TIP Trailer Services, a division of GE Equipment Services, and EUROWATCH have announced an
agreement whereby customers of GE’s VeriWise™ Asset Intelligence solution can now benefit
from improved security and driver safety across the enlarged European region by using the
EUROWATCH service to gain immediate access to police whenever and wherever a freight
crime occurs.
Telematics is a term used in the transport industry to describe the integration of wireless
communications and sensor-generated information about freight and equipment status. GE’s
telematics product, called VeriWise Asset Intelligence, is a wireless (both satellite and
cellular) system that enables precise and timely monitoring of trailer assets -- even when they
are not connected to a tractor.
First introduced by GE in April 2003 in the US and in Europe in 2004, the VeriWise™ solution
consists of a fully protected trailer-mounted transceiver, a discreet antenna, and a patented
power management system , and is supported by GE’s Asset Intelligence business based in
Schaumburg, Illinois, with advanced research and engineering resources from GE Global
Research.
Even with a telematics system installed on their trailers, lorry drivers outside their home
country can have a difficult time obtaining immediate police assistance when they are the
victim of a crime: police emergency numbers and local languages vary by country and
relevant GPS tracking data cannot be immediately accessed by police to locate stolen
vehicles/assets. Additionally, in Europe, police emergency numbers are only available
nationally and cannot be called across borders. All these factors can hinder the police from
being informed quickly enough to make a difference.
Designed to combat the 200,000 lorry crimes committed each year across Europe and stem
losses to industry estimated to exceed €10 billion a year, the EUROWATCH service enables
drivers to immediately access local law enforcement resources virtually across Europe
whenever a crime occurs.