The RailRider is a
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sys ...
(GPS) tracking and monitoring device used on railroad freight cars and locomotives. In earlier days of railroading a rail rider was known as a person to ride on a railcar to make sure it arrived unscathed.
The modern electronic RailRiders are deployed worldwide on
railcars
A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...
, and
locomotives
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the us ...
. The patented RailRider
collects data from a GPS and sensors. The information is communicated through
cellular (
GPRS
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a packet oriented mobile data standard on the 2G and 3G cellular communication network's global system for mobile communications (GSM). GPRS was established by European Telecommunications Standards Ins ...
),
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
, or
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotop ...
modem to servers for further processing. Customers can access data from anywhere through the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
.
Shippers use the location and monitoring data to improve utilization, productivity, reduce maintenance, increase security, and improve customer support. Managers can quickly get answers to their
logistics
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
questions by running reports or viewing maps on the website. Data can also be passed directly to corporate
fleet management
Fleet management is the management of:
* Commercial motor vehicles such as cars, vans, trucks, specialist vehicles (such as mobile construction machinery), forklifts, and trailers
* Private vehicles used for work purposes (the 'grey fleet')
* Avi ...
computer systems for a complete integrated system with all
lading information.
RailRider is a
registered trademark
The registered trademark symbol, , is a typographic symbol that provides notice that the preceding word or symbol is a trademark or service mark that has been registered with a national trademark office. A trademark is a symbol, word, or wor ...
of
Lat-Lon, LLC. Lat-Lon was founded in 1999 by Dave Baker and Steve Tautz. Membership interest was purchased by BSM Technologies U.S. Holdings, Inc. effective June 1, 2014
limited liability company
A limited liability company (LLC for short) is the US-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of ...
.
References
{{reflist
External links
Lat-Lon company site
Global Positioning System