A new web service is offering access to 1000s of cheap vehicles in North America that have been seized by US Government authorities. Many of these vehicles were seized using GPS tracking devices placed by the finance companies to catch ’bad debtors’.

A costly problem to finance companies are fraudsters who take out a car loan for a high value vehicle and then don’t pay any of the installments, mainly because the vehicle is going to be sold on or smuggled out of the country. To combat this, finance companies covertly fit a GPS tracking device that can be activated as soon as payments are stopped, not made and when then ’owner’ stops responding to finance companies calls.

The gps tracking device is activated and a collector is called up to go and retrieve the vehicle. These vehicles are then seized by the police, IRS, Customs or DEA. After a period of time, they are then put back on the market through approved government auctions.

A new company, Seize Cars enables searchers of these auctions to look up a specific car make and model and find the nearest government car auction taking place near their zip code. For small fee - usually $69 but reduced at the moment to $49 - many people have located a ridiculously cheap car and either sold it on or used it themselves….and then sold it on later for a fat profit.

Go and check it out at www.seizecars.com

With more than 20 million freight containers currently circulating the world it is surprising that only about 2 percent are physically inspected, according to ABI Research. For good reason, security experts have warned of doomsday scenarios involving unchecked containers that may harbor terrorists, explosives, or other hazardous materials. For this reason, Global Tracking Technologies have integrated an enhanced container security system using the very latest in technologies such as RFID, cellular and satellite communications. This total solution promises substantial commercial benefits from a security, supply chain and enterprise resource planning (ERP) perspective.

The main highlights and advantages of the Container Security Solution are:

Øtimely detection of unauthorized dumping

Ødetection of unauthorized container intrustion

Ødetection of unauthorized container opening

Ørealtime tracking of container movements

Ølocation information integrated detection and alerting system

Øinstantly mobile messaging of alerts to security teams

Øcomprehensive database of all container movements

Øcomprehensive details on all partied involved in the movement of the container: shipper, forwarder, importer

Øa turnkey, managed and maintained service for ALL technology.

About GTT

Global Tracking Technologies LLC is a leading developer and provider of GPS based tracking systems. GTT has significant experience in the offender tracking, asset and logistics management, and security applications of GPS tracking technologies, and has been involved in the design and manufacture of GPS tracking devices and the development of GPS tracking software platforms. Based in Tampa, Florida, GTT has representation in North America, Europe and Middle East. For more information visit: www.globaltrackingtech.com

Technorati Tags: Companies List, GPS Container Tracking, Container tracking, Gps container tracking, Container security

The container security device is positioned inside an intermodal cargo container and registers any opening of the container door. Fixed and handheld readers at critical points along the supply chain collect container status from the device and report it.

GE Security and its global partners today announced the release of the latest version of the CommerceGuard System, which is designed to further increase security of cargo containers and ports by addressing dangerous vulnerabilities in today’s global supply chain.

Version 3.0 extends CommerceGuard’s container security system with new, ultra rugged readers; automated XML data feeds for use by customers to track the status and location of their shipments, and a secure protocol for highly reliable wireless messaging. Security is assured by encrypting all data communications and authenticating all hardware transactions and authorized users. Extensive lab and field tests conducted by independent third parties show wireless communications for the system exceed 99% reliability, and the sensor detects container breaches with a false positive rate that is less than 1 percent.

“The U.S. Congress has identified a lack of maritime security as one of our country’s greatest vulnerabilities and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues to seek technologies that can safeguard maritime container shipments,” said Randy Koch, president and CEO, CommerceGuard. “The supply chain’s weakest link is the transport of containers from the factory point of origin to a foreign port. CommerceGuard addresses this vulnerability today by detecting and reporting security breaches while the containers are in-transit.”

“It’s crystal clear that more progress needs to be made with port and container security,” said A. Louis Parker, president and CEO, GE Security. “GE Security is committed to making the world a safer place and we are pleased, along with our three multinational partners, to demonstrate this commitment by fielding this new generation of CommerceGuard products that can immediately and materially improve the security of cargo containers and the world’s ports.”

The latest version of the CommerceGuard System delivers state-of-the art technology in a container security device (CSD) that can detect and report intermodal cargo container intrusions. The CSD is uniquely located inside the container for protection from sabotage as well as the harsh maritime environment. CommerceGuard is the first, market-ready global supply chain security system that can deter and detect theft, smuggling and international terrorism by integrating container security devices with a global information network.

Point-to-point tracking data from the CommerceGuard system is available to customers at no extra charge. Shippers and logistics professionals use the data for supply chain visibility. Shippers, carriers, and ports that currently operate the CommerceGuard System to protect and track assets include Starbucks Coffee Company, Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp., and the Virginia Port Authority.

The CommerceGuard 3.0 products are available worldwide through a global business collaboration consisting of GE Security, Mitsubishi Corporation, Samsung Corporation, and Siemens Building Technologies. The CommerceGuard Information Network is globally established in fourteen international seaports, and is slated for additional expansion through ports in 2007.

The CommerceGuard container security device is positioned inside an intermodal cargo container and registers any opening of the container door. Fixed and handheld readers at critical points along the supply chain collect container status from the device and report it using the CommerceGuard Information Network. This information provides cargo owners greater security while tracking the location and status of shipments as their containers move through the supply chain. Tracking data is available at no additional charge as part of the CommerceGuard service. Should an unauthorized door opening occur, it is recorded as a tamper event and alerts are sent to appropriate officials. Cargo owners, authorized logistics providers and appropriate government authorities can securely access the security and tracking data from any Internet browser. GE Security holds the sales and distribution rights for the CommerceGuard system in North America and certain other regions.

Technorati Tags: New GPS Tracking Devices, Ge security, Containers, Commerceguard

Spoornet, the rail transport division of Transnet, a diversified organization for the South African government, will equip their general freight rail fleet of 80,000 wagons with TransCore’s radio frequency identification (RFID)-based Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) technology in a multimillion dollar contract to improve asset maintenance and utilization. TransCore is teaming with ANSYS Integrated Systems to deliver an initial order of 160,000 tags. The project is scheduled for completion in 2008.

Managing rail wagon assets represents a large expense, ranging from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, so consequently, in-transit visibility into their location, status of a load, maintenance status, or avoiding it sitting empty in a rail yard poses an extraordinary communication process among multiple systems in an expansive transportation network. Using wireless RFID technology to monitor railway operational efficiency saves time and money by automating the process of tracking the location and status of railway equipment in both a high and low speed environment.

Spoornet will use passive RFID for tracking rolling stock in order to enhance equipment location information so operators can be aware of the contents and location of each wagon throughout its 14,400 route mile and 18,800 track mile rail network. With passive RFID, the signals being reflected from the tag mounted on the wagon to the reader are both directionalized and precise so that wagons are read in the order in which they pass, allowing the system to effectively “build the train.” Passive tags typically have no battery; as a result, passive’s more concise read range results in a targeted signal creating a highly accurate tracking system.

“Railroads have been instrumental and, in fact, have driven all aspects of the AEI product development since the original design in the early ’90s to today’s next generation RFID asset tracking tags. That is why this particular RFID technology has been readily adopted around the world,” explained Dr. Jerry Landt, TransCore’s chief scientist. Dr. Landt is one of the original five scientists who developed RFID for two divisions of the U.S. Federal Government and is author of some of the most instrumental RFID patents.

Spoornet will join China’s Ministry of Railways, the Association of American Railways and 16 other countries deploying AVI technology to monitor their rail assets. In North America alone 100 percent of all railcars in interchange service are required to be equipped with TransCore’s tags since the Association of American Railroads adopted TransCore’s Amtech brand of RFID technology as the standard for automatic equipment identification. Now, throughout the world and spanning five continents, TransCore has installed more than 6.5 million tags and 20,000 readers throughout the rail and intermodal industry.

TransCore’s president John Worthington explains, “This additional extension of our RFID technology is an important expansion into another strategic international market. Additionally, as an existing major satellite communications/GPS technology provider in South Africa, we are able to offer companies either of the wireless enabling technologies necessary to manage their logistics assets.”