Wal-Mart chooses GE’s telematics solution for trailer fleet

Wal-Mart Stores has selected the Trailer Fleet Services division of GE Equipment Services to supply Wal-Mart with GE’s VeriWise Asset Intelligence untethered trailer-tracking technology for its fleet of 46,000 over-the-road trailers.

Wal-Mart, which also leases trailers from the GE unit, will take advantage of two recent enhancements to VeriWise capabilities – an interior-mounted cargo sensor and a solar trickle charging system to further extend battery life. The announcement was made during the Truckload Carriers Association annual meeting in Orlando.

The solar-charging capability in VeriWise supports Wal-Mart’s 10-year battery life requirement, says Tim Yatsko, Wal-Mart’s senior vice president for transportation. Yatsko noted that adding trailer-tracking capability gives Wal-Mart greater supply chain visibility, and that GE’s technology platform appears flexible enough to support the company’s present and future plans for using telematics data.

Wal-Mart will be GE’s largest trailer telematics customer once installation of VeriWise is completed this year.