The global transportation industry is expected to grow by 200% by 2050. This can not only increase emissions but also fuel consumption. The railway industry plays a big role in this, as freight operations consume large volumes of hydrocarbon fuels as well as other natural resources. While reducing emissions and improving sustainability are important goals, the industry is always committed to reducing fuel consumption. This is where the role of GPS railway tracking and fuel level monitoring systems comes into the picture.
Reducing Fuel Consumption
Many studies suggest that the transportation industry, including the railways, has reported fuel consumption reduction as the greatest benefit of investing in GPS tracking. Using railcar GPS tracking and fuel level tracking systems enables better route options for locomotive drivers.
The ability to select the most efficient routes for locomotive driving saves companies both money and time. Thus, by investing in GPS tracking devices and systems companies can eliminate unnecessary costs while reducing nonproductive work. Overall, this helps reduce the amount of time locomotive drivers spend on the tracks. The results translate into faster goods deliveries and lower fuel expenses.
Addressing High Costs Associated with Idle Freight
Underutilization of resources is one of the biggest challenges the railway industry faces. Idle times can extend due to poor route planning, resulting in loss of profits and increased demurrage fees.
These cost factors can have a significant impact on your business, especially when the effects are eventually borne by your customers who rely on your deliveries. When you consider the following statistics, you will realize the role GPS tracking systems can play in saving fuel and time and increasing efficiency:
- In the U.S. 56% of freight cars are not moving on any given day
- The annual demurrage charges for some fleets can be in seven figures
- Sometimes, loaded freight cars can sit idle for up to 23 hours a day before they can head to their destination
Integrating GPS tracking solutions into your rail logistics systems can help you overcome these challenges, improve communication, and increase customer satisfaction by helping save time while at the same time reducing fuel usage.
Preventing Fuel Loss & Theft
The use of GPS tracking and fuel level sensors can further help reduce fuel usage by detecting fuel loss and theft in trains. Such systems can detect any sudden changes in fuel levels and raise alerts.
The Escort TD-Online fuel level sensors are the perfect examples of integrated GPS tracking and fuel level sensing systems that record and report fuel levels in the real time. Besides tracking live location, it can also detect excessive fuel consumption due to idling and over-speeding.
GPS trackers can also be used to detect and recover lost or stolen assets. This can help reduce your losses while keeping insurance costs in check.
Positive Impact of New Technology
New technologies, such as GPS trackers, can improve sustainability and operations with minimal investments.
- By reducing idling when waiting for passing trains to enter/exist freight yards can reduce fuel usage and emissions while keeping services moving.
- Fuel consumption monitoring can help identify railway defects and ensure timely maintenance before the issues escalate.
- When it comes to passenger trains, GPS tracking can be used by rail operators to support real-time travel data and transparency with route maps.
Conclusion
The global rail network covers a distance of over 1.3 million kilometers. The associated market is valued at hundreds of billions of dollars and continues to grow fast every year. There is great opportunity for making freight trains more efficient and in reducing fuel consumption. The right GPS railway technology solutions are required to help achieve this. The ROI on these systems is significantly huge and companies have every reason to invest in them.
