March 2008, Work Truck - Feature
RFID Technology Can Help Manage Fleet Loads
By Paul Dexler
Radio frequency identification (RFID) may be an unfamiliar term to many. Turnpike drivers who pass through an automatic toll pass experience one type of RFID device. A pet implanted with a microchip for identification is another type. RFIDs are becoming a growing technology in today’s fleet.
Radio frequency and other forms of wireless product identification devices and systems are increasingly used worldwide in a variety of ways to serve assorted purposes and functions. RFID devices come in two basic types: active and passive. Active devices transmit a short range radio signal, while passive devices respond to reception of a short range radio signal. The content of those signals can be used to identify, monitor, and speed delivery of items to which the RFID device has been applied.
RFID tags can be set up to incorporate identification data before they are applied, often by self-adhesive means, to products or packages. RFID tags can be wirelessly interrogated by suitable radio frequency transceivers. Depending upon the nature of the tags, the transceivers can be at varying distances from each other, as close as a few feet and as far apart as several yards. Applications for RFID tags include inventory control, anti-theft purposes, and product location, among many others.