Smart Tracking for Dangerous Goods

Real time container tracking through 5G, AI and IoT significantly enhanced safety, efficiency, and compliance at Van Moer Logistics

Challenge

Handling Dangerous Goods at an ADR Terminal

In a high traffic environment, handling dangerous goods has its challenges:

Unclear container locations
Due to the size, stacking, and sheer number of containers, it was often hard to maintain real time insights on the exact location of each tank container.

Operational inefficiencies and safety risk
When containers are placed wrongly, it causes a chain reaction of misplacement, search time, manual correction—and with flammable or chemical cargo, any uncertainty is a hazard.

Need for secure and reliable data
In a critical logistics environment, it’s essential that location data is not only accurate but also securely transmitted and tamper-proof—especially when operations depend on it.

Approach

A phased approach to tackle these challenges

To address these challenges, the project followed a multi‑step, tech‑centric approach:

01

Proof of Concept
We evaluated different methods for locating containers, and chose stereo‑cameras plus distance measuring to recognize containers and read IDs via OCR.

02

Height / Stack Level Determination
Because many containers share the same GPS area but are stacked, we added an algorithm to each video frame that calculates at what stack height/level each container is.

03

Edge Processing + 5G Transmission
To reduce data volume and preserve battery life on the moving stacker vehicles, the AI model is processed locally (on edge devices) and only the processed results are sent via a dedicated, secure 5G network.

04

Integration to get E2E insights
The system was tied together by a scalable cloud platform, and operators got a multi‑device front‑end to visualize container positions; hardware, AI, cloud, and UI work together for end‑to‑end functionality.

Results

Safer, Faster, Smarter Operations

Real-time tracking transformed container handling into a secure, efficient process:

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High detection rate and location accuracy

Within three weeks the system was able to correctly locate about 70% of all containers, with an overall detection rate of 96%.

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Scalability

The solution is capable of monitoring up to 40,000 containers per day, designed to scale beyond initial rollout.

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Operational time savings

Stacker operators save on average 33 minutes per shift, due to reduced time spent searching or correcting container positions.

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Cost reductions

These time savings translate into lower labor, fuel, and equipment (stacker) rental costs.

Want Real‑Time Container Tracking & Safety Control at Your Terminal?

Discover how combining 5G, AI, and IoT turned uncertainty into precise, scalable location control for hazardous goods handling—and how you can do the same.

Contact us today to explore how this end‑to‑end location‑tracking solution can be tailored for your terminal or logistics operations.

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