends. This ability to know exactly where the shipment is along its route can reduce friction between shipper and customer greatly.

It is possible to have the computer set to sound an alarm in the event the shipment begins moving in a direction other than the intended path or if movement stops for a period of time that is longer than should occur so that the owner of the cargo can alert the carrier and/or the proper authorities to the problem.

GPS tracking is cutting down on the number of pieces of cargo that are stolen every year because the thieves have no way of knowing just which containers have tracking devices in them or which shipments these are included in. Ideally every shipment would be protected in this manner.

Having the ability to track the movement of a shipment all the way along its route has the added effect of lowering the insurance rates charged on shipments. This is because a shipment that is diverted from its intended schedule in any manner is noted immediately and steps are taken to secure the shipment to prevent theft. With fewer successful thefts of items in transit, the insurance companies do not have to pay out as much in claims, so many pass the savings on to their customers in reduced premiums.

In a world where businesses trade with other businesses on the other side of the globe on a daily basis, it is nice to know that GPS tracking technology can be implemented to track shipments from one end of the supply chain to the other and assure all parties concerned that the items money has changed hands to get from one place to another actually arrive in a timely and efficient fashion. A GPS tracking system allows for fewer complaints of lost shipments that just never make it to their destination by alerting someone in the event that a shipment deviates from its assigned path.