Delta Cargo launches Bluetooth-based ULD tracking services

Delta Cargo is extending its track-and-trace unit load device (ULD) services outside of the physical bounds of airports, enabling customers to now track their cargo from warehouse to final destination with Bluetooth technology.

The extension of service will also mean that the need for paper-based processing at the dock door, where units are loaned out, will be eliminated – instead, producing a digital Uniform Control Receipt (UCR) which is emailed directly to the shipper.

The utilization of Bluetooth as a means to track the location of freight is becoming increasingly common in the logistics sphere. In the same vein, yesterday, a ULD management company, Jettainer, and a tech company, CORE Transport, announced their new partnership to develop Bluetooth-enabled containers, addressing a demand for more accurate tracking of shipments.

Delta said that it is “one of the first major airlines to test Bluetooth tracking technology.” The carrier has deployed Bluetooth readers at 80 Delta and partner airline warehouses across six continents, including all of its United States hubs and major trucking stations. Plans are underway to do the same at another 70 locations. By January 2019, the tracking system will be available on nearly all of Delta’s ULDs and customers will be able to access the data at any time on the airline’s website.