The Bode freight forwarder has fully migrated its telematics for its vehicle fleet to systems from Idem Telematics. The central foundation is the Cargofleet 3 platform, through which third-party providers are also integrated. These include, among others, Thermo King cooling units as well as systems from Optifleet, Krone and Volvo. After a thorough test in 2024, the company decided to switch and subsequently carried out the integration into Cargofleet 3, according to the supplier BPW.
Intermodal Transport
The company from northern Germany moves, according to the company, around 1,000 loading units daily between Germany, Southern Europe and Scandinavia. About 95 percent of transports take place in intermodal transport, including a large share of temperature-controlled goods. The transported goods include fruit, vegetables, beverages, paper, steel and frozen products.
Technology for
International Traffic
For the trailers, Bode uses the TC Trailer Gateway Basic hardware. This solution enables the location/tracking of the units, the reading of EBS data, as well as the recording and evaluation of dwell times. In the tractor units, the TC Truck 4G hardware is used. Thereby, vehicle and driver card data can be transmitted automatically as soon as the ignition is switched on. According to the company, this eliminates manual readouts with separate storage media.
The systems also record violations of driving and rest times, evaluate driving styles, and provide information for functions such as satellite tracking, geofencing, or door monitoring.
Requirements in Intermodal Transport
The intermodal transport required particularly reliable technology, according to the provider. For example, trailers are transported from Italy to Scandinavia, where they
are powered only up to the start in Verona and then drive north without a tractor unit. During this period, which can last up to a week, the telematics must operate without external power supply. The systems are also reportedly stable in operation even under strong temperature fluctuations.
In addition, the recorded data can be forwarded to external platforms such as Transporeon, Project44 or FourKites upon request.
"The solutions from idem withstand such times without any problems and have proven to be absolutely reliable," says Dennis Willers, fleet manager of the Bode freight forwarder. "Everything can be loaded into the platform, and if needed the data can also be forwarded to third-party systems such as Transporeon, Project44 or FourKites."
Digital Maintenance Planning and Dispatch
The telematics solution in use
includes a maintenance calendar that automatically calculates service appointments based on operating hours. It is immediately evident which vehicle must go to the workshop when. At the same time, dispatchers can track trips live and calculate arrival times more precisely.
Customers therefore receive reliable information for ramp planning, particularly for sensitive transports. Drivers can also access their data, for example regarding driving times.
Company Background
The Bode forwarding company was founded in 1949 and began long-distance transport on behalf of the Deutsche Bundesbahn in 1954. Since then, the company has grown continuously. In 2023, Bode opened a new headquarters in Reinfeld with office and social spaces as well as a five-bay workshop. The introduction of telematics solutions from idem telematics is, according to the company, part of a comprehensive
