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As hurricane Alex spins toward the Mexican and Texas coastlines, existing oil clean up operations of the BP spill have been impacted. Depending on how this hurricane season goes, more havoc can be expected, and with that chaos may come the loss of assets servicing the spill. SkyBitz has seen this before during Katrina with its customer, Fugro Chance Inc. - an offshore survey company working with oil drilling rigs and production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

The company uses SkyBitz to track its equipment on land and at sea. It tracks both vehicles and shipping containers that contain specialized equipment for managing their survey work for the U.S. Department of the Interior. "We have probably $50,000 worth of equipment in each box. We don't want that sitting on a dock someplace or blowing around in a storm. We use SkyBitz so we know where they are," explained Don Dunbar, Manager of Marine Electronics for Fugro Chance.

So what will happen when the hurricane season...

According to the latest report published by the National Equipment Register (NER) and the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the top ten states for equipment theft are as follows:

1. Texas
2. Florida
3. North Carolina
4. Georgia
5. South Carolina
6. Tennessee
7. California
8. Oklahoma
9. Missouri
10. Ohio

What I find most interesting about this list, is that it goes against the normal assumption that theft would be highest in the sunny states that boarder Mexico.  The thought was always that the stolen equipment would be moved across the border and re-sold for cash at a discount.

While Texas does lead this list, there is a strong presence here from the southern states - all placing ahead of California.  What does this mean?  The grey market for reselling stolen equipment like skid steers and excavators is alive and well in the United States.   The question is how are folks in the industry using technology to prevent it?  A simple SkyBitz tag could provide the safety and security solution required. ...

The driver shortage has arrived.  Experts have predicted that the trucking sector will need to hire 400,000 additional drivers by the end of 2011.  This driver shortage could significantly impact your company's ability to capitalize on the economic recovery.  Why?  According to Transport Topics and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals:

Carriers will have difficulty expanding capacity cut last year after manufacturers and retailers slashed spending for transportation services.  Business logistics costs fell 18.2% to $1.1 trillion in 2009 from $1.34 trillion in 2008, as shippers responded to plummeting demand by cutting back on product inventories and paying less for transportation services, according to a CSCMP report released on June 9.  The cutback forced truck, rail, air and ocean freight carriers to downsize their fleets, and now, as the economy recovers, some companies are having difficulty replacing freight-hauling capacity lost during the...

Using a bi-directional satellite communication system that has an ultra low power consumption profile, combined with other key protocols, platforms and devices (e.g. Zigbee, RFID, GSM, etc) has the power to truly integrate a supply chain and provide complete asset visibility.

Take intermodal shipping in the global supply chain which has become closely linked to national security as well as customer service.  The ability to provide total asset visibility through a system with multiple supply chain providers has made business less adaptable and flexible. But the shift to even greater cross-border traffic and greater national and cargo security concerns have in turn required better coordination between parties to meet federal and industry standards.

As these supply chains grew more complex, many companies turned to third-party logistics firms (3PLs) in the hopes to achieve smooth logistics operations from basic delivery coordination all the way to warehousing....

As the economy continues to be tough, theft will continue to rise.  According to the most recent Equipment Theft Report published by National Equipment Register (NER) and the NICB in 2008, over 13,000 pieces of equipment – ranging from riding mowers to excavators – were reported stolen in the US in that year alone.  

One can only imagine how this number will increase – especially with the popularity of websites like Craigslist and ebay coupled with a tough economy.   Heavy equipment like backhoes and Bobcat’s can be loaded up on a small flatbed trailer, tied down and towed away in a matter of minutes.   And the risk versus reward can be enticing for the criminal mind. 

For example, one can find a used 2004 Caterpillar 420D Backhoe Loader for sale on various websites with a price ranging from $25,000 to $50,000.  One can find a used 05’ Caterpillar CAT 287B Skid Steer MTL Track Loader online for up to $21,000. 

The question you have to ask is how do you know that...